Gait Barrows Near Arnside, Lancashire

Between last Saturday and this Monday we were away in our van. First, we called on Liz and Bob in Garstang to see them, deliver some plants and go to Carr the jewelers on the High Street. I had found out that they stocked IWI wrist watches. They have fab Swiss movements but the rest of the watches are hand made in Darwen Lancashire by Ian Walsh. The design is unique. I will post again on this subject.

Back to the current post story ... We pitched up at a CL on Brakenthwaite Farm near Yealand Redmayne. Fine with lovely views apart from waste water disposal issues which are too tiresome to mention ...

Then we went rambling to explore the countryside around, in particular the spectacular limestone pavements and flora. An English Nature National Reserve is nearby called Gait Barrows and these photos are from there.
This young family were exploring the pavement, some of them for the first time I guess, and mum was explaining everything very clearly.
Sedum in a shallow gryke.
The far view was pretty good too.
The clints and grykes are clearly visible
We ate lunch on the pavement and one can see the stunted trees growing in the deep grykes.
Very interesting that briar roses grow so well in this environment.

This clear spring drains into Hawes Water Nature Reserve nearby, which we didn't have time to visit.
Very typical countryside where the pavement is on the surface the land isn't grazed, but woodland grows unhindered, though clearly coppiced in older times.

We did find orchids and there's a photo at the top of this post. Here we can see Oxeye daisies and Ragged-robin.