Farmer hard at work in a rural idyll of the Dales

WITH THE new series of All Creatures Great and Small earning rave reviews as the show turns the clock back to a simpler time, this picture is a reminder that much of the Yorkshire Dales where the programme is set remains something of a bucolic idyll to this day.

Taken by Yorkshire Post photographer James Hardisty, it shows a farmer slowly makes his way back and forth cutting the grass in a field near the village of Marrick in Richmondshire.

The former lead mining village is now a farming hamlet on the northern outskirts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with the spot popular with ramblers thanks to its location on the Coast to Coast footpath.

It is probably best known for Marrick Priory, an historic 12th Century medieval building that was developed in the 1970s into an Outdoor Education and

Residential Centre. In 1540, the priestess and her 16 nuns were evicted as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries but it remained a place of worship until 1948 before initially being used as a farm building.

As the About Britain website notes, Marrick has much for rural residents and visitors to enjoy. “The village is worth a visit at any time of year, winter in Marrick gives a real feel for winter, hard frosts and snowy hilltops,” it states.

“Spring is a delight with the newborn lambs, and spring flowers, the late summer sees the surrounding heather moors in a blaze of pink and Autumn sees the chimneys smoking again. The local wildlife is wonderful, with frequent sightings of hare, badgers, bats and the odd Roe Deer. Birdlife is varied with the nesting waders including curlew, lapwings ( with their impressive skydiving courtship), and oyster catchers through the summer.

“There are numerous pheasant, partridge ( including the red legged variety) and grouse on the moor; prey birds with various species of owl and visiting hawks, along with a noisy hedgerow of finches.

“Those with an eye for the flora, will adore the hay meadows in early summer while the smell of the wild garlic in steps wood is divine.”