I recently visited Cleckheaton for a sewing event. My own garden was sodden and squelchy from so much rain so I knew being away over night was not impinging on my garden-time. I decided I had no need to rush back and so planned a stop-off on the way home at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I have driven past it a few times and it was time I stopped off and explored. The next day dawned frosty and sunny, perfect for an autumnal walk.
I had taken my walking boots with me so I wrapped up warmly and set off.
As I started the walk I did what I often do, I started to compose a blog post in my mind. I thought about how I describe the Damien Hirst sculptures, about Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. What a cultured post I could write appreciating the sights............
........ and I saw the sculptures and I loved how they fitted into the landscape,
and how the sheep ignored them,
I enjoyed wandering around the exhibits, discovering more of them as I could walk around circling them.
Being able to appreciate the size and scale of some of them was rather special. The park itself is huge and so if your skills at perspective are as poor as mine they seem small whilst at the distance and as you get closer you realise just how large they are.
Yet it was the beauty of the trees and the landscape that overwhelmed me. I loved discovering the sculptures as I walked around but autumn was stealing the show.
There were lots of birds flitting between the trees and walks have signs that tell you about the flora and fauna you are walking through. I decided to take the path around the upper lack as I was now on the hunt for something that had jumped to the top of my must-see list.
I found the Greek Temple, one of the features from before this was a sculpture park. It has the most magnificent view over the lake.
Apparently this view originally intended to be where you could look across to the place I wanted to find. I could not see it though I pondered how far it might be to actually get around to that point. Unperturbed as I was in no rush and enjoying my walk, I carried on.
On I walked, past the water meadows, past the areas where it says in Spring there will be bluebells.
and then....... there it was......
the Shell Grotto, another feature from before the sculpture park which was built in the late eighteenth century. I love love love a good grotto and particularly a good shell grotto.
Some shells still cling to the interior.
A visible reminder of past glory.
I walked a few miles, I relaxed, I breathed. When I got back to the car I knew I had not covered all of what the park has to offer which is of course a reason to have to return. All thoughts of writing a cultured post had long gone - it would have been a waste of a walk, I enjoyed letting my mind relax. What a fantastic place it is.
