Cheesden Valley – Coffee, Pies and a Surprise!!

There are so many places on my doorstep that I have absolutely no idea exist, but I’m going to try to explore as many as I can over the coming months and years. It was Traceys birthday and we agreed we should have a walk, a rock n roll birthday you are thinking, but it was a special day. It was our first properly together as a couple, I’m sure the ones in the future might involve a nice restaurant or a pub, but the coffee and pies we ate outside Buckhurst farm tasted fabulous and will live long in my memory for sure. Not that I knew where we were going but as always we chatted and chatted and chatted as we walked, wonderful day.

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This little tree can be found just a few metres up the road from where we ate our pies, and drank our coffee. I first spotted this in early January, the pond was frozen and there were droplets of water hanging from the branches. I decided whilst I was editing that image that I would return to that little tree at different times of the year, capture it in the 4 seasons, more of that to come in future blogs.

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Off we set looking for the Cheesden Valley, literally 10 yards out of the Buckhurst Farm cafe and we bumped into some people that Tracey knew. Unbelievably the guy was the owner of the clothing website (Axe Attire) I’d bought a hat from the previous week. On went the hat and despite me protesting that I’m the wrong demographic to appear modelling his clothing range a photograph was taken of me, who knows the catwalk could becon. Back on course and we headed towards the valley in question. The regular readers will know that I quite like stoop stones, way finding stones from yesteryear. The ones in this image caught my eye, not just because they are stones but it was how they sat in this small pond, maybe this wasn’t always as wet as this, but I really like this image.

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It wasn’t long before we had negotiated a few styles and a heard of sheep and we found the bottom of Cheesden Valley. The weather wasn’t the best and we had intermittent showers, but undeterred on we walked. This valley hides a “lost village” all around are remains of small buildings, houses, shacks, whatever. What we were after was still to become clear.

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As we weaved in and out and up and down, I could see off in the distance what looked like a castle. It wasn’t of course, it was an old Mill building that had some function in the past, but it really did look rather grand from a distance, and actually it was decent up close. What I like about this image is how it shows the Old Mill in the landscape but it also shows the modern use for the landscapes. far from being an eyesore I really think the wind turbines add a modern touch to the landscapes. This may not be a popular view but we really need to think about how we are going to generate energy in the future. Besides I have a shed loads of camera batteries to charge!

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Winding its way down the valley is Cheesden Brook, and too my amazement there is a small waterfall, more than a weir for sure. There are lots of small rocks to add foregraouynd interest to this shot, as well as some strong lines moving the eye from one place to the other ultimately ending up at the waterfall. Clearly this brook was the source of the water that would have been used by whatever was made or produced in this small mill. Ingenuity at its best.

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This image is essentially from the same spot as the previous one, I just turned around 180 degrees, I really did need to capture this image. The strong lines, the winding brook and the scenery struck me as a lovely image. A little Lightroom editing has really brought this to life. Who knew that such lovely scenery was right on our doorstep. There will be lots more exploring to be done in this area. Keep your eyes peeled on my Lancashire Moors page of my website for more images of this fabulous area.

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As you can see from this image the ruins are really just one main wall of the Old Mill. Made of stone mind you, and I’ll think you’ll agree tit really is a great looking place. We really didn’t have much time to play with as Tracey’s daughter and grand daughter were due to arrive at her house in around 45 minutes, and I would leave them to there bubble having had a fabulous birthday walk. There really is such a lot to see in what at first glance looks like just rolling countryside.

Tracey and I had a great time and it will stick in my memory as Tracey’s first birthday as a couple. Had it been normal circumstances we probably wouldn’t have done what we did, a pub or restaurant maybe. I know Tracey agrees with me that having met and “courted” in a pandemic has meant its not been the normal start to a relationship, but it has made our bond stronger for sure.