Yorkshire Three Peaks, Spring 2014

And so the lure of the fells around Horton In Ribblesdale reached out to us once again, more or less a year since our last Three Peaks. Claire and I found ourselves parked up at the Ribblehead viaduct early one Spring morning, waiting for our challenge walk partner Dave to roll in from Leeds. This was our first walk together since our epic Lyke Wake Walk challenge but I think out boots had only just finally dried out!

We set off in beautiful conditions, and made quick progress up the lower slopes of Pen-y-Ghent. The ground underfoot was fairly dry at this point, which was a new sensation after our last walk. Pen-y-Ghent is a great way to start the challenge as the short sharp ascents conquered fairly quickly, and so you start thinking "one down two to go" early on in the walk. There has been extensive repair work done to the path approaching the summit, and whilst the stone slabs looked very new and somewhat out of place/ character, it is definitely a necessity, to help the fells cope with the thousands of boots stomping up and down the route each year.

The Three Peaks are great walks individually and whilst I enjoy the challenge of the walk, I am keen to come back and explore some of the other attractions Pen-y-Ghent has to offer, in particular Hull Pot.

For some the walk from here to Ribblehead is a long dull trudge but I feel it gives you a chance to relax and feel as though you become a part of the bleak yet beautiful landscape. The footpath restoration work here is a little older and has started to blend in well with its environment, although it got very muddy at times and we were quite glad to have tarmac under our feet for the last section to the viaduct where our supplies awaited as did a van selling cups of tea, and with a steam train crossing the viaduct as we approached, the image was complete.

Whernside is a bone of contention for many as the long whaleback of a hill feels like it takes an eternity to climb. With Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough you have a short but intense ascent that sees you hit the higher ground fairly quickly, but Whernside likes to take its time. Slowly but surely it saps the energy from your legs as you gradually gain altitude. This time around, this section actually flew by, it's amazing what good company can do to you, and before we knew it we had crossed the narrow gap in the wall to put our feet briefly on Cumbrian soil and admire the OS trig point.

Although we never set out on these challenge walks with the expressed intention of beating previous times, we were making good progress. As with the climb up, the descent of Whernside had not been especially pleasant on previous occasions, as the steep zig zagged path really starts to jarr on tired knees by this point, however once again this felt like a breeze. Whernside, your kindness has been noted.

We were on good form as we crossed the road and hit the lush pastures that lie at the feet of Inglebrough. I think this is possibly my favourite part of the walk with majestic Ingleborough in your sights as you cross farmland. The rich green farmland is criss-crossed with drystone walls and peppered with limestone outcrops that make this scenery so special and immediately recognisable.

The trees that manage to eke out a living deep in the limestone crevices are a wonder unto themselves, as well as being an amateur photographer's dream. Take a picture of these survival experts and it seems to always look great!

Eventually you reach the bottom of Ingleborough having exchanged a knowing nod of anticipation with any resting walkers, as the amazingly steep path ahead is clearly defined and at this late stage in the walk, a testing moment.

Yes, it is a real climb, a trial to tired limbs and lungs, but it doesn't go on forever and sooner that you think, you reach a little path of turf where you are welcome to flop down and give yourself five minutes. It is worth catching your breath, as the summit is still considerably higher, leaving you with another climb to reach the vast rocky plateau that is the top of Ingleborough. Although normally a lovely place with amazing views, it was fairly hazy today and with a cold wind biting, we headed off fairly quickly.

For me, this last section is the real killer.You feel like you have really completed the walk, hiked for many hours, and actually climbed the Three Peaks. Not so. A good few miles lie ahead and on tough terrain. Slippery limestone, thick mud and some moody, sturdy looking cows have still to be negotiated.

But this is part and parcel of the walk. A desire to complete this majestic circuit on your own two feet mean you have to cover the ground carry out and the legwork to reap the rewards, and these last miles are the final piece of the puzzle.

Finally we made it back to Horton, and as we crossed the railway tracks at the station, smiles broke out all round as we had made good time on our circuit and once again became part of an incredible Yorkshire Dales experience.

Walk To Work on the Coast To Coast

I recently heard of a walk to work week initiative, and this gave me the perfect excuse to trek a section of the coast to coast, since my office is very close to the route!

It was a simple enough walk from Richmond to Colburn, a distance of about 4 miles each way. Whilst this section of the C2C is not as spectacular as some of the others, it is pretty and has a charm of its own.

Leaving Richmond Station along the old railway path, you catch glimpses of Easby Abbey through the trees. Shortly after the C2C leaves the rail path and climbs through fields to a patch of woodland on the banks of the river Swale.

This is a lovely little woodland walk and at this time of year the scent of wild garlic was heavy in the air.

As you climb out of the woods and back into fields and farmland there are occasional glimpses across valleys deep into the Yorkshire countryside. Soon enough I reached the charming village of old Colburn and the end of my walk, only to enjoy the same route in reverse at the end of the day.

Who would have imagined that the commute to work could be so good!

Buckden Pike, Wharfedale

After our walk up Great Whernside from Kettlewell, I was keen to get back into Wharfedale and hopefully this time with better visibility than the whiteouts we had on that particular walk. That walk up Great Whernside was part of our training for the Yorkshire Three Peaks and this time, our hike up Buckden Pike was a prep walk for the Lyke Wake Walk.

For some reason the drive over the tops into Wharfedale seems to take you through several climate zones and this trip was no exception, as we drove through rain, sunshine and thick fog at various points on the journey.

We parked up in Buckden before heading upwards onto the fell. Weather conditions weren't great as we set off, with the drizzle soon giving way to misty rain as we entered the cloud. Unfortunately this also meant the views were very restricted. The walk up Buckden is nice and straightforward with a good footpath all the way up. Before we knew it, we were at the summit cairn an trig point. Sadly we could still barely see ten metres or so away.

From the summit we headed alongside a drystone wall, towards a memorial commemorating the loss of lives of a Polish bomber crew.

You can read the full story here: http://www.buckdenpike.co.uk/mainstory.html. The path wasn't too bad along here, but once we were past the memorial it deteriorated significantly and at times we were ankle deep in bog. Good training for the Lyke Wake Walk then!

At least it wasn't a long stretch across boggy ground and we soon started our descent of the fell. With the height lost came visibility gained and Wharfedale started to open its heart to us.

You've got to hand it to the Dales, whether you are on rugged limestone pavement, whalebacked fell tops or at the valley bottom alongside river, there is always a serene beauty to the region. The descent down into Starbotton was pure pleasure with a great view of the lush valley and the river.

Our route took us through the idyllic hamlet and out the other side as we headed towards the river, and onto the Dales Way footpath. We stopped for lunch beside the river.

As we were enjoying sandwiches, we noticed a distinct, distressed sound in the distance, and on looking around we could see a sheep with its head stuck in a fence. Unfortunately it was on the other side of the river! Dave bravely took his walking boots and trousers off and hopped into the icy waters, but it was too deep to risk crossing. Let's hope the farmer did the rounds later that day and rescued the poor thing.

The rest of the walk back to Buckden saw us follow the path meander its way gently close to the river. We were soon back at the car and despite the poor visibility we had for the first half of the walk, this was another fantastic expedition into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

Wensleydale Ales

I have been lucky enough to interview Geoff Southgate who, along with business partner Carl Gehrman, recently took over the Wensleydale Brewery based just outside Leyburn. You can read the full interview here:

http://massmovement.co.uk/hops-barley-brewers-tale-wensleydale-brewery/

I recommend you settle down in a comfy chair with a glass of Semer Water Light Ale and then enjoy what Geoff has to say!

Biking to work through hidden North Yorkshire

OK this isn't strictly fellwalking, but following a recent Bike To Work week initiative, I decided to take up the challenge and try this journey out myself. As the route I have chosen make this a 45-50 mile round trip I don't have the time or energy to do this every day, but I've been doing this ride once a week and really enjoyed it.

Seeing as my route to work takes in some nice spots in North Yorkshire just south of Darlington, I thought it is worth sharing. Sometimes I have the urge to hit the highlights of the region - in North Yorkshire this might be Reeth, Leyburn or Roseberry Topping - but there are also countless little villages, tracts of farmland and countryside that are host to a network of footpaths.

My ride to work takes in the scenic villages of Stapleton, Barton, Middleton Tyas, Moulton and Scorton. Each village has its own character, with pubs, village greens and other attractions. Barton has a ford to cross in the centre of the village, Moulton features a bus shelter with boxes of books for sale at 50 pence each and Scorton has a huge green in the centre of the village with a couple of pubs perched on its fringes.

Some of these places are probably off the radar for many walkers headed to the hot spots of the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales, but this corridor of countryside between the two National Parks holds many hidden gems and are well worth investigating.

Wensleydale - Bolton Castle and Aysgarth Falls

Sometime is has to be said, Claire and I get a bit stuck on a rainy day. If we're in the Lakes, we'll put on the waterproofs and head out anyway, but when you're home seeing the rain pelting the windows, it does get a bit harder to get motivated to head outdoors.

Wensleydale is a good answer though as it has a few decent rainy day options. Heading over there via Swaledale, we can always make a stop in Richmond or Leyburn to stock up on goodies, and if we head over to Hawes there are all sorts of things to do there.

We recently had a couple of friends visiting from New York and decided that on this fairly dull day, a quick tour of some North Yorkshire highlights would be a good idea. We started off with Bolton Castle, which I had not previously visited.

It is well worth doing a tour of the castle as it is a really interesting place - part ruined, part restored and part museum. The tour includes displays of birds of prey which is well worth sticking around for, although we missed the archery demonstration. One of the highlights for me was the spectacular views to be had from the castle tower, far and wide across Wensleydale.

After Bolton Castle we drove the short distance to the National Park Visitor Centre near the Aysgarth Falls. The centre is packed with books, information, displays of the flora and fauna of the National Park, as well as a cafe.

From here it is only a short walk to the upper, middle and lower falls and they are always impressive - especially so on this occasion when the river was full and fast flowing after recent rain.

The next time we are in the area I think we will do a walk combining Bolton Castle with Aysgarth Falls as they are only a couple of miles apart with what looks like a nice clear footpath joining the two.

Cat Beers

It's been a while since the last beer post so I have a couple lined up for you.

Real ale is a booming business and an inspiring example of cottage industry and independent firms striking out on their own, and Claire and I have visiting a couple of great examples - the Durham Brewery and Jennings Brewery. Apart from the obvious great tasting beer, I love some of the imagination and thought that goes into the branding and packaging of independent ales. I'm an easy target in many ways and any beer that has some Lake District or Yorkshire Dales association is going to win me over every time, so I'll always pick up a bottle of  "Leyburn Shawl" or "Muker Silver" whenever I see a selection of beers from the Yorkshire Dales brewery on offer.

One other beer that catches my eye is a label with a cat on it! Any of our friends will know we have a house full of cats and Claire does some good work for the Cats Protection Society too, fostering cats in need of a new home and so this is a topic close to our hearts.
I've picked up a few "cat beers" recently and here are a few that I really like:

This first one has it all, Lake District AND cats, how could I resist?

This beer brewed by Robinsons has a cat AND my name, but at 8.5% it's not to be taken lightly.

This one isn't quite as heavy but at 6% still a strong ale.

And finally here's one from Moorhouses who have built up a range of ales that feature the mystique of Pendle Hill - and what witches tale would be complete without a black cat?

Muker Meadows in Swaledale

Swaledale is a pretty special place for me. Working in Richmond, I often see walkers when I stop for a coffee before work, knowing that most of them are well into their Coast To Coast adventures. Heading further up into Swaledale you go though some spectactular places - Reeth, Gunnerside and Muker are all great starting points for walks.

We recently had visitors and so we decided to head over to Muker to have a look around the village and the wild flower meadows that you cross when heading up on the paths towards Keld.

After the long cold Winter that we had,it will be a while yet until the meadows are in bloom, but here Swaledale is really spectacular as it gets gradually narrower as it heads towards Keld. This is also where two walking legends cross - the Coast To Coast and Pennine Way routes cross just a short distance to the north of the village.

Our plan for the day was to take in a number of Dales sights - a drive across the Buttertubs Pass, visit to the Wensleydale creamery and a whistle stop tour of Leyburn, so our walk was just a quick one here. Despite the sun being out, it was pretty cold and at one moment it even started to snow - not what you expect from late April!

But whatever the weather, this is a spectacular location looks great at any time, with the meadows, barns, stone walls and the hills creating a fantastic surrounding.