Gelt Woods walk in autumn

Gelt Woods walk route

There are a network of paths leading through the woods and, as a result, many Gelt Woods walks. Most paths eventually head downhill though where they invariably meet the River Gelt.

On this particular day, at the first fork in the path I headed off right, a route that contoured high above the river below.

Footpath leading through beech trees in Gelt Woods

This track leads to a clearing, at the centre of which stands a particularly old and impressive beech.

Ancient beech tree in Gelt Woods

From this point the path curves downhill towards the bottom of the gorge and the river is soon visible.

Walking alongside the River Gelt

The next section of the walk is alongside the north bank of the River Gelt and is the most scenic. In autumn things change very quickly though and a certain amount of luck is needed to visit at the best time.

In 2017 I visited here at the start of October and took the following photo of the river in Lower Gelt.

River Gelt in Lower Gelt Woods in early October

Not quite enough leaves on the ground for my liking.

The following autumn I visited in late October and a photo from the same vantage point looked much better.

River Gelt in late October

Evidently the colours change quickly at this time of year!

Just upstream from here the channel narrows and the river becomes a set of rapids, the water in a rush to squeeze through the thin gap.

Sandstone gorge through which the River Gelt flows

These rapids offered an opportunity for me to get a bit arty and take an abstract photo.

River Gelt rapids

The red colour is from the underlying sandstone that is prevalent throughout the gorge.

Walking alongside the river there were so many photo opportunities! Luckily I wasn’t in a rush so I just took plenty of breaks.

Not much further upstream I recognised the location where the year before I had taken a couple of photos and tried to see if I could improve on them. It turned out I couldn’t so here are a couple of photos from 2017!

River Gelt in autumnal Gelt Woods

Beech sapling overhanging River Gelt

And as the path leaves the riverbank to climb back up to the edge of the wood there was an opportunity for one last shot.

Footpath on the banks of the River Gelt

From this point the path climbs uphill, back to the junction at the entrance of the Gelt Woods. Retracing my steps back along the track I reached my car at the end of Capon Tree Road.

Annual visit to Gelt Woods

There are definitely more photographs to be had here so I’ll probably be back for my annual Gelt Woods walk in future years. Hopefully this blog will then be updated with more detail and there will be more additions to my Eden Valley photo collection. Maybe one day I’ll try visiting during a different season too!