The Hitching Stone

The Hitching Stone is believed to be the largest boulder in Yorkshire and it sits high on Keighley Moor, just inside North Yorkshire, close to the borders with West Yorkshire and Lancashire and in years gone by, was the site of markets and fairs. These days it is quite a remote spot, although this doesn't appear to have deterred one Danny Clay, who appears to have carried a large bolster chisel and lump hammer up there to carve his name deep into the ancient rock. Your parents would be so proud, Danny.....

Landscape Photography | Winskill Stones & Scaleber Force

Yes, it's that time of the year again when I trek off with Tim Bailey for a day's landscape photography. After last year's trip to Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Saltwick Bay / Black Nab, we decided to go up to the Dales and find a nice waterfall this year.

Location 1: Winskill Stones

Winskill Stones is a remote area of limestone pavement and grassland situated high in the hills above the village of Stainforth in the Yorkshire Dales. It is a popular place for landscape photographers due to its rugged contours and extensive views. If you happen to be there for a spectacular sunrise or sunset, it makes the perfect foreground interest for a big dramatic sky so we arrived half an hour before sunrise, hoping for something special. Unfortunately, the thick cloud cover meant that the light was completely flat but never mind, it's still a beautiful place to photograph. 

Location 2: Scaleber Foss

Scaleber Foss (or Force, if you prefer) is an impressive multi-tiered waterfall, which drops around 50 feet into a steep sided wooded gorge, making it an absolute dream location for photography. Autumn is the best time of the year to shoot waterfalls, with the trees displaying the golden autumnal tints and, although I think we may have been a week too early to get the best colours, it looked amazing in the early morning light. 

I'm not too good with heights and the descent to the bottom was a bit 'challenging' but I was determined to do it (it didn't seem to bother Tim). It was well worth the effort!
When we'd finished, it was off to Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe in Settle for a well-earned pot of tea and an enormous full English breakfast.