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On Boxing Day 2025 the weather forecast is a big yellow sun. :)
I arrive at Ripon and set off walking from just outside the Ripon Inn (former Spa Hotel) at 10.17am.
I have estimated the official pilgrimage will be starting just after 10.15am from the cathedral.
To Fountains and back is eight miles long. I wonder how long it will take me? The only provisions I have with me are seven Yorkshire puddings from Christmas Day in a plastic bag. But last time there was a small mostly outdoor cafe at the Abbey.
.. I am quite happy to do the first mile or so of the pilgrimage "warming up" at a leisurely pace. (compared to the stampede of earlier years)
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Feel free to skip the next ten geography paragraphs in navy print - my walk story continues below that..
The geology is:-
1. Deep underground and occasionally exposed: Magnesian Limestone - covered by
2. Glacial drift and outwash glacial outwash material - rocks and gravel made of the Carboniferous rocks - sandstones, gritstones, shales, limestones that I describe in other posts of this blog in the Pennines due west of here.
Magnesian Limestone (also called Cadeby formation after Cadeby Quarry) was formed in the Zechstein Sea in Permian times 260 to 248 million years ago when Britain was in subtropical latitudes.
In fact the road from Aldfield to Markington with its bend over the river Skell at Fountains Abbey more or less marks the dividing line between the Magnesian Limestone (Permian) and the Carboniferous rocks - especially grit of the Yorkshire Dales. The magnesian limestone lies unconformably on the Lower Poppleton Grit and Addlethorpe Grit ~318–317 million years old,
The River Skell starts high up in the Pennines (c366m) near Pateley Bridge and has cut its valley down to Fountains Abbey (86m)and then on down to Ripon where it is joined by the River Laver (34m), and it flattens out and joins the River Ure (21 m).
( (Which in turn is joined by the Swale at 11m and then becomes the Ouse which flows through York at 14m and becomes tidal at Acaster - Naburn Loch at 10m (north of Selby) and leaves Vice county 24(!!) just south of Drax at 3m above sea level at the edge of Goole). (don't ask me how the water goes uphill between the Swale confluence and York - discuss - maybe the intensive agriculture takes water out of the river))
As I look NE from Studley Park across Ripon and its cathedral I can see the hills of Sutton Bank and the North Yorks Moor in the distance. The area made of The lowlands between the Pennines and the Hambledon Hills/North York Moors is referred to as "The Vale of Mowbray", after the De Mowbray family who were given the land by William the Conqueror in 1086.
The website Brigantesnation.com defines the Vale of Mowbray as the land between the River Ure and the River Swale and says it was the henge capital of the UK - 5000 years ago - O, I have just discovered another henge beyond Sharow
The lowland to the southeast is the Vale of York.The land west of the boundary into Studley Estate and Fountains is now part of the Nidderdale National Landscape (formerly AONB) This is the foothills and then eastern part of the Yorkshire Dales.
Ah, I see that Natural England has divided England into "National Character Areas". Ripon and Fountains Abbey fit into two long slivers called (West of Fountains) " and The Pennine Dales Fringe area 22", and East of Fountains (or east of the picture of the water nypmh in my tale below) the Southern Magnesian Limestone area 30"
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Story continues:-
Other small groups of people are doing the same walk. At the road crossing into the fields just beyond the River Laver roundabout, two yellow jacketed marshals are guiding us across. A car draws up. It is Loretta Williams come to help marshal. It is good to see her. She stars in some of my earlier posts (2011) leading the pilgrimage with the cross in her red jacket.
Just before Studley Roger village, I photograph the Small-leaved Lime tree. This one may not be 1000 or 2000 years old like some small-leaved limes in the UK, but it is old.
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| Looking up to the small-leaved-lime |
There are no refreshments at Studley Roger village this year.
I photograph a field of beet just beyond Studley Roger. I presume it is replacing a grass field. Maybe this is to prepare it to reseed with agriculturally improved grass seed next year. But I don't know the situation.
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This rather reduces the biodiversity of the field.
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The path goes through the tall boundary wall of the deer park. Once in the park proper I photograph a fine Sweet Chestnut tree near the entrance.
Then a small group of three teenagers and a few more people whizz in carrying a white cross. But no-one following. Is this the official pilgrimage? Where is everyone else?
I run and catch them up, and encourage them to wait for the rest of the pilgrimage. About 5 minutes later it arrives, led by Bishop Anna. (Third from left in the picture below)
Behind the cross you should be able to see see some big trunks on the ground. They may be some of the trunks left from the BIG STORM of Feb 1962 when lots of the old Sweet Chestnut trees blew down.
(I remember that storm. I had to take the equivalent of the 11-plus that year. Our teacher at Holy Trinity Primary School Mr Wardall had been trying to teach us about the countries in the EEC as the UK was applying to join it, and he thought they might give us an essay on this. I found it hard learning the names of these (then only) six countries. In the end the subject they gave us to write about was the big storm. What a relief!
I take a shortcut, considerably lengthened by looking at some lichens on trees and watch the procession descend towards the lake at Studley. I once came here in the snow as a young teenager myself, proud to be with my brother's friends, with the Howe family, sledging down this slope.
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| Amazing beech roots |
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| Parmelia sulcata and Physconia grisea |
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| Trying desperately to see "pin lichens" but probably failing. |
Old Parkland trees are supposed to be good for lichens - but I do not find the trees in Studley Park to be very good. Old Parkland trees are supposed to be good because the trees get lots of light; good because the trees are old so that a) they may have lichens growing on them that came from surrounding trees long ago, and b) because they have had lots of time for lichen propagules to arrive.
I think that fogs that we used to have frequently stretching across the Vale of York and Vale of Mowbray before the Clean Air Acts in the 1950a and 60s would have held so much sulphur dioxide that many rare lichens would have been killed.
Young tree branches and twigs may have more lichens on them because there is not pollution soaked into the bark from years ago.
Much of the parkland is exposed (i.e. not in a deep sheltered valley) so winds blowing will have been bringing pollution for years.
Before that much of the area might just have been grassland with few/no trees, apart from hedgerows. So the idea of "Ecological continuity" might not hold
Sweet chestnut trees have acid bark and tannins in it a bit like oak, which is not so good for lichens. But even still old oak trees can have a good variety.
Rainfall is low here 820-830 mm per year, this area is far to dry for the "Rainforest Species" that grow in far western parts of Britain.
(Settle has 1,308 mm, Malham Tarn at 400m above sea level possibly 1,500 (need to check that)
But - I am no super expert on lichens. and I may well be missing some that I should see.
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Now I have to walk quickly to catch up with the pilgrimage. It has entered Fountains Abbey grounds now.
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| First view of Fountains Abbey |
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| Nearly midday - but ice still on shaded areas. |
I will insert some videos of the carols, once I have put them on Youtube.
I reach the Abbey. It is 12.04 -midday. the south end of the cellarium is packed. All we can see from the middle of the cellarium are the backs and heads and shoulders of the people in front of us. We are singing, to the music of the band: "O come all you faithful"
"Why don't they install a platform/ a moveable pulpit, a ladder, so that the readers and the priests can be seen?" I mused.
But fine, It's always like this. So I wandered through and outside (as in previous years) and went forward to a window where I could peer in.
Then I wandered on outside and looked at lichens and architectural features with the wonderful carols and readings from real people (not just taped) resonating in the blue sky.
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This is Diplotomma alboatrum lichen. On the outside wall at the south end of the cellarium, where I was looking in.
(Oh- I have just been to the British Lichen Society website and see that other people have already visited this monad (1x1km square) and see that 135 lichens have already been recorded here.) |
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| Ochrolechia parella |
By 12.30 they are singing the last carol - Hark the Herald.I make my way to the cafe (mostly outdoor) remembering my last visit in 2018, and determined to beat the queue.
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I treat myself to a hot pasty (curry), mulled wine and coffee.
It is expensive, but delicious and worth it. |
I hear a bell /gong ringing and walk round the back of the cafe to discover the Fountains Mill now open to the public, and deserves a visit.
(Another video to come)
It is now 13.45 and the afternoon is drawing on - remember it will be dark by 4.30pm. I set off home. Will I have time to walk back by the Seven Bridges walk? (Spoiler - no - I find so much to look at on the way)
And this is also the start of the Yorkshire Pudding Story.
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| This area is marked as "Robin Hood's Wood" on the map. This is a very old sycamore .. but I don't think they had been imported to the UK in Robin Hood's time. |
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| If they cleared a few of the small trees by the path (centre of picture) you would have a good view of the abbey from here. |
I take a detour from the main path up to see the Follies on the hill.
I am carrying a plastic bag with seven Yorkshire Puddings - My only food provisions for the day! These have been given to me yesterday at the Settle Community Christmas Day Meal. by Steve and Alison, the cooks. We have a good supply at the meal because everyone knows I am keen to have Yorkshire Puddings at this important meal. So when a few are left over they know I will be the person to donate them to.
At this special view point "The Surprise View" other walkers are photographing themselves or their dog. I take a photo of my Yorkshire Pudding.
(You should see The Abbey beyond the river in the distance, but I have focussed the camera on the Yorkshire Pudding.
There are more pictures of the Yorkshire Puds to come, at the Temple of Fame,
the Octagon Tower,
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| The Yorkshire pud held below a geode |
I descend via the Serpentine tunnel (built in 1730)
.. to the lake and ornamental gardens below through which the river Skell runs.
This young man/boy has a turtle at his feet. the Greek statue is beside the Moon lake. Is he a young athlete/ ?Hermes?? with a turtle at his feet -
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I wonder if this is Acarospora smaragdula
on the top of the flat surface that the statue is standing on.
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This is another distinctive looking lichen
but I don't know what it is on the same surface. |
I cross the Skell by the foot bridge almost at the Fountains gate entrance, and come to some young trees with lots of branches which curve up a the tips - lime trees - and trunks that have lots of patches white lichen. The lichen with a lot o f persuasion turns KOH yellow then red, suggesting Phlyctis argena
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Closeup - see blob towards bottom right
as the KOH turns orange |
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| The pheasant is very interested too, and agrees. |
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So by the time I am walking down the tarmac road towards Studley Roger village it is late twilight. The road is lined by silhouetted trees with big black blobs on their branches - pheasants roosting.
The moon is a narrow, but bright, crescent. I follow the cropped-hedge-lined foot path through the fields towards Ripon. I am startled by a shadow following me.
O, it is my own - the shadow made by the moon as the sky turns blacker, revealing a just few stars. I make it safely back to Ripon, via a visit to Lark Lane Post Office to buy provisions, and reach my starting point at 6pm.
Hmm .... an eight mile walk has just taken me 7 3/4 hours.
2011: More pictures at Fountains Abbey Pilgrimage - Fungi, Flowers, Ferns; Feathery and Furry Friends
