Tag: Nidderdale

Hiking

Following the Nidd Valley Railway

I had the idea for this walk when I was studying a map of Nidderdale, trying to work out an interesting walk that both went somewhere I had not been before and which might be suitable for a day with a weather forecast of constant rain. I noticed a footpath running along a section of the embankment of the disused Nidd Valley Railway, and wondered if it would be possible to do a walk that followed as much of this old railway line as was possible.

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Rock climbing, What they don't tell you in the guidebook

Traversing at Low Roof

In the run-up to Christmas last year, I went bouldering at the Low Roof sector of Brimham Rocks for the first time. It was a good trip, but I unfortunately ran out of time before I could try a couple of intriguing traverses. I don’t often climb traverses, but I decided that I should try to come back to Low Roof to climb these two because they looked so engaging and fun. I realised at the beginning of March that I needed to do this within the next few weeks, otherwise the bracken would soon have regrown and enclosed the boulders. So last week I made a short and intense trip to Low Roof to go traversing.

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On the problem Wauwinet
Rock climbing

A Short Trip to Low Roof

Brimham Rocks is best known for its jumble of amazing, bizarrely-shaped pinnacles, cliffs and boulders. This gritstone wonderland was always what I pictured when I thought of Brimham Rocks, and always where I climbed when I went there. I vaguely knew that there is climbing elsewhere on Brimham Moor, but I kept returning to this honeypot because I felt that nothing else on the Moor could match it. However, I recently felt the need to try somewhere new, and so looked in a bit more detail at some of Brimham’s bouldering outliers. That’s when I decided that I might have been missing something good and should visit Brimham Rocks’ Low Roof sector. However, it was only in the run-up to Christmas that I had the time, and the weather I needed, for a short trip there. Continue reading A Short Trip to Low Roof

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Rock climbing

This Should Have Been Frustrating

I doubt that I’ve ever climbed so consistently poorly. Despite choosing to climb only easy problems, everything felt challenging, and nothing came easily. I failed to do boulder problems that I could have done in the past, and only managed to complete one problem. It should have been a frustrating trip to Brimham Rocks, and yet I had a good time. Continue reading This Should Have Been Frustrating

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Hiking

Not Quite A Walk Around Scar House and Angram Reservoirs

I felt a bit despondent as I read the sign saying that one of the bridges at the top end of Angram Reservoir was closed. No reason was given, but the reason didn’t really matter. If I couldn’t get over the River Nidd where it flowed into the reservoir, then I was not going to be able to complete my planned walk around Scar House and Angram Reservoirs. I thought about heading somewhere else, but decided that I would head out as I had intended, see what I found, and change my plan if I needed to. I was keen to do this walk, and the reasons I was keen didn’t change simply because a bridge was shut. Continue reading Not Quite A Walk Around Scar House and Angram Reservoirs

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Hiking

A Walk Through the Mining History of Nidderdale

This was a short walk through the rich geological landscape and mining heritage in the Greenhow area of Nidderdale which took in the modern Coldstones Quarry and the extensive remains of abandoned lead mines. It also involved visits to a giant work of art, a huge lime kiln, and a couple of Robert Thompson’s mice. This was a lovely walk, that was full of interesting sights, but which came with a worrying encounter. Continue reading A Walk Through the Mining History of Nidderdale

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Rock climbing

A Quiet Sunday Morning at Brimham Rocks

I think every rock climber knows that strong urge to get outside and climb. It’s a compulsion that gets stronger the longer you’ve been away. It intensifies on those days when the weather is good, and you can’t take advantage of the opportunities that it provides. It bothers you when you think about that route or problem that you’ve been wanting to get up for some time. Last weekend it was an urge that was sufficiently strong for me to ignore the tail-end of a cold and head to Brimham Rocks. Continue reading A Quiet Sunday Morning at Brimham Rocks

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Hiking

Nidderdale Way – Stage 4: Bewerley to Birstwith

My fourth day on the Nidderdale Way had a folly, a close encounter with running deer, and a beautiful old packhorse bridge. All of this on a walk that took me over moors, along riverbanks, through woods, and across meadows. It was a walk with variety, great views, and fascinating historical sights. Unfortunately, this walk also involved a horrible path that has been my low point on the Nidderdale Way. Continue reading Nidderdale Way – Stage 4: Bewerley to Birstwith

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