Dales High Way: Howgill Fells

Sunday 5th May 2024

At the start of the second day of my continuation of the Dales High Way, following my abandonment of it at Easter last year, I was camped on Craven Wold at the top of the pass between Ribblesdale and Dentdale in the Yorkshire Dales. I was woken me up early by the sunlight so I was back on the trail by half seven, which I didn’t mind as it meant I could take my time and focus on enjoying the walk rather than pushing to get the twenty miles done in eight hours. The path took me over the pass and slowly down a rocky lane into Dentdale with good views ahead of me along the valley. Even though it was very misty and overcast, the broad valley still looked spectacular and I was reminded of how it had looked last year in much better weather. On that occasion I abandoned the trail before reaching the bottom by turning right onto a path that took me up the valley to reach Dent railway station, but now I kept to the trail and at the bottom I joined the route of the Dales Way beside Deepdale Beck which was lined with wild garlic whose white flowers shone in the grey weather. Bluebells were also to be found and together they produced a gorgeous sight that lifted my spirits just as I’d remembered when previously coming this way in 2014 from Dent station.

After passing through the village of Dent I followed the road and river to Barth Bridge where I turned off onto a narrow lane, also lined with wild garlic, which took me up the side of the valley past several farm buildings until eventually becoming a grass lane. The guidebook warns that this is muddy in places but mentions an alternative that avoids the muddy section by crossing a field, but there was no path over the tussocky grass which resulted in this being very tiring. I was thankful when I eventually found myself back on the track which was perfectly dry and took me over Long Moor on the western shoulder of Rise Hill before slowly descending towards the town of Sedburgh. The mighty Howgill Fells loomed behind the town, hiding in the mist and I couldn’t help wishing I had better weather so I could appreciate the view across the valley. I had planned to stop in Sedburgh for a while but instead I hardly spent any time there and stuck to the trail which soon had me climbing the hillside past signs that declared: ‘To the fell’, which sounded glorious to me.

With the wooded dell of Settlebeck Gill to my right I climbed steeply onto the open hillside and above the gorse-filled banks of the stream but soon plunged into the clouds. I previously climbed the Howgill Fells from Sedburgh in 2010 but on that occasion I followed the bridleway that is clearly marked on Ordnance Survey maps taking a gentler route of ascent. Wainwright recommends using this route in descent and the route that I was now taking in ascent, but the low cloud provided me with some problems in navigation on the many crisscrossing paths up the hill. I missed a turning that would have kept me beside the stream and instead I headed straight up the hill to join the main path earlier than I should and later came off that to climb steeply straight up to the top of Arant Haw, which the main path bypasses. None of these were a problem, although they needlessly wore me out, as ultimately all the paths were heading in the same direction and eventually I came back onto the main path across the saddle of Rowantree Grains before climbing again to the top of Calders.

There are three tops across the broad summit plateau of the Howgill Fells, all of similar height, starting from Calders with Bram Rigg Top in the middle, which the main path bypasses, before finally reaching the Calf, the highest point in the Howgill Fells. I didn’t stay long at the Calf since there were no views, so after carefully checking my direction I set off along the path heading north east, passing a small mountain lake (a tarn) and soon I began to descend, which immediately felt wrong so I checked my location and found that I had missed a turning at the tarn. When I had retraced my steps back to the tarn I found that the path I should have taken could hardly be seen on the ground and so was easily missed. Soon a path developed and I followed this gently down the hill as the mist suddenly cleared to reveal a stunning sight ahead of me of the broad ridge rising to Hazelgill Knott. With little wind and good views ahead of me I now had a fabulous walk along the undulating ridge over Hazelgill Knott and West Fell before finally descending off the hills with good views towards Great Asby Scar.

While climbing wearily through the mist I had wondered why I do this, but now it was warm with hazy sunshine overhead and I felt tremendous enjoyment on a walk that could only be described as a pleasure. While considering where to camp I wondered whether to keep going and wild camp on Great Asby Scar, but this would have left me with little to do the next day, so I decided to stay in the campsite that I had booked to stay in last year. On reaching Bowderdale I followed quiet roads across the Lune Valley and into the small village of Newbiggin-on-Lune where I left the trail to head towards Ravenstonedale but turned off before reaching the village to stay at the Low Greenside Farm Campsite. This walk was a joy, especially on the descent from the Howgill Fells when the weather improved, but even before then I enjoyed the wildflowers in Dentdale, which is a very special place. On this walk I felt like all my cares were lifted and I could finally relax with the stresses of the past erased. My bad luck in Dartmoor last Easter was now a distant memory.

Dales High Way: Ingleborough

Saturday 4th May 2024

I attempted to do the Dales High Way last year, which runs across the Yorkshire Dales from Saltaire to Appleby, but I abandoned it when I reached the market town of Settle because of bad weather and ill health. I was keen to complete the trail over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend even though it would involve some long days and challenging accommodation. My experiences in Dartmoor the month before made me question whether it would be wise to attempt this and yet despite poor weather I caught a train back to Settle and with the weather not much better than it had been when I’d abandoned the trail last year, though at least it wasn’t raining yet, I set off along the Dales High Way. Initially I was also following the route of the Ribble Way on a section that I had followed ten years ago and remembered as being filled with wildflowers so I had been looking forward to it. Wild garlic was the most abundant flower as it covered the banks above the river, but there were also bluebells which are usually at their best at this time of the year and also other flowers that I would normally associate with Easter such as primroses and celandines. Eventually I reached the waterfalls of Stainforth Force where I took a moment to look at the falls while it started to rain, though only briefly.

At the bridge above the falls I turned left to move away from my route of 2014 and start to climb through Little Stainforth onto the open hills and the low cloud. There is something rather eerie about walking in these conditions, especially as there was little wind as I climbed over the pass below Smearsett Scar and down into the tiny community of Feizor. I briefly passed this way last year but now I was heading in a different direction, north along a lane over a low hill and across several fields into Wharfe where a bridleway above the hamlet was lined with beautiful wildflowers including forget-me-nots and bluebells plus large yellow flowers that I could not identify, possibly a garden escape. This lane took me over Austwick Beck beside a picturesque clapper bridge and past Crummack Farm before heading out onto the open hillside as the weather worsened. A maze of paths took me across the wide landscape east of Ingleborough while the rain began to fall and two mountain rescue vehicles passed by me eventually stopping at the junction with the route of the Three Peaks Challenge, beside Nick Pot. Vast numbers of people were streaming down the path, including many engaged in an Ultramarathon, and the path was very muddy, which was a surprise as elsewhere the paths had been surprisingly dry, particularly beside the River Ribble.

It was unpleasant trying to get up Ingleborough past the crowds of people (and the incident that had called out the mountain rescue) in bad weather and on a very muddy path for what seemed to be many miles. This left me questioning the wisdom in continuing along the Dales High Way, but since I had no accommodation booked I felt my options were limited. Just before I reached the summit of Ingleborough the rain eased and I reached the junction with the route down the other side which I took ignoring the actual summit. I have been there before and didn’t need to go there and back to this junction. The descent is prodigiously steep over rocks and I would have appreciated it more in ascent and in the dry. Astonishingly, I have previously been this way just once before, almost twenty years ago in ascent, so I have little memory of it. This time I had to negotiate my way vast numbers of people who were all coming up while I was the only one coming down, however, the path was excellent and a joy to traverse especially in contrast to the state of the path down the other side. I was rather frustrated lower down at not getting a good picture of the limestone pavement of Southerscales Scars, though I would needed to have made only a little effort by coming off the path.

At the bottom I turned left along the road, past the Old Hill Inn and turned right soon after onto Philpin Lane, which is the route of the Three Peaks Challenge. The Dales High Way diverts through the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, but it is not necessary and this way I cut a mile from the route. At Bruntscar I joined the Dales High Way again and my route of last year when I had come up from Ingleton. In my dreams, while planning this walk, I had thought I would now continue on the route of the Three Peaks Challenge up Whernside, but this is a ‘hard slog’ and I didn’t have the energy for it so I kept to the trail heading towards Ribblehead Viaduct, which could barely be seen through the mist. After passing underneath the railway line I turned left to head up the hill back on the route of the Three Peaks Challenge and it was curious to note how much easier this climb was for me now compared with how difficult it had been for me last year when I had not been feeling well. I ignored the turning towards Whernside on the Three Peaks and followed the path over the hill that would eventually bring me into Dentdale but not until very late in the evening so instead I stopped at the top of the pass and put up my tent. The weather was quite good at the start of the day and I enjoyed the walk beside the River Ribble past many wildflowers but as I climbed Ingleborough the weather worsened and walk was quite trying, but in the end I kept to the Dales High Way, which was quite surprising after considering to give up on several occasions, but the weekend would improve from now on.

Dartmoor Way: Okehampton to Mary Tavy

Thursday 4th and Friday 5th April 2024

I was still not feeling great at the start of this day, partly due to not eating much over the last couple of days, but also because I hadn’t slept well in the youth hostel and the weather seemed to agree with me as rain was forecast for most of the day, so with a deep sense of foreboding I made my way into the centre of Okehampton and resumed my course along the Dartmoor Way. It was already raining, though the sun was futilely trying to break through the clouds, but initially the trail was good as I walked beside the West Okement River and through the Old Town Park Nature Reserve where wood anemones decorated the woodland floor. On reaching a road the walk deteriorated as it took me through a golf course and farmer’s fields where I was exposed to the wind and rain before entering a bluebell wood whose flowers were only just beginning to come out. It is a pity that I was too early to see this wood at its best, but I was already beginning to doubt the wisdom of continuing on the walk. When I reached Meldon Viaduct I had views towards Meldon Reservoir where vast quantities of water was rushing over the dam while the high moors behind sat under dark clouds, but I was feeling very weak and again I was questioning whether to continue. With an easing of the rain I crossed the wrought iron viaduct and proceeded along the old railway line but I didn’t get very far until lack of energy stopped me.

I spent a while debating with myself on whether to continue, but when I realised that most of the morning had already past and I had made hardly any progress along the trail I decided I should turn back and abandon the walk. My body was clearly telling me that I was not in a state to keep going so I finally obeyed and returned to Okehampton along the Granite Way, a cyclepath that runs alongside the old railway which still exists from the disused Meldon Quarry. Heritage trains used to run along the tracks between Okehampton and the quarry but they have clearly not done so for many years. With the weather slowly improving I made my way along the cycle track with the noisy dual carriageway alongside and eventually returned to the youth hostel next to Okehampton railway station with my plans to walk along the Dartmoor Way in ruins. I would not be able to complete the trail on this holiday, but with everything that had been put against me it was inevitable. The bad weather had already forced me to stay at the Okehampton Youth Hostel for the rest of the week as it would be unwise to wild camp in high winds. After resting for the rest of the day I felt much better in the morning so I set off along the Granite Way back to Meldon Viaduct to resume my walk along the Dartmoor Way as far as I could go.

The weather was exactly as it had been the day before and possibly even windier, as the approaching Storm Kathleen made its presence felt. Eventually I came off the cyclepath to follow the Dartmoor Way onto a road that soon became a track and climbed onto the moor where I was exposed to strong headwinds. Despite blue skies behind me, the moors resolutely clung to the cloud while the wind made walking very challenging. Ahead of me were the crags of Sourton Tors, which I had visited in 2020, but on this occasion I passed beneath them, off the moor and into the village of Sourton. Beyond, after initially traversing a very muddy path I crossed countless grassy fields that left little impression on me and after a brief road walk I turned onto a byway that provided me with relatively easy walking, though little of interest except for at Fernworthy Down and a ford in a tree-lined valley beyond. Just outside the village of Lydford I reached a road that took me through the village where the star attraction is the National Trust property of Lydford Gorge, which was closed due to high winds. A relatively busy road took me around the gorge and onto the lower slopes of Gibbet Hill where soft, wet ground with a strong headwind took me around the hill for several miles into the village of Mary Tavy.

I was now wondering how much more of the Dartmoor Way I was going to have to endure before I decided to stop and wait for a bus, but with the village of Peter Tavy not far away and the bus an hour away I decided to keep going, but not far out of Mary Tavy my way was blocked by a closed road with seemingly no way around. I took this as a hint to finally stop and return to Mary Tavy where I waited for the bus. I had reached the point where there was thirty one miles left on the Dartmoor Way, out of one hundred and eight. It is disappointing, but this final obstacle was one of many that seemed determined to prevent me from completing the Dartmoor Way. The ground was horribly wet and muddy, strong winds developed during the week while I fell ill and had difficulty sleeping, so a blocked road seemed appropriate. I actually quite enjoyed this day’s walk despite the poor weather, mainly because I had fully recovered from my ill health and was able to accept everything with humour. The next day I didn’t attempt to do any walking in Dartmoor and instead I started my journey home, stopping off in Bristol for a walk around the city and to visit the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Dartmoor Way: Cranbrook Down to Okehampton

Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd April 2024

I hardly got any sleep during the night before this walk and in the morning I was feeling so rough and tired I didn’t think I’d be able to do the walk ahead of me even though the weather was fantastic with the sun shining on Cranbrook Down where I had camped in the middle of an Iron Age hillfort. Very slowly, I packed up my tent and carefully made my way down the hill onto the track that carries the Dartmoor Way and this descended increasingly steeply into the Teign Valley until eventually I reached Fingle Bridge. From there, the Dartmoor Way climbs the northern bank, but with hindsight I wish I had stayed at the bottom of the valley and walked beside the river as I didn’t have the energy to climb up the bank, even though that is exactly what I did. I was trying to keep to the course of the Dartmoor Way which relentlessly climbs the side of the hill and in my weakened state this was a severe trial. I stopped many times during the ascent and soon came to the realisation that I wouldn’t be able to walk all the way to Okehampton this day. Eventually the path levelled off and afforded me with views across the tree-clad valley for a great walk along the terrace above Sharp Tor and around Castle Drogo before finally descending into a side valley that led me down to the mouth of the Teign Gorge.

A short walk beside the river brought me to the main road at Dogmarsh Bridge where I hoped I would be able to catch a bus, but that was not possible so I kept beside the river soon passing through lovely woodland decorated with wood anemones, but plagued with muddy paths. Grassy fields beyond led me to a road where I climbed wearyingly into the market town of Chagford just as it started to rain. The good weather at the start of the day had not lasted long and I didn’t have the energy to continue so I found shelter in the market house in the centre of the town and waited several hours for a bus that eventually brought me into Okehampton where I was booked to stay at the youth hostel. The following morning I still didn’t feel very well, so the wisest thing to do would be to rest in the youth hostel and wait until I had recovered, but the bus back to Chagford only ran on a Wednesday so I caught it back to the market town and set off again on the Dartmoor Way. The weather was no better than it had been when I had arrived in Chagford the day before with light showers and no sign of the sun, which left me longing for the weather on Monday when the showers had been interspersed with sunshine. The first stage this day was a mixture of road walking and woodland paths, with the latter filled with green plants but nothing flowering and the most interest provided by Blackaton Brook.

The weather slowly began to improve with the rain easing and occasional breaks appearing in the clouds though strong winds kept things feeling cold. I had a terrible time while traversing the byway Deave Lane as it was horrendously muddy and prolonged so I was very thankful when I eventually reached a road and even more thankful when I saw a sign beside the church in Throwleigh that to a person in my condition felt heaven-sent: toilet. After using the facilities in the church I continued on a path that was heavily churned up by cattle, so I was thankful again when I reached a street that heralded the start of a prolonged section of road walking. Eventually I reached the village of South Zeal and after that the village of Sticklepath where I remember parking in 2007 for a walk that started through Belstone Cleave, the wooded valley of the River Taw, and now I followed in my footsteps. At the time the wood was filled with bluebells, but unfortunately they were not in flower at this early date, though the path was very good, mostly on rock, which made the walk immensely enjoyable, especially compared with the muddy conditions that I’d previously endured on this holiday. However, half way along the valley the good path seemed to climb out of the valley while the continuation of the Dartmoor Way was considerably muddier until eventually the good path seemed to come back down into valley to cross the River Taw and climb the hillside into the village of Belstone.

With stunning views down the valley I made my way into Belstone, where I had parked in 2020, and now I followed my footpaths again climbing wearyingly onto the open moor for what felt like the first time in many days, probably since Haytor Rocks on Sunday, so it was great to experience the moors of Dartmoor again and see the outcrops of Belstone Tor to my left and in the distance many more. Unfortunately I was not destined to reach them as I soon swung right into the valley of the East Okement River where a pleasant walk beside the rapidly flowing river eventually brought me underneath the A30 dual carriageway and the railway line, and finally led me into Okehampton. After a poor start the weather was quite good on this walk which helped me enjoy it despite not being in the best of health, so I was glad that I had not wasted the day and I particularly enjoyed the scenery towards the end of the walk which made up for the muddy conditions getting there.