Middleton Woods

The usual early walk with the ladies was as always enjoyable.

Like last week I then had breakfast and a shower and was off again to the next dale over the hill. Wharfedale.

Wanted to go to a couple of shops in Ilkley but we decided that whilst there we would do a walk taking in Middleton Woods and the wonderful bluebells flowering there at the moment.

Starting out along the River Wharfe we then climbed up through the ‘stockbroker’ belt to the fields that lead to Myddleton Lodge and Mount Calvary. Myddleton Lodge was built by the Lord of the Manor in Elizabethan times and remained a centre for Catholicism throughout that period. The Calvary has Italian stone carvings of the 12 Stations of the cross and a shrine built by Peter Middleton. The lodge remains a Catholic youth retreat.

Dropping down from there you enter the woods. The scent of the bluebells was immediate and the extent and colour of the blooms are the best I’ve seen since visiting Rannadale two years ago.

As ever it’s so hard to get photos that do them justice and I took so many it was hard to choose but I decided on this one as I like the stone steps winding up between the flowers. Funnily enough it’s one I took on my phone to post to the family what’s app, but there were bluebells in every direction.

Back down in Ilkley we had a coffee at La Stazione by the station (unsurprisingly) and then did a bit of M&S shopping as well as visiting Booths which is not a common supermarket around here. I’ve been visiting different shops to look at their ‘without’ or ‘free from’ ranges to see a variety of gluten free products and stock up on a few to take on our future visits to Bath and also for when they come here.(Soon!)
A great morning clocking up over 7 miles with the two walks. 

More Bluebells here