"Dooant theur worry, tha'il gerr art fine".

 Several cars and one camper van turned up shortly after 7 pm last night.....blast.....well that's our solitude gone then! But all was not lost because the cars all left before 9 pm and those in the camper van fired up a BBQ, and then disappeared about an hour later. So we were completely alone and the night turned out just as magical as we had hoped. We even stayed up until midnight to see if the skies were dark enough to see the Milky Way. When we looked at 11pm a slight glow was still visible, so not quite the dark sky yet but some stars could be seen. The International Space Station even appeared overhead. Leaving it for another 30 minutes, how disappointed were we to see the stars had vanished and the cloud had appeared.

 

Today then we got up early. Loving the calls of the Curlews and the Grouse felt it was a tad early at 5 am but what a way to wake up. So a very early start for us, good too because we wanted to beat the crowds all wanting to do the same as us and go through that ford. A finger post showed that this had to be the right road.

 

By 8.15 am we were underway and 5 minutes later there, as we descended a hill, stretching in front of us was that ford. I jumped out, ran to the footbridge (yes I did run!!) and took a series of stills as MB went through.

 Ian has stitched my photos together, but it's only a second or so long, so blink and you will miss it!

 

Aysgarth falls was on our to-do list so we set off for the 20-mile trip. Somehow we took a wrong turn but it turned out to our advantage because the rail track and level crossing of the Wensleydale railway had to be crossed. The station we think was Wensley and it was closed in 1954 and is now a private residence.

When we arrived at Aysgarth the car park was empty, but just 30 minutes later the car park full sign went up! Gosh if we had been that bit later no way would we have got in! As it was, I worried as the car park attendant started getting cars parked in front of MB. I shot out and asked if he would leave enough room for MB to get out on our return. "Dooant theur worry" he said bemusedly. "tha'il gerr art fine".  

"Pardon"??? I asked him. He laughed and said, "Don't you worry, me lass. You'll get out fine" Crikey he had a broad Yorkshire accent and very glad he translated for me. I looked up the Yorkshire saying in Chicken Run Yorkshire translator 'cos there was no way I could have even attempted to spell that!

 The falls were pretty decent, not just the one but all three, Lower, Middle and Top and all within roughly a miles walk.

This at the top

Middle

And bottom

True to that car park attendants word, we got out without any problems. 

Still on the Herriot trail, Askrigg was but a few miles away and had doubled for the fictional Darrowby, and Bainbridge.  Try as we might, not a parking place to be had. I did however manage a photo of St Oswalds used in several of the episodes.

So giving up as a bad job but vowed to return in the near and distant future by car, we made our way to Galphay, Rippon. Here we managed to book another small CC site which has elsan and water but little else. A working farm and boy did we know about it. Bales being moved, cattle being shooed out of trailers, tractors moving up and down the road and plenty of farmyard noises. What a super place and only one other caravanner in the field so once the farm quietens down, expect another peaceful night.

And wildlife today

A very blurred photo, it was a considerable distance away but I got all excited as this was my first sighting of a Ring Ouzel.

 

Red Grouse

And with chick

I think it is a Wheatear

Curlew