In search of Autumn

This year has been a really strange one, weather-wise. It's been far too warm, and it seems to have taken nature by surprise! Nothing seems to know what to do. Flowers are blooming when they shouldn't, birds are laying eggs (a clutch of 7 ducklings appeared last week), and the leaves don't know what colour to be! We went 'in search of autumn' to see if we could capture the colours. We had mixed success.

This is where we started from, Ashford in the Water. The trees behind 

Ashford church. 

So, with the warm, autumn sun on our shoulders, we set off.

The iconic sheepwash bridge at Ashford, second only to Bakewell bridge.

Soon, we were pulling up Great Shacklow woods. Autumnal, but not that carpet of leaves we were looking for?

.....not in THAT position, I haven't!  

The skies were clearing now, and the visibility was - well, infinity! 

A splash of brown among the green.

Looking North, from above Taddington. Hard to believe, in all this serenity, that the busy A6 road was in the valley to our right. It was SO peaceful here.

As we passed through Taddington village, we saw this terrible accident!

She was a throwback to the recent Halloween witch competition.

This is what I would describe as the perfect sky. Those huge cumulus clouds always do it for me.

Daisies, clinging on the very last of the good weather. Looking a bit bedraggled now, though.

 We left Taddington and took in the hard climb to the top of the nature reserve above Millers dale. There was a recently refurbished house on the very top, just behind us here. remote, I know - but WHAT a view!

The wall patterns here are great, with the light JUST right to highlight them. Like a huge, finished jigsaw puzzle in front of us.

Looking over Water-cum-Jolly dale and Cressbrook.

The magnificent hostel building at Tideswell dale, set in an autumn sea of colour'

We lost all the height that we won during the day to cross the river at Litton mill.

These lovely red leaves caught my eye.

We called to see a friend in Cressbrook village, and were AMAZED to see these flowers in the garden. Nature really HAD been tricked!

We stayed FAR too long and, although we were offered a (declined) lift, we needed to press on, as evening was drawing in. We crossed the weir to climb back up to the old railway line.

Bottoms up - cheers!

As expected, we had talked for too long and ended up finishing the walk in the dark. With the moon so small, its light was no help, but we couldn't fault it for trying!