A quick Baldersdale Tour

view of Goldsborough from the Hury reservoir

As I've been away  in Berlin no new walks this week.  Here are some photos from a great walk I did in Baldersdale last year. Alfred Wainwright is highly critical of the damming of the Tees to create the reservoirs, but I think time has been kind to the reservoirs, and they fit into the landscape very well now in my humble opinion.

Hury reservoir

I parked up at the Hury reservoir car park, then walked along the side of the reservoir towards Blackton reservoir. It was so quiet round there, hardly any tourists for such a picturesque spot.

Blackton reservoir with Shackleton in the distance

I then cut through a hole in the wall up the hill back towards the road, and got a bit lost in the fields on the way up. It started to rain and whilst the sky was getting darker and darker on one side it stayed clear to the east - maybe just it was just time to follow the gap in the cloud?

After going round a farm I head up the other side of the road towards Goldsborough. This brought me onto the Bowes loop of the Pennine Way. Apparently there is good climbing to be done here, but I was on my own here today.

Goldsborough

It was a fairly short walk from the road to Goldsborough and not as boggy as expected - no complaints there.There were some great views from the summit of Goldsborough back to the reservoirs and over to Shacklesborough - another gritstone outcrop - in the distance.

I headed on towards a the Battle Hill firing ranges, and turned back towards the car at How Beck.

an old sheep fold at How Beck

The walk back would have been quick and easy but a couple of "Beware Bull In Field!" signs meant I took a little detour before finding my way back to the car.

rainbow over Hury reservoir

Altogether a great walk and very quiet - one to do when the bank holiday crowds are in the Lakes I reckon!