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The Strid, Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire

Bolton Abbey is located on the B6160 road, which runs between Bolton Bridge on the A59 Harrogate to Skipton Road, and Grassington. The Bolton Abbey Estate includes over 80 miles of footpaths through some of the most spectacular scenery in England. There are walks along side the river Wharfe, with its peaceful wide shallows and the fearsome Strid, which runs through Strid Wood which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because it is the largest remnant of acidic woodland in Yorkshire and because of its flora, particularly lichens.

In 1810 William Carr, Rector of the time, was granted permission by the 6th Duke of Devonshire to open Strid Wood to the public and create paths through the woodland. The river Wharfe runs north to south through Strid Wood. In this short distance the river changes character from the fearsome Strid to deep smooth waters and again to rushing wide shallows further down.

The Strid is a narrow gorge through which the river is forced. Legend has it that the drowning of the Boy of Egremont in the Strid in 1128, caused his grieving mother Alice de Rumilly to found the Priory at Bolton.Access to the Strid is easy, park in the car park at Bolton Abbey and follow the footpath into the woods, following the river Wharfe upstream. After walking a short distance you will hear the roar of the Strid before you can actually see it. Continue walking until you can see the rocks with the Strid running through the centre.

The sight of the wide river Wharfe being forced into a narrow gorge about six feet wide is awesome! But do take care, the Strid may look narrow enough in places to jump across to the other side, but don't. The rocks are very slippery, the river is flowing extremely fast, and its about twenty feet deep at least!
People have drowned here so take care.

With the river running north to south the lighting conditions here are usually quite good, even at the height of summer when the tree cover is quite thick. A nice view can be taken from the rocks looking south from the end of the Strid along the river Wharfe towards Bolton Abbey, with dappled sunlight dancing of the river. Spectacular close ups of the waterfalls and cascades along the Strid can easily be taken from anywhere along the rocky edge.

Needless to say a tripod is essential for those long shutter speeds required to blur the fast moving water, and perhaps a warm up filter would come in handy just to remove the blue cast that can be prevalent underneath the trees in the shadows. I find that you can spend a pleasant morning or afternoon at this location simply pottering around exploring the various photographic opportunities at this location, then when you have had enough, you can go off and explore the woods, or the Priory itself.