Bishop Nick ascends Pen y Ghent

How should a new Bishop get to know his Diocese?

On foot of course.

Bishop Nick, new bishop of Bradford Diocese took advantage of today  21 June,the longest day of the year to visit many places and started by setting off for the summit of Pen y Ghent at 5am from Horton school.

The forecast (and arrival) of rain did not deter the groups of 17 people who donned waterproofs and set of .. upwards. The walk would be 5.5 miles long and involve climbing from 232 m at Horton to 694 m (2,277ft)  at the summit.

John Bavington and Bishop Nick

The final steps of the millstone grit ridge on the
 south face of Pen y Ghent

Do we make it to the summit?
Yes we do --

To find a small group has gone ahead and made coffee and flapjacks for us.

Bishop Nick records us on his tape recorder  at the top clapping for the coffee

On the way down he spies some sheets of white flowers on the cliff.

"What are they?"

Later we find some by the wallside. It is Mossy Saxifrage! (see the picture at the top of this posting).

Later we find the grass Yorkshire Fog and the important plant Red Clover

We arrive at the main road by 8am ready for Bishop Nick to go to Feizor for breakfast at the excellent cafe there and to do (wet) dry stone walling with the farmers... and many more activities during the day till evening-time in Bradford