Picture Post: A picture of village life on a glorious winter’s day

Although I suspect the posties might disagree on those freezing winter days when they have to wade through a thick blanket of snow in order to pick up the mail.

But on a day like this, with the last of the melting snow disappearing and the stark, brown landscape bathed in watery sunlight beneath a perfect cobalt sky, you wouldn’t mind living in a place like this.

The place in question happens to be Yockenthwaite, a hamlet in the Craven district of North Yorkshire.

It is one of three hamlets, Beckermonds and Hubberholme being the other two, in Langstrothdale.

This hillside spot is nestled in the Langstrothdale valley in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and lies 20 miles north of Skipton and eight miles south of Hawes.

To those of you that don’t know this peaceful valley is one of the lesser known gems of the Dales and has the upper part of the River Wharfe running through it for its first 15 miles.

Located deep in the heart of Dales country it’s a popular haunt with walkers who like to get away from the crowds, lured there by the quietude and the spectacular views (especially if the weather is kind) looking down the valley.

Yockenthwaite lies on the north bank of the River Wharfe and nearby is a stone circle, an area of ancient stones arranged in a circle thought to be the kerbstones of a ring cairn.

It has another, more modern, claim to fame that some of you might not be aware of – for Yockenthwaite was the name given to one of the characters in ITV’s children’s comedy series The Rottentrolls which ran back in the late 1990s.

It’s easy to see why people are so easily beguiled by this quiet pocket of Yorkshire. For on a day like this there can be few better places from which to admire the wild beauty of the natural landscape, as the snow begins to thaw and winter slowly starts to slacken its icy grip.

Technical Details Nikon D3s 28-70mm lens 250th@f8 500ISO.

Picture: Tony Johnson