A beautiful, still October afternoon walking north along the river Nidd brought me to the dam wall at the Gouthwaite reservoir. It is an easy walk and I just stood at this point, leaning against a dry stone wall and staring across the mill-pond flat water and getting twice the view I bargained for. I could hear the sheep bleating in the field on the other side . . and little else. Sometimes you just have to count your blessings. It is little moments like this that remind me why I love North Yorkshire so much.

Gouthwaite Reservoir on a still Autumn day.