Goit Stock Dippers

We’ve had a lovely walk this morning. A bit of a chilly wind at the exposed start but a beautiful sunny morning.

We walked past son Alex’s house and did a bit of tidying in his wall. Like the plants we took to Grace the ones we planted here from my mother don’t seem to have survived unfortunately.

We walked up Hunters Hill to skirt the bottom of Catstones Moor.  Whoever bought the small woodland above the path has put in lots of unsightly fencing, seems a bit unnecessary. 

After descending Dolphin Lane we decided to do a little extra excursion into Cullingworth and get a coffee in Spoons.

Continuing through the village and down Hallas Lane to Goit Stock woods we passed my old farm home, the walk was full of memories from childhood and also of the changes that have taken place since those days. The ‘new’  houses now being 50- 60 years old!

Back through Goit Stock and whilst it is too early for the spring beck side flowers it is the perfect time to spot Dippers whilst the trees are bare of leaves. We saw the first one just below the waterfall and then this pair further down below the Park Home site which maybe their nesting area.

Needed a better zoom really so must remember to take a different camera for my next walk up there, but I’m very pleased to have seen them and watched them ‘dipping’ in and out of the water.

Bad news today. Our Thursday walk is to be disrupted next month as the entrance to the St Ives Estate is to be closed on weekdays whilst they fell another 4,000 diseased trees. The paths we take in woods around Lady Blantyre's rock are to be closed as trees (mainly Larch and disease carrying rhododendrons) are removed in this area.  It may take 6 months!
No doubt we can plan an alternative route to walk but we can see these woods from our house and if the end result is like that of Betty’s wood, which was decimated a few years ago at the other side of the estate,  which still looks pretty grim even after re planting.

Happier news - it is Grace’s birthday today.

Happy Birthday Grace