Pen-y-ghent Gill and Horse Head Moor

Friday 25th April 2014

This was the last full day of my holiday, and unfortunately the weather was terrible. There was low cloud at the start of the day, but at least it wasn’t raining, however it wouldn’t be long before that changed. My original plan for this walk had been ridiculously over-ambitious and would have taken me over twelve hours even if the weather had been good. The walk started and ended in the village of Kettlewell, where I had been staying in the youth hostel, and as originally planned would have included the Pennine Way between Pen-y-ghent and the Cam High Way. It is far too easy to underestimate how long a walk is going to take and only long experience can avoid this, but fortunately I had already realised my error and revised my plan. I still planned to walk up Pen-y-ghent, but to return to Wharfedale directly, which I think this was a reasonable walk to do, but in the end the weather prompted me to abandon Pen-y-ghent and turn back before I reached the hill.

Despite all these carefully laid plans as soon as I walked out of the door of the youth hostel I turned towards Top Mere Road that would have taken me in the opposite direction and up to the top of Buckden Pike. Soon after leaving the village at the start of the lane I saw how low the cloud was and realised that the weather was not good enough for a walk up Buckden Pike so I decided to do the walk as planned. Returning through the village I crossed the river and followed a good path that climbs over the top of Old Cote Moor scrambling through some scars on either side, and descended through heather. The highlight of the crossing, and indeed of the day, was Byre Bank Wood near the end of the crossing, just before I reached the tiny village of Arncliffe, that was packed with an abundant display of wild flowers. There were bluebells, primroses and everything else that you could possibly want in a wood, making it a magical place that was a joy to walk through, but all too soon I was in the village of Arncliffe.

Unfortunately the walk failed to live up to that early promise as I plodded along the bottom of Littondale with little to interest me except for the seeming theft of the water in the river at the bottom of the valley. After passing the village of Litton I started to climb into the valley of Pen-y-ghent Gill on a track high above the stream where there are many limestone features marked on the map, such as pot holes, caves and rocky ground, but from the lane and in the poor weather I couldn’t get a good look at them. As this week progressed I was beginning to wonder whether I was really that interested in these sort of limestone features as it seemed that I am perhaps more interested in bigger rock landscapes such as in Gordale Scar or in a huge, steep-sided, craggy mountain while the smaller scale water-eroded features of limestone pales in comparison. I prefer features that are bold and in-your-face rather than things you can’t see like underground channels, but ultimately it was the weather that ruined this walk because whatever there was to see was always going to look dull under dark clouds.

With the conditions failing to improve I decided to turn back and crossed the valley when I reached the road to return to Littondale on the other side. Instead of following the road all the way back I took a path a little below that was initially quite interesting as it passed many limestone outcrops and provided me with good views down into the sharply cut valley of Pen-y-ghent Gill. However, instead of lingering in this fascinating area I quickly left the limestone far behind me and allowed the dreary weather to reassert its influence on me as I grew tired of the walk on the path until finally I returned to the road where, in a sheltered spot, I had my lunch before setting off along the road all the way into the tiny village of Halton Gill with the long anticipated rain started to fall just as I set off and accompanied me for most of the rest of the day.

On the other side of the village I took a track that headed steeply up the side of the hill over Horse Head Moor while the rain began to fall more heavily. This is supposed to be quite an ominous crossing (probably due to its ominous name), but despite heavy rain, low clouds and wind I had no problems. I was not worried about the prospect of crossing Horse Head Moor in bad weather, though it did occur to me that some might, but long experience has taught me that that so long as I was able to follow the path I would have no problem and there is a clear track all the way up to the top and on the other side a very boggy but clear path led me down. Just before reaching the bottom I considered my onward course. My plan had been to join the Dales Way at Yochenthwaite, but in view of the poor weather, and to save time, I decided to walk along the road which took me past the village of Hubberholme and just before I reached Buckden I finally joined the Dales Way.

My walk down Wharfedale as I made my way back to Kettlewell wasn’t too bad as the rain had now eased which afforded me with a relaxing stroll for the last section of the walk. This was not a great walk mainly because I didn’t have very good weather, but also because the scenery wasn’t great. The best scenery was near the scars at the top of Pen-y-ghent Gill but the weather was so poor, even if it wasn’t raining at that point, that I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I should. The weather made the scenery so dull and gloomy that it seemed unappealing to me, which was the opposite of the day before where great weather combined with great scenery made for a great day, but no kind of scenery could have rescued this day. Considering the weather, this wasn’t such a bad day and afterwards I actually considered it a satisfying walk, as any in Yorkshire must surely be.

Malham Cove and Gordale Scar

Thursday 24th April 2014

The start of this day was grey and overcast so I didn’t have much hope for the day, but the clouds soon cleared to reveal gorgeous sunshine all day. It was the sort of weather that makes you happy to be outside walking and it wouldn’t matter where I was as walking is always a pleasure when the sun is shining, and I was walking in a fantastic area with stunning scenery, from the awesome Malham Cove to the tranquil Malham Tarn and back to the spectacular Gordale Scar. I started in Malham Cove, which I’d passed over the previous evening on my way into Malham, but on that occasion the weather had been dull and miserable but now the sun was already shining  and transforming the dry ice-age waterfall into a pleasure to behold. I walked right up to the foot of the cove and gazed in wonder at the awesome cliffs that towered above me to astonishing heights while to my right a path seemed to lead up the side of the cove (opposite the official path to the top), and I thought I’d investigate, undeterred by a sign that said the path didn’t lead all the way up to the top.

The path did bring me up to a ledge a couple of metres above the floor of the cove (presumably much used by climbers) that goes all around the side of the cove and it was too tempting for me to avoid. It was exciting to traverse this ledge but I’ve slipped on wet rocks so many times in the past (and I’m not great with heights) I was really nervous on the traverse, which rather spoiled my enjoyment, and that is a pity as I would have liked to have enjoyed it more. It was still quite thrilling and led me to the other side of the cove through woodland to the official path up to the top of cove. When I was here, for the first time, five years ago, the top of the cove was crowded with people, but since it was now still early in the morning I had the place to myself which allowed me to hop across the limestone pavement to my heart’s content, frequently stopping to gaze through the cracks at the tender plants growing there.

With the sun shining in the gorgeous weather I walked down the breath-taking scenery of the dry valley below Ing Scar to another dry waterfall, but much smaller, below Comb Hill. A steep climb around the edge of Comb Hill led me into the valley above the dry waterfall where a cave could be seen that just had to be explored. A short scramble led me up to the top, but since it didn’t go in very far I soon came back down and continued along the dry valley eventually passing the water sinks where the stream disappears through gaps in the stones into subterranean passages. Continuing along the course of the Pennine Way I made my way to the deservedly popular Malham Tarn where I was undecided of my onward route. I had considered walking to the limestone scars of Back Pasture beyond the tarn, but there seemed little point so eventually I merely climbed to the top of Great Close Hill that overlooks Malham Tarn.

Eventually I dropped back down the hill and headed back towards Malham Cove on a path that passes a fabulous area of limestone scars passing through Trougate to the hillside just to the east of the cove, which I bypassed as I made my way towards Gordale Scar. There is a great little walk in the area (which I did in 2009) that links Malham Cove, Gordale Scar and Janet’s Foss, and since I was now, briefly, on this path I felt obligated to visit the pretty waterfall of Janet’s Foss. This is within a delightful small wooded valley that at this time of the year is full of the garlic-smelling ramsons. There were many other wild flowers in this enthralling place and I couldn’t resist walking along the length of the valley despite having to return back to Janet’s Foss on reaching the end. Within sight of the delectable little waterfall I had my lunch before setting off once more towards Gordale Scar.

Geologically Gordale Scar is probably very similar to Malham Cove but where the water has disappeared from the cove, Gordale Scar still has a stream pouring over it which has transformed it into an amazing sight by carving a stunning ravine. I think Gordale Scar is a much more spectacular place compared with Malham Cove as the rock architecture of the scar is quite simply awe-inspiring, but it is also shy and alluring as the walls of the ravine close in only slowly and it isn’t until you turn a corner that the splendour of the ravine reveals itself. And the best thing about it is that the scenery got even better after a grade one scramble up the rocks beside the stream led me right into the heart of the ravine. I absolutely loved the experience of climbing Gordale Scar as the scenery was absolutely stunning. After scrambling up beside the waterfalls I stood awestruck by my surroundings, completely surrounded by soaring cliffs, feeling incredible to be right in the centre of Gordale Scar with that tremendous scenery all around me.

Slowly I made my way out of the ravine following the steep path that leads all the way out of the scar and onto the hillside above where a much easier walk led me now beside limestone scars back towards Malham Tarn as I frequently stopped to visit any cairns that I could see nearby. When I reached Street Gate the limestone scars were left behind and I joined a track that headed across relatively dull grassland that failed to spark any interest in me as I passed over Lee Gate High Mark and gradually descended into Littondale. This was a dull end to what had been a very exciting walk, but it was still good to stride out the miles crossing country on my way somewhere, which is what long-distance walking is all about and I rather enjoy even if there is nothing to interest me in this section of the walk. My plan for this day had been to enjoy myself in the area around Malham before heading across country to Kettlewell and I couldn’t complain as the first half of the day as it was fabulous even if the walk deteriorated after I passed Street Gate. Before then, I had been walking in scenery that Wainwright described as being the best walkers’ territory anywhere near the Pennine Way, and I was enjoying it in brilliant weather.

The River Ribble and Attermire Scar

Wednesday 23rd April 2014

At the start of this day I caught a bus from the village of Ingleton where I had been staying for the last couple of days and I was disappointed to be leaving so soon when I felt that there was still more to explore in the area. I felt that I’d merely scraped the surface of what can be seen of the limestone scars near Ingleton. The bus brought me to the charming market town of Settle where I joined the Ribble Way as it makes its way north out of the town and provided me with a lovely walk beside the river beside banks that were bedecked with glorious woodland flowers particularly the plant that had come to typify this holiday: primroses, but also a stunning display of wood sorrel in abundance near Settle. Just before Stainforth Force is an idyllic spot that appears to have been developed by the local campsite to show the river at its best, and with the sun shining at that moment it was a definite highlight of the day with the waterfall itself paling in comparison.

I left the river at this point to head into the village of Stainforth and while standing near a bridge looking at my map two women, who had been talking to each other nearby, asked me where I wanted to go. I said I wanted to go Catrigg Force so she suggested I follow a path beside the stream to the village green, which I did but I couldn’t remember what she said to do next, so I turned left across the stream and followed a lane that took me uphill before turning off onto a path that brought me back down to the stream. Unfortunately I should have turned right at the village green as the path I was on soon climbed away from the stream, so in order to stay beside it I basically trespassed through fields following what appeared to be tracks, but were probably just cow tracks. I definitely should not have gone that way. After passing a small waterfall a little downstream of Catrigg Force I was forced to climb steeply up the grassy bank and round to the correct side of the stream where a path took me steeply into the waterfall-gouged ravine of Catrigg Force.

I’m sure Catrigg Force is a good waterfall, but as soon as I got to the bottom of the path beside the stream I slipped over with a bang and had difficulty getting back up again. When I did finally did get back up off the slippery, wet rocks near the foot of the waterfall I wasn’t in a mood to stick around so I hobbled back up to the top of the path and onto the lane that I should have taken out of Stainforth. Slowly I made my way to the Winskill Stones, an area of limestone pavement that until relatively recently was being quarried for its water-scared limestone, until being stopped by a concerted public campaign. Unfortunately there is now not much limestone left, so there was little to distract me as I made my way towards Attermire Scar.

This is a fascinating limestone escarpment with steep craggy slopes that have many caves in them. I felt eager to explore all that I found, particularly the caves that are named on the map like Jubilee Cave at the northern end of the escarpment and the much bigger Victoria Cave, whose mouth was enlarged by the Victorians in their destructive eagerness for pre-historic artefacts. As I emerged from the cave it started to rain so I popped back into the cave to put my waterproofs on, but by the time I came back out again it had stopped raining and the sun had come out. These heavy showers were beginning to annoy me so I obstinately kept my waterproofs on while walking along the path at the foot of the incredible Attermire Scar escarpment.

I was unsure where to go from here as the hillwalker in me was keen to climb to the top of the escarpment, but that would not have taken me to the summit of a hill so it would be have been anticlimactic. I could have climbed up to the trig point at the top of Warrendale Knotts, nearby, and that would have been the best idea, but instead I followed a narrow path that climbed the steep escarpment and would, I hoped, lead to Attermire Cave and Horseshoe Cave, except that it didn’t. The path dwindled into nothing and I ended up walking past both caves. On locating one of the caves I climbed steeply up to it and had a bit of a wander in but since it didn’t go in very far I soon came back out and by now I was very hot from the strenuous climb, warm sun and waterproofs that I was still wearing.

As I finally took my waterproofs off I felt frustrated and disappointed. I was in a fabulous area with some stunning scenery but I didn’t feel as if I was really making the best of it. I wanted to explore the crags but I couldn’t find much to actually explore and the best option really did seem to be to just walk along the path at the foot of the escarpment. My course for the rest of the walk should have been to head over the hills to Malham, but I had heard some good things about Scaleber Force, so despite a sizable detour I headed off along Stockdale Lane, onto High Hill Lane and eventually to the spectacular waterfall. However, before I got there it started to rain again, but thinking that it wasn’t going to rain for long I didn’t put my waterproofs on and when I descended the steep path to the waterfall it was very wet with poor light so I didn't a good sight of the falls and I wasn’t impressed. After I climbed back up to the road it was still raining so I put my waterproofs back on and started to trudge up Black Gill Lane towards Rye Loaf Hill and then it stopped raining.

I was now so fed up I couldn’t be bothered with the potential bog-trot over Rye Loaf Hill so I turned around and headed back past Scaleber Force and along Stockdale Lane on a direct course for Malham. As the rain started to fall again, briefly, I plodded disconsolately along the lane past Stockdale Farm, but as the lane started to weave around the hillside slowly climbing towards Kirkby Fell I began to enjoy the walk past limestone scars and over undulating terrain. Ultimately there is nothing better for lifting the spirits than a good walk through the countryside! Not only was the weather very changeable, but the walk itself was very changeable with many highlights and many disappointments. The end of the walk was quite an up as I turned off the direct route to Malham to divert past Ing Scar and Malham Cove, and any walk that ends at the top of that awesome escarpment must be good.