Dales Way - Day 5: Sedbergh to Oxenholme

Sunday 23rd February 2014 

A wet walk from Sedbergh to Oxenholme via the Crook of Lune  

Distance 22km; Ascent: 400m; Very wet and windy; Solo

See tracked route in new window

I set off walking in drizzle shortly before 9am, but it wasn't long before the rain became heavier and I had to don waterproofs.  Due to the weather I opted to skip the first section of Dales Way today and instead followed the A684 to Lincoln's Inn Bridge, where I rejoined my planned route.

Lune Viaduct

The route north alongside the River Lune was pleasant, and I crossed underneath the disused Lune Viaduct before spending a couple of kilometres away from the river.  I then returned to the river, following a path through the riverside woods, past a number of kayakers paddling downstream.

In the Lune Gorge

Shortly before 11:30am I reached the Crook of Lune bridge, where I stopped for a quick break.  By now the forecast heavy rain and strong winds had well and truly set-in, and I decided to abandon my original plans to continue across the, almost certainly, very muddy fields to Burneside.  Instead I opted to walk along the minor roads to Oxenholme station, from where I'd have a greater choice of trains to catch home.

Crook of Lune Bridge

The River Lune at Crook of Lune

I walked into driving rain and wind for much of the next couple of hours as I made my way SW to reach Oxenholme station shortly after 2pm.  I shall return at some point to walk from Oxenholme to Burneside, where I'll pick up the Dales Way and follow it to the finish in Windermere - probably later in the year.

Dales Way - Day 4: Ribblehead to Sedbergh

Saturday 22nd February 2014 

A morning moorland walk followed by an afternoon walking down Dentdale 

Distance 28km; Ascent: 480m; Dry until late afternoon; Solo

See tracked route in new window

I had a long day ahead of me today so I set off walking from The Station Inn at around 8:30am after a good breakfast.  I decided that I didn't fancy retracing my steps back along the road, so instead came up with an alternative route over to Dentdale, via Little Dale and Blea Moor.

Train crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct 

Ribblehead Viaduct in front of a misty Ingleborough

The track alongside the railway made for reasonable walking, with good views of the impressive Ribblehead Viaduct, on the famous Settle to Carlisle line.  There were plenty of other walkers out today, although they all seemed to be heading for Whernside so I soon left them behind as I continued on up Little Dale.

Looking back down into Little Dale

Soon I began to ascend on the track, which here runs pretty much directly above the Bleamoor railway tunnel, past a couple of large cylindrical air shafts for the tunnel.  Shortly after passing the third air shaft, I left the track and ascended over pathless moorland to reach the trigpoint on the summit of Blea Moor (HuMP, Dewey).

Trig point on Blea Moor

On the summit of Blea Moor

There were good views from up here, although I imagine they'd be better on a clear day; however I didn't linger long as there was a bitterly cold wind.  I headed NE to reach the high point of the fence, before roughly following it back NW to the track.

Air Shaft for Blea Moor tunnel above upper Dentdale

I passed another air shaft; this one was adorned with scaffolding, solar panels and various gadgets - I wonder if it is some sort of automated weather station?  I continued to descend through the woods to reach the northern portal of the railway tunnel.

Northern portal of Blea Moor Tunnel

I passed Dent House Farm, before crossing over a grass covered bridge to reach the minor road in upper Dentdale.  I quickened my pace as I walked NNE along the road, with good views of Dent Head Viaduct and Artengill Viaduct.

Grassy bridge in upper Dentdale

Train crossing Arten Gill Viaduct

Soon I stopped for lunch in the sunshine, on the wall between the road and the river.  After refuelling, I continued down the pleasant dale complete with the River Dee tumbling down the various limestone steps in the river bed.

River Dee

Looking down Dentdale

River Dee

After quite a bit more walking along footpaths and road, I reached the lovely cobbled village of Dent, where I took a well earned break in the picnic area.  It would have been nice to call into one of the enticing looking teashops, but I was now well and truly up against the clock if I was going to get to Sedbergh before nightfall.

Dent

Memorial in Dent

St Andrew's Church, Dent

I left Dent at around 4:15pm and headed NW along the road to rejoin the Dales Way, which I followed across fields for the next few kilometres before joining a minor road on the south side of the valley.  There had clearly been a lot of rain recently as this road was quite flooded in several places - I was glad I was wearing gaiters!

Flooded road in lower Dentdale

As the light was beginning to fade, I opted to divert from the Dales Way for the rest of the day and instead follow the road into Sedbergh where I stayed for the evening.

Dales Way - Day 3: Buckden to Ribblehead

Friday 21st February 2014 

My return to the Yorkshire Dales to walk along the Dales Way from Buckden to Ribblehead 

Distance 23km; Ascent: 550m; Mainly wet, but occasional dry spells; Solo

See tracked route in new window

After several hours of travelling by train and bus I set off walking from Buckden in full waterproofs at around 11:30am this morning.  I followed the pleasant riverside path along the SW banks of the River Wharfe, in the rain, to reach the small hamlet of Hubberholme, where there were lots of snowdrops in the churchyard.

St. Michael and All Angels Church, Hubberholme

River Wharfe just west of Hubberholme

The Dales Way continued westwards along the north bank of the river and I soon reached Yockenthwaite, before continuing along the path to re-cross the river at Deepdale Bridge.  By now the rain had stopped and I took the opportunity of a dry lunch break near a small waterfall.

Looking downstream from Deepdale Bridge

Small section of rapids above Deepdale Bridge

The break in the rain didn't last long and I was soon continuing on upstream to reach the confluence of Green Field Beck with the River Wharfe near Beckermonds.  A couple of kilometres of road walking now lay ahead to reach the small village of Oughtershaw where I left the road behind.

Looking up the River Wharfe towards Beckermonds

Confluence of Green Field Beck and the River Wharfe

Lone postbox near Beckermonds

A farm access track made for relatively quick walking westwards past Nethergill to reach Swarthgill farm.  From here a muddy path headed further westwards towards the watershed near Cam Houses.

Looking west over the watershed towards Ingleborough

There were noticeably large areas of new tree plantations on the south side of the head of the boggy looking valley.  I continued heading west and soon crossed the Pennine watershed.  The River Wharfe, which I had been following for the first two and a half days of the Dales Way drains into the North Sea, whereas on the west side of this watershed the burns flow into the River Ribble, which drains into the Irish Sea.

Looking back towards the headwaters of Oughtershaw Beck

After passing Cam Houses I passed the edge of a forestry plantation, which looked to have suffered somewhat in the recent storms as there were quite a few fallen trees.  After a little bit more ascent I reached the junction with the Pennine Way and the Pennine Bridleway, which here both follow the Cam High Road.

Cairn at Junction of Dales Way and Pennine Way

A good track made for quick walking south-westwards, in a hail storm, and I soon came to a track junction not marked on my maps.  It appeared that a new access road had been built for the forestry plantation at Cam Woodlands.  This track joined the Cam High Road at this junction and followed the Dales Way all the way to the road.

New forestry road

Looking down the upgraded Cam High Road towards Ingleborough and Ribblehead

By now it was late afternoon, so I continued downhill along the upgraded track, which was now more like a forest road than an old track - it certainly seemed quite different from when I was late walking this way back in September 2008.  A new heavy-duty looking bridge across Gayle Beck brought me to the B6255 road, which I followed in fading light to reach my overnight halt at the Station Inn at Ribblehead.

New bridge over Gayle Beck

I reached the pub shortly after 6pm, where I enjoyed a good meal along with some excellent real ale after another good day's walking :-)

Back to the Dales Way

This morning I am heading back to Buckden in Upper Wharfedale to resume my walk along the Dales Way, which I started back in December.  Today I'm planning on walking from Buckden over to The Station Inn at Ribblehead (22km), tomorrow I'll then walk down Dentdale to Sedbergh (26km) and then on Sunday I'll walk to Burneside (26km) to catch a train back home.  I'll be returning at a later date to walk the final 15km to Windermere.

The following Social Hiking map shows my planned route (in pink), which should get overlaid with my progress (in orange) assuming that that I have signal and/or my SPOT works properly!  Once I've finished walking, I'll be uploading blog posts for each day at some point in the next few weeks.



See map on Social Hiking site or full size in a new window

Dales Way - Day 2: Burnsall to Buckden

Monday 16th December 2013 

A mixture of moorland and riverside walking, in intermittent rain, from Burnsall to Buckden 

Distance: 23.5km; Ascent: 490m; Overcast with lots of rain showers; Solo

See tracked route in new window

After yesterday's surprisingly good weather, it was perhaps no surprise that the overnight rain had yet to clear when I set off walking in full waterproofs at around quarter to nine this morning.  When I reached the river it was clear that the rain had been heavy last night as the river was now even more swollen than yesterday with a couple of sections of slightly flooded path to negotiate.

Swollen River Wharfe near Burnsall

Flooded path near Burnsall

I passed Loup Scar on the far side of the rapidly flowing river and continued on upstream, slightly drier now that the rain had stopped.  Soon I reached a footbridge, which I crossed to reach the north bank and slightly calmer waters.

River Wharfe at Loup Scar

Suspension Bridge

Two to three kilometres of walking westwards brought me to the impressive white water of Linton Falls.  The footbridge just above the falls allowed me to get a good view of the huge volume of water tumbling down the falls below.

Linton Falls

By now it had started raining again so I continued on upstream past a weir to reach the busy market town of Grassington, where I stopped for a bite to eat on a handy bench in the town square.

Weir near Grassington

Grassington marked the point that I left the river behind for the moorland to the east of Wharfedale.  I ascended northwards out of town on a good track, which became a grassy path after around a kilometre.  By now it was dry again and there were good views across northwards and westwards as I continued across the pleasant grassy moorland of Lea Green, with occasional areas of limestone pavement, past a 150 year old Lime Kiln before reaching Scot House Lane.

Lime Kiln

Crags near Scot Gate Lane

Here a puzzling footpath sign seemed to indicate a right of way down through the crags below to the left.  Unfortunately although it looked interesting I was up against the clock if I was going to reach Buckden in time for the mid afternoon bus; therefore I left any exploration for another day.

Looking across towards Knipe Scar and Middlesmoor Pasture

There were good views across Wharfedale towards Knipe Scar, which marks the end of the long ridge that extends SE from Birks Fell (on whose summit I finished the 2000ft peaks of the Yorkshire Dales).  Soon the rain started again, so I sought shelter in some woods in an attempt to stay dry whilst eating lunch.  To save time I opted to follow the road into Kettlewell before picking up a footpath again on the west bank of the Wharfe.

Beck in Kettlewell

Looking downstream from Kettlewell Bridge

By now it was 1:30pm, so it was clearly going to be touch and go whether or not I'd make my planned bus from Kettlewell; therefore I quickened my pace along the riverside footpath.  The ground was quite damp in places, with occasional sections of flooded field to negotiate.  I passed a number of barns on the way to the Starbotton footbridge, which I reached at quarter past two - things were now looking better for catching the bus from Kettlewell so I continued on up the valley.

Barn in upper Wharfedale

Meander in upper Wharfedale

The walk to Buckden passed without incident, although it was quite muddy in places with flood debris evident along some of the river bank.  In the end I made it to the bus stop a whole five minutes early!  Soon I was on the warm bus starting my four hour return journey home via Skipton, Leeds and Manchester.  It had been a good couple of days of mainly low level walking and I plan to return to complete the remainder of the Dales Way at some point.

Buckden Bridge

See also my Social Hiking live map from the walk.

Dales Way - Day 1: Ilkley to Burnsall

Sunday 15th December 2013 

A riverside walk alongside the River Wharfe from Ilkley to Burnsall via Bolton Abbey and The Strid 

Distance: 23.5km; Ascent: 380m; Dry with occasional sunshine; Solo

See tracked route in new window

I had been toying with the idea of walking the Dales Way for a while now, and this weekend seemed to be a good opportunity to walk a couple of days of it.  Therefore early this Sunday morning I caught a train across the Pennines to Leeds and then onto Ilkley, from where I set off walking at around quarter to ten.  Soon I reached the start of the Dales Way at Ilkley Bridge.

Ilkley Bridge

Sign at the start of the Dales Way

I headed west out of town, past a tennis club and across riverside fields with glimpses of sunshine.  The river looked to be quite full, presumably from all the recent rain - and it was forecast to rain some more later this afternoon.  This path seemed to be popular with joggers as I met a fair few between Ilkley and where the path joins the road 2km west of the town.

River Wharfe just west of Ilkley

Around a kilometre of minor roads lead me to the attractive cottages of Low Mill Village and onwards to pass St Peter's Church, whose interior dates from Tudor times according to the handy nearby sign.  A short walk through the eastern edge of the village of Addingham brought me back down to the River Wharfe.

St Peter's Church, Addingham

River Wharfe near Addingham

After passing through a caravan park there was now a pleasant couple of kilometres of riverside walking through sheep fields.  This ended when I reached the B6160 road, which I crossed to find the Farfield Friends Meeting House that dates from 1689.

Farfield Friends Meeting House

A field edge footpath offered a pleasant alternative to walking along the road for the next kilometre, but unfortunately it seems to end prematurely, which results in having to walk along the busy B6160 road for around half a kilometre before escaping back down to the river again.

Looking upstream from Bolton Bridge

At Bolton Bridge, where I entered the Yorkshire Dales National Park, there were good views further up into Wharfedale.  Continuing on upstream, on the west bank of the River Wharfe, I entered the pleasant parkland of the Bolton Abbey estate where I soon stopped for lunch on a handily located bench in the winter sunshine.  After a little over a kilometre of enjoyable riverside walking I reached the impressive remains of Bolton Priory, which dates from the 12th century.

Bolton Priory

Bolton Priory

I took five or ten minutes out of my walk to have a quick look around the ruins of the priory, before crossing to the east bank of the Wharfe by way of Waterfall Bridge.  The next couple of kilometres were clearly a popular spot for a Sunday afternoon stroll as I reckon I passed at least a hundred other walkers!

Waterfall Bridge

Bolton Priory

Around a kilometre and a half after passing the priory, I reached a very busy car park next to the Cavendish Pavilion cafe and visitor centre.  The reason for the busy car park soon became apparent as I entered Strid Wood: the estate was holding a Christmas event along the next few hundred metres of woodland path, complete with elves and Santa's grotto!  However given the I didn't have Isabel or Olivia with me there was no need to stop, so I continued onwards along the Green Trail to reach The Strid.

The Strid

This significant narrowing of the river was impressive to look at today given how full the river was, and it reminded me slightly of the Linn of Dee (although with a few more trees!).  However the river looked to be very dangerous here so, as advised by the signs, I kept well back from the edge whilst admiring the awesome force of the river being forced through such a narrow gap.

Continuing on through the woods I reached Barden Bridge.  Here I seemed to leave the crowds behind as from here on I only saw a handful of other walkers for the rest of the day.  It was a pleasant sunny afternoon as I continued northwards along the east bank of the river towards Appletreewick.

Afternoon light north of Barden Bridge

Tree north of Barden Bridge

I reached the road just east of Burnsall in fading light just before 4pm.  I crossed the bridge and headed to the tearoom for a well earned teacake and tea :-)  After feeling suitably refreshed I headed to my accommodation for the night to find I was the only guest at my B&B - well I suppose it was a Sunday in December!  A fine pub dinner washed down with a couple of pints of real ale was an excellent end to a good day's walking :-)

See also my Social Hiking live map from the walk.