Monday 17 October 2011

Another lovely day.







Two lovely Autumn days in succession is almost too good to be true at this time of the year. As soon as we had had our lunch the farmer and I set off for a walk at Orgate.

Orgate is a tiny community just above the village of Marske in Swaledale. There is no made up road, just a well preserved track, and rarely any traffic. We left our car in the village of Marske, crossed the bridge over the beck and walked up the hill to the track. This beck is one of the many which flow into the River Swale. On a fine day like this one the beck is a pleasant trickle but after rain it becomes a raging torrent, all adding to that huge body of water that flows down the country and into the North Sea at the Humber Estuary.

In the peaceful fields there is still plenty of grass. As far as I know there is no dairy farm in the village but one field held a clutch of Suffolk rams feeding themselves up prior to their busy time. What sturdy fellows they are - they must carry twice as much weight as Swaledales.

The next field held a lovely black Dales pony. There are not too many of them about nowadays although they are becoming a little more popular. He was a lovely fellow but really too far away to get a good shot and he had no intention of coming any nearer - the grass was far too sweet and tasty.

And so we set off down the track between quite high hedges. Luckily we had Tess on the lead because suddenly - on a bend - we were surprised to see two horses pulling a splendid carriage. There were two people sitting on the front, holding the reins and two more folk standing on the back. By the time I had got my camera out they were disappearing round the next bend but the photograph gives you some idea of what it was like. They must have had a lovely ride on such a lovely day and it did strike me that a hundred or so years ago I would have known exactly what sort of carriage it was!

I talked yesterday about the fieldfares and redwings. Well I hope they come this way some time soon, because great swags of cotoneaster cornubia berries hung out over the track in various places - they looked good enough to eat.

We had a lovely wander along the path through dappled woodland until I realised that we had to walk all the way back to the car - so we turned round and retraced our steps.

Another lovely walk before this week's promised spell of Arctic weather.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

It was a really lovely day! I like that you just got a shot of the tail-end of the carriage - it has more atmosphere than a front view. Thanks for sharing :)

Rubye Jack said...

What a beautiful day for a walk. Hopefully, those arctic days remain at bay for awhile longer.

Elizabeth said...

I wish I had been in the open carriage!

Heather said...

Beautiful photos Pat and I'd love to travel in a horse drawn carriage. It's good to take advantage of the current lovely days and set ourselves up for what winter has in store.

angryparsnip said...

Sounds like a lovely day and walk and what a wonderful surprise to see the horse drawn carriage.

cheers, parsnip

Hildred said...

Loved tagging along on your walk, Pat, - you describe it so beautifully. A real plus to catch the horsedrawn carriage, - wouldn't that be fun!

Reader Wil said...

Thanks for the lovely walk around your farm! I am using now an old computer in the hotel.

H said...

Two days to savour :) I love the carriage. We used to see them from time to time when I was little because someone in the village near my grandma used to keep horse drawn carriages to compete in shows and appear on TV programmes.

Dominic Rivron said...

Just had a look on Google Maps - I presume we're talking about the way up towards Orgate Farm. I can see the woods on the map. Looks a good place to go.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Yes, there is always that walk back, isn't there? Such a lovely walk though. We had beautiful weekend weather here also. 85/65. Not hot,not cold. Perfect. Nothing as green as where you are though.

ChrisJ said...

Love those English walks. So much to see, but too easy to forget there is always the return trip.

Mary said...

Pat that must have been a lovely walk - your photos are great. I've got wellies now so may have to bring them when I come home again, we'll trudge those lanes and muddy fields together!!!

What fun.

Hugs - Mary

Unknown said...

The beautiful fall weather here left after Thanksgiving, last week in Canada and it has turned cold, windy and rainy. I hope it clears and warms up for Hallowe'en. The children can show off their costumes better if they are warmer.
It sounds like you are enjoying a few warm October days and they are a blessing! Glad you were able to get a walkabout. I love sharing your tours, Pat. Thank you.

Sal said...

A lovely walk! I enjoyed it!
We've had the best of autumns down here but now there's quite a chill in the air! ;-)

Penny said...

Lovely walk Pat. The vehicle looks to me like a modern combined driving vehicle like the one my daughter drives, The clue being the people standing on the back.

Dave King said...

This is a superb post. One of your best, I think.

Gwil W said...

A lovely selection of photos. I hope the Arctic weather is not too severe, and of short duration.

MorningAJ said...

Got to make the most of the good weather at this time of year. Looks like a lovely trip.

The Weaver of Grass said...

As usual I am glad you have taken the walk with me - wish it could have been in person. Thanks for coming though.

rkbsnana said...

I am so happy I found your post and pictures. I love autumn days and what a lovely setting for you to enjoy.