Local landscape.

Thought I’d look for something on our walk today to suit the wide Wednesday theme of Local Landscape.
I suggested we went to see how the bluebells were coming on in either St Ives Woods our Mouse Woods. Chris chose the latter. We walked along the Bingley road where I took this looking back towards the village. The green houses are part of the garden centre that is opposite the cricket field on the edge of the village. In the distance the hill is Birchlands which is skirted by Bents Lane above the Goit Stock valley. We often go up there when we walk on Wilsden Hill or do the Two sides of Wilsden walk.
To the left of it is the plantation which forms Cottingley Woods and hidden inside is the Ferrands Folley which was visible in my youth. It was this woodland that was was our ultimate aim today.
Bluebells could be seen in the lower reaches of St Ives above the road, some mixed with Wood Anemones. When we took the path down through Mouse Wood above The R Aire and Bingley’s Myrtle Park we were greeted with the  strong aroma of wild garlic. The flowers are just coming about and again the bluebells are mixed among them. There was a lady foraging the garlic. 
We walked past Beckfoot Bridge and across the golf course to enter Cottingley Woods and return home. (Being a plantation there are no bluebells here.) 

This is where the adventure began. An oldish man was sat on a rock by the path looking a bit weary and having a drink from a flask. We passed the time of day. He said he’d just come through the woods but would have been better off had he not asked for directions as someone had guided him to take the lower path to avoid a steep climb. He described it as the worst hour of his life! There is a very steep path climbing into the woods here so we intended trying this lower path which we’ve never used before.  Of course we didn’t listen to him and it was just as he said, we twice had to cross the beck and then do a scramble climb to regain the path that took us back to the village.  See Chris in the extra.
There appeared to be a very good path across the beck and we were lured by that. There was an obvious picnic area with a fire pit and swing but the path continued to private land which we were expecting as we know the family who live on it.This was where we had no choice but to recross the water. 
Not surprising people stick to the steep climbs, there really isn’t an easy option!
It was a bit of an adventure  and we might go back again the other way and take a higher route, as we ladies have done that once, coming up to some amazing crags below the folly. 

A really good sing this afternoon, I liked all the songs and only had to find words for one of them which is good and then I went out to do an hours Pilates in the garden, using the same programme that Kiteseeker kindly sent me last week.
A face time with Eda when I came in, she was in the paddling pool being Captain Pugwash!

No quizzes tonight (we won last night!) but I’m hoping to watch some National Theatre streaming.

Extra 2 - bluebells in the woods.