Tokina 11-16

Fountains Hall, a Grade I listed building owned by the National Trust, is situated within the World Heritage Site at Studley Royal Park which include the impressive ruins of Fountains Abbey. The late Elizabethan house dates back to between 1598 and 1604 and was built by Stephen Proctor. Stone from Fountains Abbey ruins was used in its construction. See adjacent photo for full view. Enjoy the day.

A rather nice spot on the River Lochay on the outskirts of Killin as we ponder our next walk. This is one of the feeder rivers to Loch Tay. I liked the reflections here on this calm water. HBM, enjoy the week.

A river idyll here on the Lochay at Killin in the Scottish Trossachs. Not the ideal weather for such a photo one would have thought but it works well for me as I find the trees and their reflections frame the centre of attraction just perfectly. Best full screen Enjoy the day.

We see here a view up the glen showing the river Lyon and our road back to Killin winding up through the valley opposite. Up to this point our way was thickly wooded but now it thins out as we make our way down to the river below. See PiP Best full screen Enjoy the day.

This natural public park area lets you take your car to a splendid viewpoint. Here we are on the top, after a further short walk, with views across to Skye and north to the Applecross Peninsular. Across from us is the Skye village of Kyleakin , another hot spot for bridge photos and the old Skye ferry harbour. The water is Lochalsh itself and we see the Skye viaduct to the bridge too. A very cloudy day with spots of rain and we were to come here again with no better luck with the weather. The PiP shows the bridge from the lower shore viewpoint on the Plock. Best full screen Enjoy the day.

Take a seat and enjoy this view over Loch Carron towards the village of Plockton from near the Duncraig Railway halt and its castle (PiP). The pier and indeed the nearby tree-topped Island (Sgeir Bhuidhe) are actually part of the castle estate HBM, enjoy the week.

A short walk from the Durinish railway halt towards the sea we come to this most wonderful spot. We are looking over the waters of the ‘Inner Sound’ towards the Applecross Peninsular. The light brown rowing boat was a real bonus for me. Hopefully for you too. Best full screen Enjoy the day.

Lets face it, there are not many seats with an outlook like this has. To slowly watch the flow and ebb of the tide here and listen to the small plops and splashes in the water is the thing that dreams are made off. I at first thought the blue rope was to stop somebody taking the seat away and then realised that the sea must sometimes get to the bench and might wash it away and hence the need for a tie-down. The far mountains would be the Cuillins of the Isle of Skye. The PiP show the view from here too. Enjoy full screen. HBM, enjoy the week.

The most beautiful sands of Achmelvich Bay and yes, the sand was as soft under our bare feet as it looks! We are steadily heading north on the B869 scenic route before we rejoin the NC500 A894 road again. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

We are in the Hubberholme valley just a mile or so west from the village and come across the gate barring our path. Fortunately the bit of string fixing the gate to the wall is soon undone to let us proceed. The River Wharfe runs on our right side here. The PiP shows the same valley. Hubberholme is an old village in Upper Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire Have a good weekend.

As we walk up the valley here on the Dales Way alongside the infant River Wharfe I spot a most notable dead tree. I am sure it was once a proud member of its family and we can only guess at the changes it has seen here. Just a mile or so further we were to reach the hamlet of Yokenthwait. Best full screen

A view from the battlements of this castle, showing the small surrounding village. As can be seen the market town of Middleham is famous for its horse training industry as well as its castle that once housed King Richard III. The PiP shows an internal view with a statue of the king. I wish you all a Very Happy and Peaceful New Year tomorrow.

We visited here on our round walk of Reeth in the Yorkshire Dales. This Norman architecture church is known as the “Cathedral of the Dales” and was built in the 12th century although a church has stood at this point for over 900 years. It was the only parish church in Upper Swaledale and the end point of the Corpse Way, where the deceased from the upper valley were brought for burial. The PiP's shows the outside view and the beautiful stained glass windows. HBM, enjoy the week.

A rather rare occurrence happened this week when lots of our Solar System planets were almost in a line with the moon too. Here I am at my local Hartshead Pike monument looking up at the moon. The bright ‘star’ to the bottom left of that is actually the planet Jupiter. If we carried on left from the moon –just beyond my picture we would see another bright star which was in fact the planet Mars. Just at the bottom right corner of the moon is the Pleiades Star cluster (7 sisters) with the planet Uranus to the right of that. Traveling to the bottom right of the shot is another bright object –the planet Venus and if we were to travel a little more to the right and down out of my shot we would see the planet Saturn. Of course we also see the constellation of Orion with its famous belt here to the left of the moon What a fantastic night sky once we know what we are looking at! See PiP for Mars view. Essential full screen Enjoy the day.

Another view from Dunham Massey. Lots of paths like this greet us here. We also see a sprinkling of spring flowers on the other side of the river. In the distance we see a small footbridge that we were heading for next. HBM, enjoy the week.

Any trip to Lyme Park near Stockport, Cheshire must include a look around the house and gardens here. Enjoy this wonderful view of what is in reality the back of the house. Behind me gardens and woodland walks abound and it is even populated by deer. The house dates from the latter part of the 16th century. Unlike many great estates, Lyme was a much-loved home to generations of one family and their valued and loyal workers. Living through England's most troubled times, the Legh family hung on to their home and (mostly) their heads, and this impact can still be seen across the estate today. The largest estate in Cheshire, Lyme has been designed on a grand scale over a number of centuries. It has been a place to receive occasional royal guests, take friends hunting or to entertain on a lavish scale. The exterior of the hall was used as Pemberley, the seat of Mr Darcy, in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. This lake being the one showing the dashing Mr Darcy swimming. Enjoy full screen.

A trip out to Cumbria brings us to Sizergh Casle and gardens. A very pleasant and interesting place to explore, especially the historic house Interior itself. This Beautiful medieval stately home stands proudly at the gateway to the Lake District and has been home to the Strickland family for more than 800 years. It is at Helsington in Cumbria and is Grade 1 listed. Enjoy full screen.

Our world is rapidly changing! This, my offering for this auspicious day, is a dry look at our usually full to the brim Greenfield Reservoir in the NW of England. I am about 300 meters further down from the edge of the water, where I have taken this same view many times before, but never in my life have I seen it as low as this. With no prospect of heavy rain over the next weeks, the outlook is bleak for our farmers and wildlife in an area well known for its constant wet weather. Ps this is our drinking water. ps a link here to almost the same view in 2016: www.ipernity.com/doc/1081863/53051988 World Photography Day: www.ipernity.com/group/worldphotographyday