Pateley Bridge & Brimham Rocks

Sunday, 5th June
15 km (9.3 miles) 3:20 mins
OS Explorer 26 : Nidderdale

This was almost a repeat of a walk we did back in January when we started from Patelely Bridge and hugged the side of Nidderdale returning via the riverbank.  This time however we continued the walk ending up at Brimham Rocks.  This is a weird and wonderful place where the rock has been eroded to form extraordinary formations with huge boulders teetering on the merest of foundations.
The walk was pretty stiff, with the ascent from Pateley Bridge itself quite a trek and the final climb up to the rocks themselves being a real gut wrencher. As with all effort the reward was in the achievement and sitting amongst the rocks and having one's lunch - why do sandwiches taste better when eaten ourdoors ?
The second reward for a long climb is that the return is, invariably downhill and this was the case here as we descended to Smelthouses and Low Laithe to pick up the River Nidd which was followed all the way back into Pateley Bridge.
On returning home I happened upon an old book which had belonged to my Grandfather called "Striding through Yorkshire", the author is A.J. Brown and the book appeared to have been published in a revised edition in 1949 !  Here is his description of the Nidd "She is the Persephone of the rivers, desired alike by Pluto and Ceres" No, I've no idea what he means either !
I can find little about Alfred J. Brown other than he was a Bradford born writer who wrote for "Country Life" magazine. He eventually moved to Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors and is buried in Sleights near Whitby.  His writing is certainly from a bygone era and I must sit down and read the book in full !
As always a selection of photographs from the walk