Simon and I decided to get out for a walk on Sunday. Given the rather grim forecast I was surprised that 2 other members were willing to join us (Gordon & Peri). Our walk started from Barden 
Bridge near Bolton Abbey. We set off with no sign of snow and only slightly drizzly conditions – hopes of a wintry walk were low. However, I was enjoying the bird life – saw a number of red kites on the drive over and 1 shortly after leaving the car. We went through Strid woods and along the valley of desolation.
It was not until we got much higher on Simon’s seat then we came across snow underfoot – and was definitely 
wintry at the summit. It was rather cloudy and with a chilly wind as we approached the summit –so the visit to the summit cairn was short lived. We managed to find slightly more sheltered conditions below a crag so stopped for refreshments. It then started snowing and continued for the rest of the walk. We extended the walk by going up Troller’s Gill – with a stop for lunch under the dripping overhangs and then back across moorland (where Gordon and Peri rescued a sheep with its horns caught on the feeder) to finish the walk by heading back along the river Wharfe with a number of bird stops – plenty of ducks and dippers in action. Good day out considering the forecast.
