22nd June 2019

A walk around Nidderdale.

Each summer the Doncaster Ramblers organise a summer coach trip to somewhere a little bit further than they would normally venture on their weekly walks, this years destination was Pateley bridge [the capital of Nidderdale ] A choice of 3 walks on offer today ranging from 6, 9 and 12 miles..We chose the 12 miler, with fine weather forecast it was going to be a cracking day out...We pulled into the car park at Pateley bridge, [Pateley to the locals]..Boots on, sunscreen applied and we were off up the main street of the small market town...Plenty of teashops, pubs,Fish and chip shops, Ice cream parlours and independent shops...Im sure we will be back in time to sample some of the towns delights.

Leaving the road we were to follow a flight of steps, then a walled lane steeply uphill, this track goes by the name of the Panorama walk, a popular walk in Victorian times with visitors to the town...Its just as popular today with walkers as it springboards us out into the countryside..Lovely views of the valley were developing to our right..We came to a viewpoint called "The rock" a welcome spot to stop for a slug of drink and a quick perusal of the view.

Much of our walk today was to follow along the Nidderdale way a 52 mile trail that mainly follows the high ground on one side of the valley then returns alongside the other side of the valley, its a walk I would love to do in its entirety..maybe one day..Its just finding the time..you know what its like when that horrible four letter word "work" gets in the way..We passed through many a lovely pasture, lovely scenes..Streams..small sections of woodland..We were bound for Brimham rocks. After half an hour of uphill walking we were there, and what a spectacular spot it is..Looked after by the National trust there are 400 acres of rocks and moorland to explore.

We had a half an hours break here..An ice cream, a cup of tea then.i took a quick look around, Lots of people..Kids screaming..Its a great place, but not today..Maybe I will return when its much quieter..A Tuesday afternoon in January rather than a Saturday in summer.

Another quick photograph and we were off..We soon left the noise behind...All downhill now to the village of Summerhouses. A gentle walk gradually descending down to the River Nidd...Curlews and Kites above..Life felt grand. At Summerbridge we had a choice...Tea room or pub..an easy choice, most of us squeezed into the tiny backroom of the flying Dutchman pub..Its a Sam smiths pub which is always a treat...£2 a pint of bitter [ good stuff it is too]...someone sampled the Mild..£1.35 a pint...Am I in heaven or what ?..

Not wanting to get too comfy we set off for the afternoon walk back to Pateley..Over the Nidd and up to the high ground on the other side of the valley..We were bound for Nought moor..it was a heads down affair..Conversations flowed while we climbed...Main topics were Hay/Silage....Trump/Johnson...Ticks...The humid weather...Is it better climbing than descending..Best boots....Gates/stiles..etc etc...I enjoyed the afternoon section as it was all fresh ground for me and the views were superb...much to be admired in every direction..And suddenly there it was before us..The end.

Downhill steeply...what a great day it had been...The best walk I have had for ages [that's 3 times I have said that this month]..Boots off at the coach...we have an hour before we set off back to Doncaster...Tea room?..Fish shop?..sod it lets go to the Crown.

So ends a perfect day... a couple of pints of Saltaire blonde....

26/05/2019

Another Wolds wander.

Are we mad, or what..It was bucketing it down as we left home..Wipers going full pelt as we crawled along the M62 heading east towards Hull. Strong winds buffeting the car around as we passed over the Ouse bridge... No we are not mad, its only weather,it will not kill us. I took a quick look in the mirror, skies were clearing from the west, even a little bit of blue up there. We were heading for Brantingham to carry on our walk along the Yorkshire Wolds way. Not sure how far we were going to walk today...Just see what happens...As we arrived in Brantingham something good happened, it stoped raining...Horray !!!..We pulled up by the church, around 30 cars were already parked up. I never realised that church was so popular...We set off..Raincoats on [just in case]

Before long the coats came off as we dropped down into Woodale, a tiny dale, but the path out of it was ruddy steep...up to Mount Airy farm..It was certainly airy up there this morning..Our gaze was drawn west..Approaching rain storm. Quick raincoats back on.We reached South cave before the heavens opened..10 minutes later the sun was out and the coats came off..I can see a pattern emerging here..a pattern that was to last throughout the day..As we were stuffing our coats into our rucksacks a couple of ladies passed by..they stopped for a chat.They thought that Alfie was a Sarda dog [search and rescue dog] this was because he was wearing his bright orange harness..We explained that he wasn't as he was rather a mature dog who liked a slow gentle life..Apparently there was some sort of event/ sponsored walk going on in the area for Search and rescue dogs..Ahh that would explain all of the cars parked up at Brantingham church...So religion is not so popular after all.

We followed the woodland path up Little wold..Good views along here...We passed the Little wold vineyard where they produce some fine Yorkshire wines. Good luck to them, apparently they are doing a roaring trade...Shortly after the vineyard we descended the slopes into Coomber dale...coats on at the top...off at the bottom.

A wooded section came next as we walked along Weedley dale and then East dale..I really enjoyed East dale..some lovely trees..Sycamore to the left..Ash to the right..The valley narrowed and steepened and we were soon out into the open again

Fairly high now as we followed field edge paths..Some long range views opening out along here, but it was the skies that grabbed the attention.

The next dale was Swindale..it is probably the highlight of the walk so far..Very pretty. We last walked here in 2013 and amazingly I cannot remember Swindale. Typical wolds scenery complete with sheep, just as it should be...I wont forget Swindale this time...It was so nice, here are 3 pictures of it.

The plan now was to walk as far as North Newbald where we would be able to start the walk from next time..This meant leaving the YWW for a mile or so..a steep climb through woodland and we reached the road to the village, we could see the rooftops of the village in the valley below but it seemed pointless to walk down to the village only to walk back up..We could mop up this small section next time..by now we had walked over 7 miles so we decided to walk back...following the road at first..I hate road walking, luckily its a fairly quiet road..most cars slowed down for us, but you always get a few clever twats that speed past at 70 mile an hour meaning a quick jump into the verge.

We retraced our steps for most of the return..After 12 miles we began to hobble..Boots were taken off and emptied of small stones, twigs and various bits and bobs..a glug of drink, a chocolate biscuit and I bounded along...Nearly back now..Down that ruddy big hill into Woodale..It was along here I had a lovely surprise..There was a pony in a field..I did that noise you do with your tounge and the top of your mouth..you know the sound..everyone does it to call a horse ..The horse looked at me and carried on munching grass..I did that sound again and to my amazement a sheep came over to me..she let me pat her on the head..The horse looked up..feeling jealous he trotted over pushing the sheep out of the way so he could have a pat..They watched as I walked away..Farmyard friends.

Its been a good day..14 miles..Now im looking forward to next time.

19/05/2019

Along the Yorkshire wolds way from Welton to Brantinghan.

Just a short walk today covering a few more miles along the Yorkshire Wolds way. The plan is to start from Welton [ where we left the way last time ] and walk to Brantingham, passing through Welton dale, Wauldby and Turtle hill before dropping down to Brantingham for our packed lunch, after which we shall return via Elloughton dale...a round of 7 miles...Boots on, sunhat on, Rucksack on, Camera on, Dogs lead on, map at the ready.....Oh yes and lucky stone in pocket..Lets go.

Welton was looking fine in the sunshine..The name comes from early English meaning Spring town due to the abundance of spring water around the village..Alfie [ our dog ] started the walk off with a dip in the crystal clear stream, no doubt he will have another dip on our return...Before long we had left the village behind where we were to walk the length of Welton dale.

Its an idyllic spot...Sometimes open country,sometimes wooded. The Bluebells in the wood are still looking so fresh, I cant believe how long they have been flowering this year. May is certainly the most beautiful of all of the months..How lucky we are to have such wonderful seasons throughout the year...The shade of the woodlands was very welcome as it was beginning to get very warm.

We slowed down, enjoying every twist and turn...Groups of joggers passed us, seeing nothing, sweat dripping off noses, wheezing, faces like beetroot...im glad im a walker..Soon we were out of the Dale...open country, arable land...Alf was off his lead. We passed Wauldby manor farm and Wauldby dam, it looked lovely, apparently there was once a village up here but it was cleared in medieval times all that remains in the area is the gentrified manor house and a couple of other dwellings.

We followed the track to Turtle hill, well it says Turtle hill on the map,...I saw no Turtles and very little hill. The Wolds way followed a most attractive lane along here. What I have noticed about this walk is the fact that it is almost impossible to get lost, you could probably walk it without a map as the signposting is superb [second to none].

All felt well as we followed the excellent wildflower bedecked footpaths..Sheeps parsley, Pink and white Campions,Germander speedwell, Ramsons, Herb Robert, Forget me nots to name a few...I dawdled along taking photographs.

We passed a National trail sign saying Filey 69 miles, Crikey have we done 10 miles already...Soon we were dropping down to Brantingham church.

All saints church has to be the most attractive looking church along the Wolds way..It looked beautiful today  we found a bench in the corner of the churchyard and settled down for half an hour to enjoy our packed lunch in the warm sunshine..Cheese and onion wraps, a cheese pasty, Ready salted crisps, Lemon cake, Lemon curd tarts and half a kit kat each were wolfed down with great gusto..We sat and watched as several people visited the church.

Lunch over....We spoke to a lady who asked where we had been and where we were going, I explained that we were heading back to Welton..Oh you must look out for Peggys farrow she said..I will keep my eyes peeled said i...steeply uphill now away from the village, we headed back via Elloughton dale where we met a high spirited couple out for a walk, they asked us if we had any flares in our rucksacks as they were lost...Keep following the path to Brantingham we told them, there is a pub there...they seemed quite happy with this and sped off..Down through dappled woodland we wandered into the dale where we came to a lane..Looking at the map..We could follow this back to Welton..It was quiet enough, we could count the cars that passed us on one hand and we were soon back in Welton..

Roll on the next section [ Possibly next sunday]

16/05/2019

Yorkshire Wolds way..Let the walk begin.

It's been 6 years since we completed the Yorkshire Wolds way, looking back, the 79 mile trail from Hessle to Filey is up there with the best walks we have done.. Most walkers head for the North York moors or the Yorkshire Dales leaving the Wolds relatively quiet...I like quiet. These gently rolling chalk hills with their wooded slopes and deep green, almost secretive valleys have avoided the coffee-table book treatment. You may meet a few walkers along the trail but Crocodile lines of walkers are rarely seen. The plan is to walk the trail in short sections, whenever we get a free day...No need to hurry. ...So here we are...Parked up...and booted up at Hessle foreshore.

I picked up a chalk stone, one of millions along the Humber foreshore and put it in my pocket...A lucky stone, a stone to bring us good fortune along the trail..I will carry it to Filey where it will be thrown into the sea. A sort of a tradition...I wonder if anyone in Kirk Yetholm has ever wondered how a Gritstone rock from Derbyshire turned up in their Scottish village...Photographs taken..We set off.

We passed under the massive Humber bridge, arguably one of the most spectacular man-made structures in the country..From the cliffs at Hessle to the outskirts of Barton-on-Humber on the south bank it is almost 1.5 miles long..I took a few photographs [ like you do].

A few minutes later ….whats this "path closed"..We stood staring at a notice which told us that the riverside path was closed as far as North Ferriby..I don't bloody believe it. So much for my lucky stone.

A bit of a detour was now needed, firstly though a country park and then a 3 mile trudge along roads..The country park was lovely, 48 acres of woodland and open meadows surrounded by White chalk cliffs..The road walking on the other hand was dreadful..Hated it...We eventually made it to North Ferriby.

Its a large village with many old buildings..The Duke of Cumberland pub caught my eye, far to early for a pint yet...we carried on. Ferriby is famous for the finding of some Bronze age boats along the shores of the Humber, radiocarbon dating tells us that these Plank sewn boats were the earliest known boats in Europe.

More road walking followed before crossing the A 631..Then suddenly countryside at last..We passed a couple of women that were walking the trail as far as South cave.We decided that we would walk as far as Welton today before retracing our steps.Another 1.5 miles and we were sat by the village pond in Welton, demolishing the contents of our lunch box..Its a most attractive village.

Over our shoulder we caught a glimpse of the Green dragon public house..It would have been rude not to have partaken in a quick pint.Its a pub with an interesting history as it was here in 1739 that the legendary highwayman, Dick Turpin, scourge of all coach travellers between London and York was arrested..He was tried at York and sent to the gallows...Pint finished all we had to do was retrace our steps back to the start..i was glad to get back as I never really enjoyed the walk as it was too much of a trudge on tarmac..On the plus side, that's the worst section of the whole walk over...Things will get better.

05/05/2019

The bagging of Boulsworth hill.

Another Bank holiday weekend and we are not wanting to waste a second of it..Anytime off work is precious time. Today we set off for pastures new..The borough of Pendle over the border in Red rose country. When I say pastures new that is not strictly true as we have visited the area once before. On that occasion we climbed the mighty Pendle hill in snow..A day I look back on fondly. I don't know why we have not returned to the area as it has a rich tapestry of landscapes.....tucked away in a quiet corner...I have a pack of 8 walks for the area...we chose an 8 miler called The Brontes in Pendle circular walk..Ok lets do this.....

The starting point for the walk was to be the village of Trawden..Never been here before, I always find new places confusing..we drove around for a few minutes looking for somewhere to park..Parking seems really tight around these little streets..We eventually squeezed into a spot alongside a row of terraced houses...No yellow lines...we should be fine. We followed the line of the old Tram tracks uphill, before we knew it we were free from the village. Striding out across fields towards the hamlet of Oaken beck..Until recently only one house in this pretty hamlet was occupied but the attractive cottages have been recently restored..A century ago there were two shops and a small pub here to support the outlying farms.

We dropped back down into the valley to visit the stream, a beautiful spot amongst the trees. We came across Lumb spout waterfall, a tranquil hidden gem..i took a few photographs of the ribbon of water as it cascaded down through a gap in the rocks. In its heyday it was a popular beauty spot, I believe there was even a small café there..The ruins can still be seen..All quiet nowadays, just the tinkling of the water and the bubbling call of the Curlews could be heard...A place to sit and soak it all in.

Ahead of us now looms the huge brooding bulk of a hill that is Boulsworth...This hill is the reason I chose to do this walk. Standing at 1696ft its the biggest hill around these parts. easy to climb though as the path wasn't that steep, in fact we hardly broke into a sweat..We met a group of 3 people that were coming off the hill..An Asian fellow a coloured chap and a small lad..we stopped for a chat as most walkers do when out on the hill..they were locals that knew the area well..i could instantly tell that they loved these wild hills..could have chatted for ages but the summit was calling me.

Just before we reached the top we decided to shelter from the wind behind a rocky outcrop for a bite to eat and a hot drink..With our backs to the rocks we surveyed the view to the south..Calderdale and Stoodley pike held my gaze for awhile as I recalled memories from our Pennine way walk a few years ago..Green tea drank and a quick piddle and we moved on..refreshed.

Soon we were stood by the summit trig point [Lad law]..This time looking north..Thats Burnley down there to the left..Then Pendle hill looming large behind Colne..Ingleborough and Pen y ghent..in the distance..This really is a first class view..We headed back down on a decent path passing the Abbot stone.At the bottom we joined the Pennine bridleway.

Nice to be on flatter ground as we followed this track for a mile or so..up and down, twists and turns, a track like this is a joy to follow..Now we were heading for Wycoller..apparently the name comes from Wic air meaning the dairy farm among the Alders..There are still Alders there today lining the river..Apparently there are seven bridges along this stretch of river ,ranging from an ancient packhorse bridge to one single slab of stone that is believed to be over 1000 years old...its certainly quite a spectacle and im guessing everyone that passes by cannot resist walking across it..i know I couldn't.

From Wycoller it was back over high ground again to Trawden..passing the Pulpit stiles where it is said that preachers such as George fox and John Wesley would have addressed their congregations...Back in Trawden we needed a pint in the Trawden arms, [like you do]. After which we returned to the car..the second I opened the door a scruffy looking Nesbit came out of his house..can I park my car in front of my own house now he ranted..Do what you like mate I said..I took my time, even lacing my shoes up when they didn't need lacing up..he was watching me out of his window..I had another swig of my drink and did my shoe laces up again.. ..It had been a good day.

21/04/2019

A Nidderdale classic.

We fancied a walk in the Yorkshire dales but wanted to avoid the crowds, not sure if that will be possible because..1 its the Easter weekend and 2 the weather is fantastic at the moment..The thing is you have to know where to go..there are quieter places to visit for a walk as we proved today,seeing very few people on this walk from Middlesmoor in Nidderdale..I like Nidderdale..Its just outside the National park and I suppose because of this it is much quieter...When the Yorkshire dales national park was designated in 1954 Nidderdale was inexplicably excluded..the reason according to the bureaucrats was that the reservoirs which flood its upper reaches had spoilt the natural environment..but the valley has everything that neighbouring valleys have ...Wild open moorland, gorges, caves and pot holes, sculptured rocks, pretty river scenery and lovely flower decked stone villages..Im thinking that despite exclusion from the national park, Nidderdale is the winner here.

We pulled into the little car park in Middlesmoor..Perched on a hill overlooking the dale..its a special place..Sun tan lotion applied and we were off up the track that crosses In moor..Boy it was hot..we said we would stop every 15 minutes or so for a gulp of water, mainly for the dog as he is not keen of hot weather, although he soon found a small stream that runs alongside the path..Along this track we noticed many small Green butterflies...Green Hairstreaks, dozens of them, which was nice to see as they are becoming increasingly rare. I tried photographing them but they don't seem to settle for more than a few seconds....Little Whernside soon came into view ahead of us with Great Whernside to the left..both superb hills..soon we were dropping down the zig zag path to Scar house reservoir.

Its an impressive spot..The water here mainly drains down from the vast flanks of Great Whernside...and from here it goes on to supply water for the Bradford area in West Yorkshire. During the construction of the reservoir and the building of the dam over 1000 people would have lived and worked here..Much quieter today, although many paths radiate from here keeping walkers and cyclists happy..We crossed the dam and found a spot to sit for a drink and a sarnie...Alfie went for a swim...we were all happy, although I couldn't sit comfortably as the place was swarming with little Beetles..

A second application of suntan lotion and we were off..The views were amazing now as we followed the rising path up to Woogill moor...we looked back often.

This is the type of path that I could follow all day..Around Dale edge and Thrope edge..We had a breather at the shooting hut..We recalled on our last visit here a few years ago the doors were open and walkers were free to shelter from the elements inside..we remembered bringing chairs outside to sit and eat in comfort..not so anymore, the place is securely locked. im guessing that a few idiots probably spoilt it for everyone else.

We strode on, Green pastures in the valley to our right, barren moorland to our left..A few belted Galloway cattle glanced up at us before carrying on munching...I asked Karen if she was enjoying it...she said it was fantastic, just what was needed.

A little further and we reached the old shooting lodge...A perfect spot for lunch..Cheese and Coleslaw on Granary..Fruit cake and mini rolls all washed down with a flask of strong coffee..Perched rather precariously on the very rim of Thrope edge the shooting lodge commands magnificent views across the valley...im guessing there has been a few parties up here over the years..we sat and looked..trying to work out the route back to Middlesmoor.

A steep descent and we were in the valley..we made it down to Thrope farm..not sure if the path went through the farmyard or round it...we just went for it, passing through the farm buildings..All hell was let loose as we set half a dozen farm dogs off..Collies to the left...Spaniels to the right..we just kept our heads down..eventually making it up to the road.It was all uphill now to the village..looking back to the farm we could still hear the dogs...giving it what for. The shooting lodge was also on view on the edge...looking very much like a church from down here.

Several squeezer stiles along this next section..Our chubby little dog had no chance and had to be lifted over 2 or 3 of them..he loved it..All of a sudden and we were back in Middlesmoor..and there it was like a mirage...the Crown..oh the Black sheep slipped down a treat..The perfect end to a perfect walk.

7/04/2019.

Dove..Beresford and Wolfscote dales.

When we woke we had no plans, although we had decided on a Peak district walk...but where??… I let Karen pick the final destination as she is good at picking classics..She chose a walk from the Derbyshire village of Hartington, close to the Staffordshire border..Pulling into the village we realised that we had no change for the car park but we soon found a spot in the main street close to the village pond..A bit dull/misty today but im sure the sun will break out later...So do I wear wooly hat or sunhat..I plumped for sunhat..As we booted up a chap pulled up next to us..while he was lacing his boots up we exchanged pleasantries, as walkers always do...then we were off...Its a busy place even at this time on a sunday morning...Cyclists in lycra gulpng water..Walkers with all the Trendy gear..Big bearded Motorcycle guys sipping tea with their little pinkies up..Old boys walking back from the shop..ladened down with the sunday paper and all the supplements that go with it....Alfie had a crap that wouldn't have looked out of place in a Lion enclosure at the zoo..Thankfully close to a doggie bin...2 small boys ran up to us excitedly.."Dad Dad can we stroke him"...Of course you can I said..They stroked his head..Alfie looked up.."come on get on with it"...Dad Dad...he's not very soft..They were wrong...he is as soft as a brush.

Leaving the village..we set of across fields bound for Beresford dale, a small valley of indescribable beauty where the River Dove squeezes between high Limestone cliffs..Some great displays of Lesser Celadine along here which will soon be replaced by great swathes of wild garlic.

Reluctantly we leave the river after Beresford dale as we head off towards Narrowdale, where we came across the rundown ruins of Narrowdale farm..Shame to see these old buildings fall into wrack and ruin..Someone really should do the place up...and get rid of that old Landrover in the drive...it has been sitting there for years rusting away...whenever I pass through I always take a photograph of it...im guessing im not the only one.

Soon we passed several groups of Duke of Edinburgh walkers...poor sods...They always look so miserable..as we pass we always hear them moaning that they are lost and that they cant go much further..I feel like slapping them round the face..."snap out of it...This is the best time of you're lives"..I know they moan but they will remember and look back fondly on the experience for the rest of their lives..we strode on purposefully enjoying the high ground...Before long we were in Alstonefield..Time for a bite to eat and a coffee sitting on a bench on the village green...how very English.

As we sat, we watched as a crowd began to grow outside the pub..All in all about a dozen folk waiting for the pub to open..we pressed on..Bloody alkies get everywhere..Passing the church we followed the lane down to Milldale..several sports cars sped towards us..we jumped onto the verge to avoid getting mown down..Toffee nosed gits...one bloke with his top down..said sorry but there are several of us...we stood on that verge for several minutes while a convoy of posh prats passed....very few acknowledged us as they passed...I suppose they thought they were more important than us..Milldale was buzzing but we didn't hang about climbing the zig zag path uphill to follow the rim of the gorge up to Shining tor. [not the famous one in Cheshire].,,lovely views although we were still waiting for the sun to break out...I need the sun to break out so that I can get my legs weathered...I have been wearing shorts for 9 days on the trot now but they still resemble lily white pipe cleaners.

Down hill rather steeply at times we passed more D of E walkers..some of them looking close to death..A good section of valley walking now..alongside the Dove into Wolfscote dale..a few stops along here to empty the flask and to empty the boots [ those little stones play havoc with the feet]..I have always loved these Dales...lots of birdlife...Dippers dipping...Yellow wagtails Wagging...Kingfishers fishing and Peregrines..[No not grinning]..err killing Pigeons..Uphill again...I have really enjoyed the day.

Downhill to the village...still lots of people about..The chap that we spoke to as we left was back at his his car taking his boots off...Have you been here all day putting your boots on I said..we laughed...I do like laughing..sometimes I laugh so much that my legs turn to jelly and I think I may faint...Its been good hasn't it.