Dales Way

Ilkley - Bowness, 1^st–5^th September 2014

 

Introduction
 

Phil and I had been discussing a possible joint venture for some time without any particular focus. When Phil tabled his enthusiasm to revisit the Yorkshire Dales, following our trek down the Lady Anne’s Way, the Dales Way became our late summer objective. A quick ring round some of the b&bs proved it could be a possibility to set it up at the last minute, the poor August weather seemed to be relenting so we went for the first week in September and hoped for the best.

Monday 1^st Sept 2014     Ilkley – Burnsall

Into the Sunshine

It hardly seemed the best as I was driven down to the station to meet Phil and begin our train journey. The weather was awful: the hills were covered by a cold blanket of cloud and drizzle. I was close to using the umbrella as I walked into the station. However from that moment the conditions got better and better and were to furnish some of the best walking weather I have ever had. The train connections went like clockwork and we hardly had time to grab coffees at Manchester and at Leeds before our departures were due. So we arrived at Ilkley Station ahead of schedule (12 noon) and were soon out in the sunshine looking for the river. We were disappointed to find no mention of the Dales Way at the road bridge so we set off upstream through a small park to reach a beautiful old stone bridge hardly wide enough for modern traffic. Here at last we found an interpretive board dedicated to the Dales Way and we realised that here at last was the official start. The early sections were very straight-forward, through a sports club, a few fields and then out onto a lane at Addingham. We paused briefly to look round the church, St. Peters, situated on raised ground above well-kept grassland.

Then it was out into open country with our first riverside walking. A short interlude on the road led to an underpass at Bolton Old Bridge into the Bolton Priory Estate. Fabulous views of the ruins opened out as we approached over luscious grassland. An even better view was that of an ice-cream van. We continued on our way licking cones of vanilla ice. We crossed the river at a foot-bridge and went through a wood filled with kids’ activity equipment. Then it was back over the river at Cavendish Bridge and then along a wide track through Strid Wood. We completely overshot the Strid, hidden as it was by a curtain of trees. By the time we realised this we were out of the wood and at a narrow footbridge across the river. For here it was an easy walk to Bardon Bridge and another ice-cream van. Foregoing the pleasure this time, we pushed on along the river to the Howgill loop and then back along grassy paths until the wide grassy fields of Burnsall opened up in front. I booked a table at the Red Lion and then trekked up to our b&b. It was not long however before we returned for drinks and a meal.

Ilkley dep. 12.03, Burnsall arr. 17.05. GPS 14.17 miles in 5hr 2m 58s.

We stayed at Wharf View Farm, Main Street, Burnsall, N. Yorks, BD23 6BP   Tel: 01756 720643. We ate at the Red Lion, fish, chips and mushy peas, and chocolate sponge with more ice-cream. The beers were Wharfedale King of the Mountains (3.9%) and Hatton Dark Horse Pale Ale (4.5%).

Tuesday 2^nd September 2014       Bunsall – Buckden

A Short Walk

We woke up to the perfect morning. Cool clear and cloudless sky, the early morning sun exaggerating the contrast between the water, the banks and the surrounding hills. We were in no hurry today. Our schedule was for a short easy walk up the valley so as to be in position for the big push tomorrow. So it was almost 9.30am when we left our b&b and headed back into the village and down to the bridge. The scene of the quietly flowing water under the sunlit old bridge was a picture worth having and Phil did not disappoint. We met a woman, walking a dog, who had seen kingfishers and a strange light in the sky following the ridge line of the opposite hills. We crossed the river at a narrow and bouncy suspension bridge which was under repair. Every time a walked wanted to cross, the guys replacing the wooden slats had to come ashore, so progress was very slow. Linton church was across the river as we came round towards the falls. Here we re-crossed the river on a more substantial footbridge to get the optimum view of the waterfall and weirs. Then it was back across the bridge and up into Grassington for a cup of coffee.

The climb out of Grassington was quite steep and rather confusing. It was only after a careful combination of guidebook and maps that we found the correct route across the fields and onto the high plateau. We made some glib comment of how difficult it might be for foreigners to navigate across such featureless and poorly marked routes. But we found a good line and headed across the limestone moors. We came across a couple of retired postmen who were heading beyond our target of Buckden. I explained that I would also have been trying for Hubberholme but was put off by the Tuesday closing of the George pub. They look at me with alarm and disbelief. It was Tuesday! On we walked until we came to a plantation where the path descended steeply to a quiet lane. This was followed passed a conference centre and then we turned onto a footpath system of fields and stiles into Kettlewell. It was time for another coffee, this time with some Bakewell tart.

 

We now only had four miles of riverside path before we came to Buckden. A woman walked quickly down the road toward the village and we walked more slowly after her. We eventually located our b&b for the night, a tea shop behind the pub (closed Tuesdays!). However the woman was in, the one who had been racing ahead of us down the road, and she showed us to our rooms. The bath was rather small but with a bit of a struggle we were soon washed and changed and having our first pint in the pub next door. A lady, American from her accent, was also staying at our teashop and we invited her to joint us for a meal. She had spent much of the day trying to find her way across the high ground out of Grassington. Our prediction of the difficulties that strangers would have to British navigation had turned out to be correct. Jane from Massachusetts was walking the Lady Anne’s Way, the route that Phil and I had completed some three years ago.

Burnsall dep. 09.25, coffee in Grassington, coffee/cake in Kettlewell, Buckden  arr. 16.20, GPS 15.25 miles in 5hrs 46m 24s walking time..

We stayed at the West Winds Yorkshire Tearooms, Buckden, North Yorkshire BD23 5JA
Telephone 01756 760883. We ate at the Buck Inn. I had steak & ale pie and drank Spitting Feathers, Theaksons Best Bitter (3.8%) & Copper Dragon Black Gold (3.7%).

 

Wednesday 3^rd September 2014    Buckden – Dent

Crossing the Watershed

It was very misty this morning and a haze hung over the hills. But there was no wind and it was warm and humid as we left our teashop b&b and set off into the upper regions of Wharfedale denoted Langstrothdale on the maps. We soon came to Hubberholme, confirmed the Tuesday closure of the pub, and wondered how our postman friends had got on last night in an alcohol free zone. There was some superb walking up to Beckermonds and the head of the river. Then it was over a footbridge and thence on steep tarmac into Oughtershaw and a rather unusual wayside stone. Here we left the lane and continued up the beck to Nethergill and Swarthgill and then onto narrow muddy trods up the fell side with the watershed of England in the marshy ground down to our left. We missed the direct route up to Cam Houses and found ourselves in the valley below the farm buildings. We were then faced by a steep grassy track to get ourselves back on route. Then a narrow path slanted up to the crest of the ridge where we met the Pennine Way. At the junction of these two major routes there was a small gathering of walkers eating lunch. We caught up with Ian and Nadine, our Middlesbrough friends, and swapped photo opportunities. Then it was off to Cam End and down to Gayle Beck along a wide track that had recently been constructed to give access to logging operations. Half way down we were passed by two monster log trucks throwing up dust across the dry countryside. At the bridge at the bottom sat our two postmen, full of stories about closed pubs and tins of lager.

Then came an unexpectedly rough section across Gayle Moor to Dentdale Head. The narrow undulating trod reminded me of how the Pennine Way had been many years ago. With some relief we stepped out onto the Dentdale road which we followed for many miles through Upper Dentdale, passed the Sportsman’s Inn at Cowgill (closed!!!) into the lower and wider parts of the valley. Here we regained the countryside on some field paths on a rather artificial route which crossed and re-crossed the beck in its attempt to minimise the use of tarmac. Eventually we came to tranquil riverside paths that led to the village of Dent. We left the path at Church Bridge and entered the village as the church clock struck five. We walked right passed the b&b and did a short tour of the village before asking a local who sent us back the way we had come.

A quick shower and we were ready for a pint and where better than in Dent. We started in the George and Dragon which is the tap for Dent Brewery. There sat Ian and Nadine having a drink before dinner. We crossed the road to the Sun and had an ample meal and more beer. It had been a great and tiring day crossing the watershed.

Buckden dep. 09.08, Dent arr. 17.05, GPS 22.41 in 7hr 40m 43s.

We stayed at Garda View Guest House, Main Street, Dent, Cumbria, LA10 5QL Tel: 01539 625209. We had Dent Aviator (4%) and Golden Fleece (3.7%) in the George and Dragon and Kirkby Lonsdale Tiffin Gold (3.6%) and Monumental (4.5 %) in the Sun to accompany a meal of camembert for starters and fish and chips.

 

Thursday 4^th September 2014     Dent – Skelsmergh

Up the Lune

It was a magnificent morning, unbelievable for Cumbria. We left the b&b just before 9.20am and retraced our steps to Church Bridge under a cloudless sky and with the sun bringing out the colours on the surrounding hillsides. There was no wind; the air was like wine, cool and invigorating as we set out along the riverside path. This led out onto a lane and then turned north to cross the river and climb up to a high ridge. Here the views of Dentdale were superb and a great introduction for what was round the corner. As we traversed round the end of the ridge, the panorama of Sedbergh opened up before us with the Howgills as a pale green backdrop against a blue sky. This was surely the greatest landscape moment of the entire walk.

The route dropped down steep grassy paths and into the hamlet of Millthrop on the River Rothay. Here we abandoned the route temporarily to seek coffee and cakes in Sedbergh town centre. But it was only a brief rest as we were soon on our way back to the Rothay via the beautifully manicured grounds of Sedbergh School. We followed the river as it wound its way through fields and woods and over the old Tebay-Ingleton railway. Eventually we emerged onto a main road which we had to trek for almost half a mile. Then it was over some farmland to the key turn of the day: a right turn into the Lune Valley. At first the way kept close to the river until we reached a magnificent railway viaduct cross high above the river. This was yet again the disused Tebay-Ingleton Railway. What a shame that this fantastic structure was now derelict.

The route then climbed steeply uphill and passed through a series of farms high above the valley floor. Eventually we dropped back down to the river and walked on its bank up to the beautiful bridge at Crook of Lune. Here the character of the walk changed dramatically. We crossed the bridge and said our goodbyes to the Lune. The lane went steeply uphill and under another magnificent disused railway viaduct. The traffic noise from the M6 now became apparent. But we walked beside it for an age, up through some poorly marked field systems. We lost the official line at Lakethwaite Farm but we were able to pull out onto a high lane and correct our error. The next field path led to a footbridge across the motorway and then across some quiet fields parallel to the West Coast mainline. A new diversion, not on the map or in the guide book took us directly down to a bridge across the railway. Just on the other side we met David who had been walking towards us. He turned back with us and we all walked on together to where David had parked his car near Skelsmergh Tarn. Phil and I continued to the A6 and then jumped into David’s car and were driven off to a lovely night of eating, drinking and chatting.

Dent dep. 09.19, coffee in Sedbergh, Skelsmergh arr. 18.00

GPS 20.38 ml in 8hrs 3mins 19s walking time.

We stayed with David, Phil’s cousin, who fed us and entertained us like royalty and the only thanks he asked was for us to re-tune his television.

Friday 5^th September 2014     Skelsmergh (A6) – Bowness-on-Windermere

Along the Kent to the Lakes

David cooked us a lovely breakfast before taking us back to Skelsmergh. He dropped us off at the entrance to the lane to the fishing tarn soon after 9am and we set off for the last leg of the trip. It appeared to be so easy that we fast lost concentration and ended up in a huge sloping field with not a clue how to get out. After two laps of the perimeter fence I retraced my steps to the top gate, found a half-hidden direction indicator and then followed this to the farthest corner of this mega-field and, lo and behold, there was the stile. I was a bit more attentive to the signs (or lack of them) from then onwards and it was not long before we were by-passing Burneside and were on the banks of the River Kent. Then followed a lovely section of riverside walking through Bowston and on to Staveley. It was tempting to search out a cup of coffee by taking a diversion into the centre of the village, similar to yesterday’s loop into Sedbergh. But we were close to finishing now so we kept to the official route around the south side of the village and over the by-pass. Then there were some steep climbs, some on lanes, rather unexpected for what was to be an easy day.

The section from the last road climb to the end was a sheer delight over rolling farmland and wooded hills. The first view of Windermere came as a wonderful surprise, opening up as we came out of a small wood. Then it was a plunge down a steep drop, only stopping to have photographs at a slate and stone seat which signified the end of the Dales Way. Some girls, waiting at the bottom for a party which we had earlier overtaken, recognised us from the coffee shop in Sedbergh. The road down into Bowness was just as steep. It took us into a different world. Suddenly we were surrounded by tourist, cars and commotion.  We found David waiting for us near the ferry pier. The tea shops were so busy we would never have got served so we jumped into David’s car and he drove us to The Station Hotel in Oxenholme where we partook of some refreshments whilst we waited for our train home.

Skelsmergh (09.12) – Bowness-on-Windermere (13.27)  GPS 11.60 ml in 4-15-16

Luckily I looked up the progress of our prospective train only to discover delays along the line coming south out of Scotland. So David took us down to Carnforth Station where a train from Barrow took us to Manchester. All went well until we reached Oxford Road Station where it was announced that a relief driver could not be located and there was no one able to take the train any further. Rather than wait (we had a connection to catch) we decided to walk to Piccadilly and got an extra mile and a half on the day’s total for our sins. But at least we got back home on time and I caught my lift home. We had left in rain and had arrived in a heat wave and not a drop of rain had fallen in between. We were blessed for this wonderful trip.