The second day of my two-day walk in the Yorkshire Dales started with a sudden change of plans. My new plan led to me traversing quiet dales and to a truly stunning view.

The drumming of heavy rain against my tent woke me in the early hours of the morning and planted a worry in my head before I sank back into sleep. By the time I woke up, the sun had begun to push away the clouds and my concerns. Although my legs were stiff and achy from the previous day’s walk over Whernside, I felt optimistic about my walk up Ingleborough and then to Ribblehead Station via Simon Fell and Park Fell. It also looked like the weather would give me the clear views I had missed on the previous day. However, as I took down my tent and packed up, the worry that had been implanted in my brain during the night kept pushing back at this optimism. Unfortunately, I discovered that my concerns were well-founded after I’d left the campsite and walked down the track to the bottom of the dale. Here, I found that the heavy overnight rain had raised the level of the River Doe so high that the stepping stones that I had planned to use to cross were totally submerged by fast flowing, brown water. I stood by the riverbank for some time and considered my options.

My first option was to stick to the original plan and traverse the river here. However, I wasn’t convinced that I would be able to keep my footing if I tried to do this. The water also looked like it might be sufficiently deep that there was a risk that I’d be swept downstream if I did lose my footing, and I was conscious that a short way downstream was a waterfall. 

My second option was to head to the nearest bridge over the river. The closest bridge was in Ingleton, a little under 2km down the dale. I worked out that this detour would add about 3km in total to my walk, including walking back up the other side of the valley. 

My third option was to give up on my original plan of going up Ingleborough and do something else instead. I seriously considered going back up the dale I had come down the previous day. I could get to the bridge over the Doe at Chapel-le-Dale by walking up Oddie’s Lane and then take a somewhat convoluted route back to the Ribblehead Viaduct. Alternatively, I could retrace my steps up Twisleton Scar End, then follow the path of A Pennine Journey and then The Dales High Way along the valley. Both these routes would get me back to the station quicker than the other options, and both felt a little bit like quitting for this reason. 

It then occurred to me that I’d only been looking at options which were on one side of Whernside, and I hadn’t been considering going around it to the north. I had looked down on Kingsdale when I’d been walking down the SW ridge of Whernside the day before, and thought it looked nice. I could walk around to Kingsdale and then follow it until the dale rose to a saddle on the moors. From there I could drop down into Deepdale. After walking through Deepdale, I could go up the northern flank of Whernside to meet the Dales High Way, then follow this as it curved around the northern slopes of Whernside and back to Ribblehead Station. This idea appealed to me as I’d never been to Kingdale and Deepdale. It also felt like a more ambitious and interesting route than the other options. I was a little concerned about how much elevation I’d lose heading down into Deepdale, but I (unwisely) put this concern to one side and set off.

I followed the route I had taken the day before past Twisleton Hall and then some of the way up Twisleton Scar End. However, I broke away from this path to cross a stile and head into Kingsdale. 

My route traversed the side of Kingsdale before gradually descending to the flat floor of the valley. This shallow dale with limestone scars on either side and bright green pastures at the bottom was pretty. Unfortunately, it was tough going over the rough moorland, with the path occasionally hard to follow. It felt like a long time before I reached the pastures and easier walking near Braida Garth Wood. I passed through Braida Garth farm before crossing fields to a sturdy wooden footbridge over the River Twiss. From here I got good views of Whernside and its SW ridge.

On the other side of the river, I joined the sole road that runs by Kingsdale. This road is relatively straight and flanked by drystone walls. On one side are level pastures that give way to the slopes of Whernside, and on the other is the grassy and gently angled side of Gragareth. Route 68 of the National Cycle Network runs along this road, and as I walked up it, I thought it would make for an amazing bike ride. However, I also felt that it would be good if there were a footpath that traversed the whole dale, as I was going to be walking all the way to Deepdale on asphalt. It didn’t take too long before that felt a bit wearing, even though I enjoyed looking at the countryside, and at the top of Whernside getting gradually closer.

There was little traffic, and it was a quiet, peaceful walk. The most activity I saw was by the path to Yordas Cave. It is obviously a good place to introduce kids to caving as there were eight minibuses parked by the side of the road, while kids in bright caving attire were heading to and from the cave entrance on the hillside above. 

A bit further on the road reached the attractive buildings of Kingsdale Head. It then began to climb out of the valley. Apart from a steep section near Cluntering Gill Bridge, this was a steady ascent onto the moor. The increasing heat and the lack of wind meant that I found this part of the walk draining. It was only the section near the top that I liked as a breeze picked up and the road came close to an attractive gill.

The gradient slowly eased as I reached the saddle and came level with the summit of Whernside. I looked over to the slopes of Whernside to see if traversing around the mountain at this height would be a viable alternative to dropping down into Deepdale and then climbing back out again. This route would be several kilometres across tussock-covered boggy moorland, with several walls to climb over. I decided it wasn’t a viable option and walked down the road into Deepdale.

My choice was rewarded with an amazing view across the whole of Deepdale, into Dentdale, and as far away as the Howgills. It was a stunning view, and the highlight of the walk that day. It left me feeling elated. 

The road I had been following descended steeply into Deepdale for a short distance before taking a sharp turn to the left. It was just after this turn that I reached the footpath I wanted straight on into the dale. As I reached this path, I was amazed to see a wrecked car sitting on the slopes some way below. Its bodywork was bashed up, its windscreen was smashed, and its side windows were gone. Old police tape lay across it. Looking around, I noticed that the section of wire fence at the point where the road turned was newer than the next section of fence. It seemed that this car hadn’t made the turn and had flown off the road. Considering the angle of the slope, it was astonishing that this car had not gone further downhill. I hoped that no one had been too badly hurt in this crash.

It was clear when I walked past it that this car had been there for a while. Its wheels were rusted, and mould grew across the interior. I wondered why it had not been moved, particularly as (I later discovered) it is possible to see this car glinting in the sun from the other side of the dale. My guess is that is that it’s just too much cost and effort to recover it.

After this strange and slightly sad introduction, I enjoyed walking through the lovely and quiet Deepdale. My path took me through the farm at Deepdale Head (where the limestone bedrock forms the floor of the courtyard), through pastures, and over becks. The farmer had put up large “FOOTPATH” signs at regular intervals, backed up by yellow paint, to show the way. Unfortunately, when these signs stopped appearing, I had some trouble finding the path. After some efforts, I emerged into a meadow with a path cut into it up to the cottages at Hingabank. The owner of one of the cottages said hello and explained the effort he had made to ensure that the footpath over his land was clear. The footpath took a diagonal line through the garden very close to the front of his cottage. He had built a path with a series of solid wooden steps up through the garden and even attached the arrow roundel for the footpath to one of these steps to make the route clear. It had evidently taken a lot of effort and was delightful.

The next section of my walk was far from delightful, as I sweated and strained my way out of Deepdale. I took a clear path up through woods to the edge of the moor. As best as I could tell, the path then went through a mix of fences and corrugated iron that was an old means of funnelling sheep into an enclosure. From there, I crossed a stile onto open moorland cut through by a couple of gills. What seemed like the path quickly disappeared as I realised with a sinking heart that this was one of those cases where there was a right of way shown on the map but no actual footpath. Following a bearing, I battled my way over the steep and rough terrain of what my map called Tough Hill. I was exhausted by the time I reached the clear path of the Dales High Way. There was a wonderful view from here down into Dentdale, but I only stopped to enjoy it for a minute as I pushed on.

My route around the north of Whernside was very pleasant, with wide views of the moors. I could even make out Arten Gill Viaduct on the Settle to Carlisle line across the dale. The summits of Whernside and Ingleborough came into view as the path curved towards the south. Not long after, I could see Ribblesdale stretching out into the distance, I came back to the section of the Dales High Way that I had walked up the day before on my route up Whernside. I enjoyed clear views of Ingleborough in warm sunshine as I headed down. The bright, low light made the Ribblehead Viaduct look stunning as I passed. It was with feelings of satisfaction and fatigue that I got a quick drink and a packet of peanuts at The Station Inn before catching my train home.