Favourite Locations: Bolton Abbey

Rule 19: Go Back

Thirty minutes from home in the opposite direction of Fountains Abbey is Bolton Abbey, located near Skipton, in the Yorkshire Dales. The Abbey ruins sit in a large estate that stretches along the River Wharfe and not only has the Abbey ruins, but there are plenty of walks along the river. Part of the Abbey remains intact and is used as a parish church.

Bolton Abbey is a place I’ve been to several times and despite having a specific couple of shots in mind when I go, I’ve yet to make the shot. On this occasion, a bright sun in a clear sky made it impossible to capture. However, a sunny day in late October is nothing to be sniffed at, especially in this part of the world, so it was a case of just enjoying the day and thinking of something different. The shot below was the result of trying to find a different view, and I only took the one. When reviewing it on the LCD I was hardly impressed, but after fiddling with it in Nikon View, it has grown on me.

On this occasion, the ruins were a bit of a bust, but a walk to the Strid more than made up for it. The Strid is a narrow, rocky passage in the River Wharfe that forces the water through at breakneck speed. In the rain it can be quite treacherous (sadly, there were flowers laid by a tree stump near the rocks as a reminder that people have died there before.)

Thankfully, the rocks were dry so there was an opportunity to set up a tripod and capture the water. This is one of those places where I can spend an age taking picture after picture and just enjoying the scenery.

On this occasion, failing to capture the two shots I’ve been after for the last 9 years was more than compensated for by a fantastic day out in the rare October sunshine, plus some nice shots I hadn’t planned on. Besides, that’s why rule 19 is go back. The more I go back, the more likely I am to get the shots, and I may just bag some I wasn’t expecting to, just like yesterday.