Swinsty Walk
Weather forecasters on the telly and the internet all agreed: today would be the only sunny day of the bank holiday weekend. The sun was shining as I gathered my things together for a little hike. I'd downloaded the routes of two hikes from Swinsty Reservoir from the Yorkshire Water website. One of them would take me around John O'Gaunt's Reservoir, near the ruins of John O'Gaunt's castle (actually a medieval hunting lodge). I've always wanted to see those ruins; they could be just a pile of rocks on the ground or it could be the shell of the medieval building. I wouldn't know unless I went there.
It's a short drive to Swinsty Reservoir and as I pulled into the car park and began to put my hiking boots on a massive gray cloud parked itself over the entire area. The wind picked up and it felt rather chilly. Oh well, that's Yorkshire for you. I began to follow the instructions for the walk to John O'Gaunt's Reservoir but got stymied only a short way down the path. I was supposed to follow a stone wall, "then go through the wall, over a small stream to a stile into a field." I never did find a suitable place where I could go through the wall, nor an easy passage across the stream, nor a field with a stile. Perhaps if I'd had an Ordnance Survey map I'd have been able to figure it out but I wasn't about to go it alone. So I turned 'round and did the easier route around Swinsty Reservoir. I've hiked there many times with my hiking group and it's almost impossible to lose your way.
I had brought my binoculars but did not get many reasons to peer through them. I occasionally heard birds in the wood but, now that the trees are in leaf, they are nearly impossible to spot. There were hardly any wild fowl on the water. With one heartbreaking exception. There was a spot near Swinsty Dam where I could see two ducklings were trapped. They were in a pool of water next to the dam. The only way out was up several man-made steps over which water gushed like mini waterfalls. The mother duck was above in the reservoir patiently waiting for her ducklings to follow her. But they must have been too young to fly and were certainly not strong enough to manage the waterfall. They kept trying and trying and only managed to get up one step before being washed down into the pool again. I watched the sad scene for a while then had to leave with a heavy heart, not knowing how the episode ended.
I stopped at the other Swinsty car park and ate a sandwich at a picnic bench. There was Yorkshire Dales ice cream van there and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity of having an ice cream cone with a chocolate flake. As I ate my ice cream I began the walk back to my starting point. The cloud cover got even thicker and I had to pull my windbreaker out of my backpack to break the chill. It was nearly 3 p.m. when I made it back to the car. I'd been walking for about 2.5 hours and had covered about 4 miles.
I'm back home now and have just had my afternoon mug of tea. As I sit here typing this the sun has come out and is shining bright and warm. Leave it to me to be outside only during the cold gray windy part of the day.
It's a short drive to Swinsty Reservoir and as I pulled into the car park and began to put my hiking boots on a massive gray cloud parked itself over the entire area. The wind picked up and it felt rather chilly. Oh well, that's Yorkshire for you. I began to follow the instructions for the walk to John O'Gaunt's Reservoir but got stymied only a short way down the path. I was supposed to follow a stone wall, "then go through the wall, over a small stream to a stile into a field." I never did find a suitable place where I could go through the wall, nor an easy passage across the stream, nor a field with a stile. Perhaps if I'd had an Ordnance Survey map I'd have been able to figure it out but I wasn't about to go it alone. So I turned 'round and did the easier route around Swinsty Reservoir. I've hiked there many times with my hiking group and it's almost impossible to lose your way.
I had brought my binoculars but did not get many reasons to peer through them. I occasionally heard birds in the wood but, now that the trees are in leaf, they are nearly impossible to spot. There were hardly any wild fowl on the water. With one heartbreaking exception. There was a spot near Swinsty Dam where I could see two ducklings were trapped. They were in a pool of water next to the dam. The only way out was up several man-made steps over which water gushed like mini waterfalls. The mother duck was above in the reservoir patiently waiting for her ducklings to follow her. But they must have been too young to fly and were certainly not strong enough to manage the waterfall. They kept trying and trying and only managed to get up one step before being washed down into the pool again. I watched the sad scene for a while then had to leave with a heavy heart, not knowing how the episode ended.
I stopped at the other Swinsty car park and ate a sandwich at a picnic bench. There was Yorkshire Dales ice cream van there and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity of having an ice cream cone with a chocolate flake. As I ate my ice cream I began the walk back to my starting point. The cloud cover got even thicker and I had to pull my windbreaker out of my backpack to break the chill. It was nearly 3 p.m. when I made it back to the car. I'd been walking for about 2.5 hours and had covered about 4 miles.
I'm back home now and have just had my afternoon mug of tea. As I sit here typing this the sun has come out and is shining bright and warm. Leave it to me to be outside only during the cold gray windy part of the day.
posted by lenora at 10:00 AM
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