Bolton Abbey, Strid Wood in the Yorkshire Dales

I must admit that we are more of the open space people and especially in England where the woods are sparse, it is very rare that we would actually come across a forest. That is until we started exploring the wonderful Bolton Abbey Estate in Wharfedale on the fringe of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Renowned for the oak tree collection. We started to explore it taking the path through Strid Wood, the woods above the Priory and leading towards the Valley of Desolation. They were all different and all utterly spell binding! Just as the mighty oak trees seem to have no end of their creative poses, when taking the most unusual forms shaped by the Yorkshire's strong winds and resisting countless storms over the years and centuries. Imagining their journey from little acorns through to vulnerable young branches, then intimidating, mighty oak trees with a naturally royal appearance, finally getting into these crumbling species with massive, yet hollow trunks and drooping branches bending lower and lower and closer to the ground - tired by their old age. For us as photographers at each stage they are a picture. A photograph is calling, a beautiful study of the nature in both large and close up miniature scale.