Henrikdoc

Very lazy start to day… mustn’t peak too early !!!🤣

Decided on gentle ‘stroll’ along the banks of the river Nidd (the name always reminds me of the Knights that say ‘Ni’ – ref Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1975 😄)

Old Mother Shipton… of English folklore …

(C/o Wikipedia)

Walked up and down a meandering path along the river, taking in the scents of the wild garlic and the sounds of the twittering birds.

Thank you to the Merlin app for aiding identification at times.

Along the banks … ‘where are those pesky fish?’

Some stunning clear water in the river Nidd.

Weather very kind to us today. Think it might change a bit for tomorrow.🌦️⛈️

#nosuchthings as badweatherforwalking just bad

clothes.

Some interesting sights today.

All in all a great outing

“We know very little about the castle’s origins but there may have been an Anglo-Saxon fortification in ‘Chednaresburg’. Burg is an Old English word for a defended enclosure, and could refer to a bank and ditch surrounding a settlement here.

The earliest castle was built by the Normans who recognised the superb natural defences of this rocky promontory high above the river Nidd. We find the first written evidence of a castle in Knaresborough in financial records called the Pipe Rolls dating from the reign of Henry I (1100 to 1135). These show that £11 was spent in 1129 to 1130 on strengthening the ‘King’ Works at Knaresborough’ by custodian Eustace Fitz-John.

Some years later, the castle played a part in one of the more infamous stories of the medieval period. In 1170 the Constable of Knaresborough Castle Hugh de Morville and his followers took refuge there after they had murdered Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 1204 King John (1199 to 1216) took possession of the Castle and the Forest of Knaresborough, gaining a base for his favourite sport of hunting, and also a well-placed stronghold from which to control the rebellious barons in the north of England.” (Ref. Northyorks.gov.uk)

Tomorrow the walking begins in earnest. Got my snacks (of course). Carrying all our stuff for 4 days for first time so have packed ‘minimalist’ 🤷🏼‍♂️.