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.
Continue reading “Along and Around Whernside – Part Two”
On the first day of a two-day walk in the Yorkshire Dales, I walked from Ribblehead to the summit of Whernside and then down the length of Whernside’s superlative SW ridge.
I was studying a map of the Yorkshire Dales a couple of years ago, looking for ideas for walks, when the SW ridge of Whernside caught my eye. This rounded ridge gradually descends from the summit of Whernside all the way to the outskirts of the village of Ingleton. It runs along one side of a small dale opposite the imposing mass of Ingleborough. When I did the Yorkshire Three Peaks many years ago, I had walked the start of this ridge before dropping off it after about a kilometre to descend to Chapel-le-Dale. If I had carried on going, I would have had miles of gentle walking over the moors and through the karst landscape of the Dales, all the while with sweeping views across the dales. I found the idea of walking along this ridge compelling, but I put this idea to one side because the most obvious ways to do it were either a long loop walk, or a linear walk with a car at each end, and these were not appealing. Last year, another way to walk the length of the SW ridge of Whernside occurred to me.
Continue reading “Along and Around Whernside – Part One”
My plan was to walk across the south of the Yorkshire Dales National Park from Settle to Grassington. I’d get the train to Settle, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. I would then follow the Dales High Way past limestone scars, along a secluded valley, up onto Kirkby Fell, and then through Malham’s karst landscape. A wild camp near Malham would break up my journey and allow me to have a night under the stars. The next day I’d follow the old Roman and mediaeval road of Mastiles Lane eastwards over the moors. I’d then leave Mastiles Lane to head down to Grassington and a bus towards home. I was excited by the prospect of walking this linear route across the Dales, and the first day of this trip proved to be one of my best ever days in the hills. Continue reading My Two-Day Walk from Settle to Grassington – Part One
I didn’t get any sleep. Strong winds had pummelled my little tent all night while rain had beaten down on it. The noise and the violent movement of the tent walls were too much, and sleep didn’t come. By about 5am, I was wondering if I might as well get up. After about another half an hour of procrastinating about getting out of my warm sleeping bag, I managed to motivate myself to start getting ready for the second day of my walk. Apart from a navigation mistake, the first day had been enjoyable. Despite my lack of sleep and the longer distance I would have to go, I was optimistic about this second day of walking. Unfortunately, this would turn out not to be the best start to a day of walking and this morning involved the main challenges of my two-day trip. Continue reading A Two-Day Walk from the Settle-Carlisle Railway – Part Two
My idea was to base a two-day walk around the Settle-Carlisle Railway that runs through the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines. This is one of the most famous and scenic rail routes in the UK, and I’d been wanting to take a journey on it for some time. By taking a train to one of the stations on the Settle-Carlisle line, I could get into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales without needing a car. I could then walk into the Dales for an overnight camp in an attractive, remote spot, with the possibility of some great stargazing. The next day I’d walk to another station on the Settle-Carlisle line to catch a train towards home. After some research, I decided that I would head to Ribblehead station in Ribblesdale and then walk over the moor to Nethergill Farm campsite in Langstrothdale. The following day I’d carry on down Langstrothdale as far as the hamlet of Beckermonds, where I’d turn west to traverse the Greenfield valley, go over Birkwith Moor, and then along the Pennine Way to Horton-in-Ribblesdale station. It seemed like a good plan, but, as can happen, things did not go entirely as I had hoped.
Continue reading “A Two-Day Walk from the Settle-Carlisle Railway – Part One”
the Severe climber 