Category Archives: West Yorkshire

Rolling blog. TRU times two…

17 Friday Apr 2026

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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10:30.

This is my second rolling blog on the Trans-Pennine Route upgrade (TRU) this week. There’s far too much going on to be dealt with in one day so I’m out again today with the intention of looking at (mostly) different locations compared to Monday. The weather’s nowhere near as good as it was on Monday and I expect to get rained on at some point, but I’m not too bothered. It’s still nice to be out and about.

As I didn’t get down to Halifax station later than planned I decided to start by getting a train to Leeds so that I can cover the route to Huddersfield from that end. It’s also given me time to set up the mobile office on this busy 10:05 service from Halifax in order to set up today’s blog.

12:00.

Phew! That was a busy hour. As soon as I arrived at Leeds I had to return a work call. The upshot of which is that I’ll be travelling to Wolverhampton on Monday and staying overnight ready for an early morning start on Tuesday. So later I’ll have to do some hotel booking…

I was in Leeds just long enough to change trains and catch a non-stop service to Huddersfield. This was a useful recce trip as ut allowed ne to observe some of the work I’m wanting to photograph. I also had chance to grab a couple of shots of progress on the new through platforms at Huddersfield.

The site of the new platforms, looking towards Leeds.

15:30.

Back again after a busy few hours – and a lot of walking! Having caught tge rail replacement coach to Deighton I set off to explore several TRU sites. To be honest, Deighton’s not the most salubrious of places. It a mix of social housing and industrial estates nestled on the Northern side of the Colne valley. The Southern side’s much nicer and far more rural. But, fair play to whomever decided to plant so many cherry trees in the area as right now they’re looking gorgeous!

As many of the overbridges in the area are being rebuilt so inaccessible my first stop was Bradley Junction, where lots of work’s taking place. Track panels have been stacked ready for the renewal of the junction itself.

Bradley Jn. The line to the right would normally be used by trains from Huddersfield to Bradford.

Having got the shots I wanted I walked vack to Deighton before cutting along the canal to a location West of the former staion where a footpath overbridge gives great views of the changes. I’ll add pictures later. Realising just how close I was to the centre of Huddersfield I elected to walk tne rest of the way along the canal. It’s an easy walk as the Canal and River Trust have spent a lot of money having the towpath tarmac’d. The cynic in me wonders if they should be renamed the towpath trust as more of their money seens to be spent on them than the actual canals.

Fortunately, the rain held off and I had the chance to explore an interesting back-route to the town I’d never traversed before.

Huddersfield’s abandoned industrial heritage.

Now, after a break to book a hotel and download pictures I’m heading back to Leeds in the aftermath of a rainstorm I was lucky to duck!

16:10.

As the weather’s very much taken a turn for the worse and with the fact I’ve got the pictures that I wanted ‘in the can’ I dashed from one platform to another in Leeds in order to catch the first homeward service. Like many others I’m currently criwding the vestibules of a Northern service towards Blackpool North. The plan now is to walk home via my local for a well-earned beer (and maybe a slice of free pork pie) before a quiet night at home when I can add more pictures to this blog.

21:30.

Home again! I’ve covered a fair few miles today so now’s the time to relax. After arriving back in Halifax I walked back home but stopped off in my local for a couple of pints and a slice of pie. Both felt like they were earned!

Here’s a final picture update.

A TPE Class 185 speeds through the reverse curves at Deighton with the site of the old station just ahead of the train. A huge amount of civil engineering’s being undertaken on the site to provide space for four tracks and the new station and associated facilities. The new Slow lines are gradually being installed. They’re the ones to the left.
Here’s the old bridge I was taking pictures from. You can see the way it’s had to be altered to raise the deck in order to create space for the overhead electric wires.
Looking West from the same bridge. The new Fast lines will be installed to the left of the picture, which will involves slewing of the existing lines as they’ll become the Slow tracks.
Civil engineering that isn’t always appreciated by train travellers. Here’s a culvert under the embankment near Huddersfield that’s being renewed and enlarged in order to cope with climate change in order to build a resilient railway fit for the future.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

15th April picture of the day…

15 Wednesday Apr 2026

Posted by in Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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Shit! We’re already halfway through April, or in other words – almost a third of the way through 2026! Where the hell’s the time going? My day seems to have flown by as much of it has been spent decorating the living room whilst I put the final (and 4th) coat of paint on the woodwork. Admittedly, I prefer modern paints to the stuff I used when I worked as a painter and decorator back in the early 1980s. Then you seemed to get more paint on everything other than the surface you were meant to be applying it to!

Whilst I was busily engaged with paintbrushes Dawn had a less pleasant task as she was at the dentists to have a molar removed. Having a tooth out is never the most enjoyable of experiences but dentistry has moved on a long way from when I was a kid in the 1960s. Then NHS dentists seemed like they were paid piece-work, the more they took out or filled, the more money they made. Fortunately, we have a fantastic dentists over in Huddersfield, the wonder of wellness. They’re so good people travel from all over the UK to visit them, so Dee was in good hands.

Even so, when she got home Dawn was still a bit woozy so has taken the rest of the day to recuperate, whilst I’ve shopped for someone who’s not allowed solid food or hot drinks for 48 hours. In the meantime – and as the living room is still topsy-turvey from the decorating I’ve reclaimed my old office in order to edit pictures and blog.

You can find all the pictures I took on Monday by following this link which will take you to the ‘recents’ section on my Zenfolio website. In the meantime. here’s a sample.

A pair of Trans-Pennine Express Class 185s round the curve into Dewsbury station under moody skies. This scene is slowly changing as station platforms are being extended (see left) and the first bases (right) have been sunk for overhead electrification masts and wires which will render pictures like this a thing of the past.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

Another TRU update…

13 Monday Apr 2026

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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16:00.

The sun’s shining here in West Yorkshire so I’m taking a break from decorating to have time out to check on progress with the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) on the railway line from Huddersfield to Leeds.

I’ve not been out that way for a while, and today seemed like the ideal opportunity. Right now I’m aboard a Northern service from Halifax to my first stop en-route. Mirfield. My first train was worked by one of the company’s aged Class 150s, which have been plying their trade since the mid 1980s.

150270 on arrival at Mirfield.
A GBRf Class 66 hauls a biomass train from Liverpool to Drax power station through Mirfield

Mirfield was interesting as the new footbridge adds an elevated vista, allowing a different perspective of the station and its approaches. Having got the shots I wanted I headed off along the nearby canal to get to Ravensthorpe. It’s a journey you can’t do by rail anymore as the old station’s been demolished and the new one won’t open for several years.

The canal towpath’s a lovely walk and an insight into how much railway and other industry has disappeared.

The remains of the old railway from Mirfield towards Heckmondwyke seen from the canal.
The canal basin at Shepley Bridge shows its industrial heritage but now leisure activities keep it going.

Having strolled as far as Ravensthorpe I found the weather decided not to play ball as more and more cloud appeared. Even so, there was still chance to get some good record shots.

A TPE service passes the site of what will be the new Ravensthorpe station which will be just behind the train.
Here’s what was the old station (to the left). All gone now. The only familiar landmark is the signal gantry. Meanwhile, behind it, the abutments of the new fast lines flyover take shape behind it.

15th April update.

Sorry folks. I got waylaid for various reasons that I’ll explain in the next blog.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes, Ravensthorpe. As you can see from the pictures, it’s changed a bit. The old station’s vanished and there’s some serious civil engineering taking place where it was situated. That said, the bridge I was stood on to get these pictures will disappear too. You can see the new one in the picture before last.

Ravensthorpe is an odd place. I’m sure a new station will help to regenerate the area, but it’s going to take a lot, lot more. As there’s no trains I had to wander up to the main road in order to get to Dewsbury. There’s some lovely old terraced houses in the area but the air of decay and lack of civic pride is all to obvious.

Fly-tipping on a public space in Ravensthorpe.

I was tempted to walk all the way to Dewsbury but I was running out of time. Instead, I so brandished my bus pass and took the easy option. Doing so deposited me at a part of Dewsbury I’d never visited. The bus station, which is seeing major investment. The town’s an odd place. The old Victorian buildings are a solid testament to the prosperity it once had. But the world’s moved on, and like many Northern towns it’s been ignored by a series of Governments from Left to Right.

Victorian buildings to die for. If they were anywhere else…

After a swift pint in the institution that’s the West Riding refreshment rooms on the station I caught a train to Huddersfield. This allowed me to see some major TRU changes en-route that demand another visit. That said, work at Huddersfield hasn’t exactly stood still as part of a new over bridge has appeared since my last visit.

The over bridge will eventually extend to the left when the new through platforms are completed.

Having explored, I’ve realised I’ve some catching up to do on TRU. Expect an update soon…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

Rolling blog. Improving my circulation…

02 Thursday Apr 2026

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, West Yorkshire

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11:12.

I’m back on the rails again as we’ve lovely weather here in West Yorkshire, albeit with a frosty start. Now the sun’s warming the world and the blue skies are untroubled by more than just a few clouds. Having spent the morning pottering around at home I prepped to head out for the day to make the most of things before the start of the Easter break,

Having explored the Harrogate loop line the other week I’ve decided to retrace my steps in the hope of getting pictures of some of the things I discovered – but missed out capturing on camera. Right now I’m on the 10:58 from Sowerby Bridge, heading for Leeds. There’s plenty of room on this train as it consists of two 2-car Class 195s, making it easy to bag a table bay and set up the mobile office. Let’s see how the day goes…

12:45.

As always, Leeds was busy. Whilst I wasn’t there long LNER came up with a trio of Class 91s in 15 mins. Here’s 91127, a local celebrity as it’s named after the city’s main rail depot – Nevill Hill.

I wasn’t entirely sure which clockface way around the loop I was going to go today, but the first available train was the 12:06, so I’m going clockwise as far as Knaresborough.

Comfy..

One day I’d love to explore the section from Leed to Harrogate more as it has some amazing tunnels and viaducts set in gorgeous rolling scenery but that would be more on foot/road than rail.

16:45.

Ever had one of those days. I have. Everything was going swimmingly until we approached Knaresborough, when I broke one of my golden rules*. In this case it was the one that says never pack up at the last moment before you leave a train. Not having paid attention to my location I was blindsided and decided to repack the camera bag to change lenses. Bad move…

It was only when I’d got off the train to watch it depart that I realised I didn’t have my phone. The Goon shows character Moriarty was channeled as I uttered the word ‘sarpisti’ – along with several other invectives. So, plan B. Hang around until the unit I’d been on cycled through its diagram and returned with the hope that it was the same Conductor who may have found my phone or having had it handed it to them.

90 minutes later neither turned out to be the case, so the only thing was plan C. Head to York and hope my phone had been handed in there. Success! The Information office had it! It was easy to prove it was mine as I could unlock it, but thank you so much to Northern and LNER staff for being so efficient.

But, that’s buggered up my plans entirely. I’m now back at Knaresborough having a conciliatory pint in the Track and Sleeper before heading back towards Leeds…get pictures of an old railway survivor.

19:30.

I’m now on my way from Leeds back to Halifax after a frustrating day that wasn’t entirely a bust. On my way back from Knaresborough I stopped off at Starbeck to get pictures of the old railway survivor I mentioned earlier There’s a level crossing to the East of the station which is still guarded by a staffed signal box – which is tiny! It took a while to walk there but it was worth recording as these things are rare in this day and age – pix later.

After that and with the day cracking on I decided to head back home. There’s other pictures that I would have liked to have got, but they’d be easier by car than train – unless I want to spend hours walking.

*My other golden rule which has been learned from near-death experiences is never use teenage rickshaw/taxi/tuk-tuk drivers. It’s like the story about pilots. There’s old pilots, and there’s bold pilots, but there’s no old, bold pilots.

More soon…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

31st March picture of the day…

31 Tuesday Mar 2026

Posted by in Halifax, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, West Yorkshire

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Where the hell’s March gone? We’re a quarter of the way through the year which seem to have flown by. Well, more like blown by up here in West Yorkshire as we seem to have had nothing but high winds for weeks! I’m afraid it’s a short blog from me today as the evening is already late. I’ve been busy catching up with picture editing after a long local stroll yesterday and preparations for the week ahead – with Easter on the horizon.

At least the days are getting longer, even if they’re not getting much drier or warmer, but I hope to be getting out and about – and further afield in April. Well, if the madman in the White House hasn’t crippled or blown up the planet before then!

In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which was taken on my perambulations around Halifax yesterday.

One of Northern’s 2-car Class 195s arrives at Halifax with service for Chester. Old woollen and flour mills dominate the landscape but the buildings just behind the train have a very different purpose nowadays. This is the Nestlé sweet factory that’s been producing ‘Quality Street’ chocolates since 1934.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

25th March picture of the day…

25 Wednesday Mar 2026

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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I’d half-hoped I might be able to venture further afield today but the weather had other ideas. Whilst yesterday’s gales subsided overnight we were greeted by rain-lashed windows when we opened the bedroom blinds this morning. Said rain was soon followed by snow showers, which made conditions even less attractive. As a result I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and spent the first part of the day in the warm and dry, finishing off picture editing whilst keeping one eye on the madness coming out of America. It’s hard to keep up with Trump’s pronouncements as he’s seemingly incapable of fcompleting a coherent sentence and the position or claims he starts off with can change completely by the end of it. God help us when he’s talking in paragraphs as you have to read it back at the end to see just how many contradictory claims he’s made. He’s like an American version of the ‘Little Britain’ character ‘Vicky “yeah, but no” Pollard’.

By the afternoon the weather had dried up sufficiently for me to chance my arm and walk down into Sowerby Bridge to pick up some shopping. I took the camera with me as the Magnolia is blooming in the local churchyard but what I hadn’t bargained for was just how storm-battered these early blooms are which is a real shame. Hopefully the later buds will have an easier time.

I managed to make it home before the weather changed yet again and the next set of storms came in. Here’s how it looked from our front door.

I’ll pass, thanks…

Sadly, the forecast is for much of the same tomorrow, but I might just decide ‘bugger it’ and venture out anyway now that I’m all caught up with work. We’ll see.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

17th March picture(s) of the day…

17 Tuesday Mar 2026

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, West Yorkshire

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What a glorious day here in the Calder valley! We’ve had sunshine all day, whilst temperatures have been racing upwards to reach what’s probably been the hottest of the year so far. It’s been so warm I’ve been able to work in the garden in a singlet. With not having got away to Asia this winter I’ve really missed feeling the sun on my skin so today was a real tonic.

What was less of a tonic was observing the latest antics of the madman across the pond in Washington, who seems to have got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning (doesn’t he always? Ed). His latest ranting on ‘truth social’ is posted here.

I mean, where do you start with unhinged, fact-free nonsense like this? The man’s completely lost the plot. First he’d won the war within a couple of days, then he wanted NATO and everyone else to back him up and join in, then he didn’t, then he did as it was all going tits up in the Straits of Hormuz – and now he doesn’t (again). If he wasn’t the most powerful man in the world it would be hilarious, instead it’s bloody scary. All the checks and balances the founding Fathers built into the American political system seem to have collapsed, leaving Trump basically unopposed and running riot, both in the USA and the world.

His Iran adventure (egged on by the Israelis) is proving to be a political and strategic disaster. Some maintain the military outcomes could still be a success but no-one seems to have told the Iranians that and they seem to have other ideas. They may not be chucking as many missiles around as they were at the start of the war, but politically it’s getting worse. Informed sources suggest Trump’s replaced one Ayatollah with another one who’s backed by even more hardline people than his father was, so that’s going to turn out well. This shows all the signs of becoming a protracted conflict – even if Trump loses interest, claims he’s ‘won’ and tries to walk away. Meanwhile, he’s trashed America’s reputation around the world and alienated just about every ally the US has.

In one of life’s ironies I’m reminded of the Vietnam war (which I’m old enough to remember) and the title of a 1966 play which became a popular slogan at the time, “Suppose they gave a War and Nobody Came”. I suspect there’s a few old US allies who’re rediscovering it right now too. Of course, Trump, who repeatedly dodged the draft for the Vietnam war (a doctor signed him off with ‘bone spurs’) has probably never heard of it…

No doubt I’ll be revisiting this tragi-comedy again soon, but in the meantime I’ve more pressing matters as tomorrow the pair of us head to Derby for a few days for the 2026 Community Rail awards, which should lead to some more light-hearted blogging!

In the meantime, here’s a couple of pictures from today’s stroll around my ‘manor’.

Looking down on Sowerby Bridge from the promenade above Scarr woods.
The Wainhouse Tower looking fantastic against a clear blue sky.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

Weekend world…

15 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by in Halifax, Musings, The Piece Hall, West Yorkshire

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What a difference a day makes! Yesterday we had gorgeous sunshine and temperatures that (whilst hardly Mediterranean) made being out in the sun a delight. The pair of us decided to make the most of the day, so got up early and walked into Halifax as Dawn needed to do some shopping. Whilst we were there we popped in to the Piece Hall to discover they courtyard was hosting a market. Food stalls competed with craft shops, and the quality of both was really rather good. We’re not normally ones for impulse buys but one stall selling craft ironmongery caught our eyes. We ended up buying a couple of cute little metal robins to fix on the cottage. Then Dawn’s attention was grabbed by a lovely birdbath mounted atop a metal pole, something she’d been hankering after for a while. It looks really good and if nothing else, watching the local Squirrel population trying to scale it should provide some amusement! So, our visit to the Piece Hall turned out to be an expensive one!

The Piece Hall looking sublime in the sun.
Yep – it’s a round Robin!

After walking home as we drove to our local Asian supermarket to stock up on half a dozen slabs of tinned tomatoes, chick peas and kidney beans along with other tasty treats. Well, if Trump is about to pitch the world into another economic disaster at least we’ll have food supplies in, and the side-effects of all those pulses will allow us to keep the cottage warm for free!

Sunday was meant to be a day for pottering around at home. Dawn wanted to sort out various bits around the house whilst I’d plans to work on the garden. Yet again we were let down by the weather which delivered unexpected heavy rain showers which put a damper on many of our plans for the morning. By mid-afternoon we decided ‘bugger it’ and ventured out in the car to dispose of recycling and fill the car with fuel before prices get even more stupid (thanks, Donald).

By the time we returned home the weather was threatening to improve, so the pair of us threw caution to the wind, donned out waterproofs and walked down into Sowerby Bridge along the canal before climbing back uphill to home, so at least we got our steps again this weekend, leaving us to feel virtuous.

Now the evening’s here. I’m catching up on blogging whilst Dawn’s taken over the kitchen again. Having made another batch of the Koftas and a lemon meringue yesterday, tonight Dee’s cooking fish before we enjoy a quiet night in, which will be the lull before the storm.

Next week we have the annual Community Rail Awards in Derby. It’s an event that keeps us both busy and this year it that’s going to be truer than ever as there’s a record attendance, with over 600 people booked. Despite all the hard work it’s a great opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues from across the rail industry and see what people have achieved over the year – which makes it a very positive event.

I very much doubt I’ll have any time to blog from the event but expect a few more blogs in the run-up. Right now, it’s time to sign off and eat. See you next week…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

Off for a butchers…

15 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Politics, Railways, West Yorkshire

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Another week flies by! After my day out on Wednesday, Thursday was very different. The weather turned wet, windy and cold, making walking through the local woodland ‘interesting’ to say the least. The amount of broken branches and twig detritus would have kept a wood-burner going for weeks. Stupidly, I timed my daily stroll to coincide with the arrival of a rainstorm so it turned into a very soggy experience. After that, I decided discretion was the better part of valour and hunkered down for the evening at home.

Friday’s been a little different. Sunshine appeared and as Dawn was out for the day I decided to head over to Todmorden to restock our freezer from the excellent butchers in the delightful covered market – and to get a few pictures. It sounded like a great idea but the weather decided not to play ball. We may have had sunshine, but we also had Baltic winds, showers and the threat of snow which cut my trip short.

There were a couple of freight services scheduled to pass through whilst I was there so I braved the conditions just long enough to grab some shots.

66712 thunders through Todmorden station with another load of biomass for Drax power station which has been imported from North America via Liverpool docks.
Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, DB’s 66078 hauls the empty ‘binliner’ service from Wilton (Teeside) to Knowsley just outside Liverpool.

Having decided frostbite was over-rated I gave up photography and headed for the warmth of the market to enjoy a pint in the refurbished pub, the Todmorden Market Tavern before catching a train back to Halifax. You can’t grumble when you can get an excellent pint of real ale for just £3.40!

A quiet pint for now but this place can get very busy indeed…

Back home I called in my local for a ‘swifty’ and to give my apologies for the quiz that evening, then headed home to cook some of what I’d bought – spicy lamb koftas. I’ve found a gorgeous recipe which I tried for the first time the other week. (spicy lamb kofta with spiced chickpeas and bulgar wheat). We’ve found that you don’t really need the bulgar wheat as the rest is filling enough, and the ready made kofta from the butchers fit the dish perfectly. Next time I must remember to take a picture of it before we tuck in!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

Take a walk on the wild side…

15 Sunday Feb 2026

Posted by in Photography, Travel, Walking, West Yorkshire

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Yesterday, Valentine’s day – and for one day only, the weather decided to give us a break from continuous and monotonous rain. Mind you. it had dumped several inches of snow on the high ground, just to make things more interesting! That said, where we live in the Calder valley was just too low to be in the snow line. We could see the stuff on the high ground on the opposite side of the valley, but we had barely a sniff. That worked to our advantage…

Saturday began with clear blue skies and the sort of weather that – after weeks of rain- made you itch to get out. But where to go? Having perused maps and looked at where the snow lay we decided to drive out South, through Ripponden and across the M62 motorway in search of higher ground. We found what we were looking for at Moss Moor, off the A672 to Oldham where you’re over 450m above seal-level and there’s nothing stopping the wind anywhere. Even on a hazy day you can see the city of Manchester miles below. On a good day you can pick out the Lancashire coast.

Leaving the car we headed off South along the Pennine way. Here’s how the world looked…

Looking out over Moss Moor, which is the origin of the river Tame apparently.
Wind conditions in such an exposed location led to some great photo opportunities, where the grass had literally frozen, then was backlit by the low sun.
Dawn strolling through the snow towards the White Hill Trig pint (466m). Believe it or not, the M62 motorway’s just out of shot to the right. Conditions underfoot where ‘interesting’. The fresh snow and drifts were easy to walk in but every so often you hit an area that had been stripped bare by the wind so that you were walking on sheet ice.
Looking across to Close Moss and Marsden (beyond). There’s a very long railway tunnel under here – somewhere…

Having had our fill of the high moors we decided to head back via Baitings reservoir, which was a regular entry in last year’s ‘reservoir blogs’. Here’s how it looked in August last year.

See the modern bridge beyond the old bridge?
It’s here, in the distance. This is how full and overflowing the reservoir is today, with snow on the surrounding hills that will add even more water.

Sadly, the weather’s reverted to type. Today we’ve had grey skies and intermittent rain, a pattern that we seem to be stuck with. Never mind. Bugger the weather, tomorrow I’m having another day out to head over to Manchester and Southport in order to look at two very different events…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
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Cheers,

Paul