Swaledale

We passed through Swaledale on the way back from Little Langdale and I was taken with its remoteness and the patterns of dry stone walls and barns. We returned a few weeks later to explore further.

Our first stop was Barnard Castle, a fine market town on the River Tees which is approached over a grand bridge.

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We were lucky to stumble upon a streamed performance of the Glyndebourne production of Berlioz's Béatrice et Benedict at the local arts centre, which was great fun despite the odd production; all grey and boxes.

http://www.glyndebourne.com/tickets-and-whats-on/events/2016/beatrice-et-benedict/

Before setting off for Muker we popped in to see Egglestone Abbey and were delighted by both its setting and the magnificent vaulted undercroft next to the garderobe.

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Upper Swaledale is so elevated that there are few trees. There is a barn in almost every enclosure, presumably for animals to shelter during the harsh winters to save the famers bringing them in to the farmyard.

I became reasonably obsessed with trying to combine walls, barns and enclosures in to a satisfying composition. Bad weather prevented a satisfactory outcome with too much mist for extreme telephoto shots, so we will have to try again soon.

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