Dales High Way: Kirkby Fell

Monday 10th April 2023

The overnight rain had cleared by the time I got up, though the skies were still heavy and dark, which forebode more rain to come. I set up from the village of Malham where I spent the night and soon reached Malham Cove, the awesome rock face that is a stunning sight and rightly draws the crowds, but at this early hour I fortunately had the area to myself. Rather than walking right up to the foot of the tall cliff face, I branched left onto the steps that climb tiringly up the side of the cove until thankfully I reached the top and beheld the fabulous limestone pavement that covers the ground above the cove. The grikes, narrow fissures where water has eroded the limestone, contain a wondrous microclimate filled with small plants that are sheltered from the harsh wind. It is tragic that the only time of the year that I have ever come to this area is at Easter so I have never seen these grikes at their best, in the summer. It was great to have the top of Malham Cove to myself as this area is normally teeming with people as I saw the previous day at Gordale Scar and Janet’s Foss.

I lingered over the limestone pavement and enjoyed hopping over the rocks until eventually I turned left and headed up Watlowes, a dry valley that would once have channelled the water from Malham Tarn to the vast waterfall into Malham Cove. I walked this way in 2009 while on the Pennine Way and I was reminded of that while passing the tremendous crags that line the valley. Slowly I made my way to head of the valley past the awesome rock scenery before climbing out of the valley and, after parting company with the Pennine Way, I headed west along the route of the Dales High Way soon passing Langscar Gate. The stunning scenery was now left behind me as I climbed relatively flat hills with the views opening out behind me that included Malham Tarn, but with the increased height came a cold, brisk wind and soon it started to rain. Near the summit of Kirkby Fell I put on my waterproofs and now wrapped up against the wind and rain I soon came to the top of Stockdale. Slowly I made my way down the track and as the rain began to ease I was reminded of the previous time I had walked through here, in 2014, when I explored some of the caves in Attermire Scar, but now I stuck to the path and passed below them.

I think I must have missed a turning as the path I was on became little more than a sheep trod and climbed across the crags below Warrendale Knotts. It was a great little path on the steepest section but I could see the correct route lower down so after passing the highest point I quickly made my way back onto the correct path. The descent into Ribblesdale was down a steep grassy slope that was very slippery in the wet weather and left me wary about my footing and with a muddy backside. Eventually I reached the town of Settle where I had to consider the rest of the day as the rain resumed with no sign of it ending. From this point, the Dales High Way heads over the high hill of Ingleborough, which would not be a good idea in poor weather, so I tried to catch a bus to Ingleton, but since it was a Bank Holiday Monday there were no buses running. When I realised this, I was so frustrated with the weather that I set off along the road little realising that Ingleton was more than ten miles away. I was feeling very tired by this point in the holiday so I wasn’t thinking clearly. With hindsight I should have stayed on the Dales High Way, which initially follows the River Ribble north out of Settle before heading west. Instead I marched off through the rain, over the river where I should have turned right, and followed the road as it turned left and then swung right past the village of Giggleswick.

Slowly I walked along the side of the B6480 road and eventually, as the rain eased, I began to regret my decision. After two miles, at the top of Buck Haw Brow, I came across a sign for a footpath and followed this onto the misty lands across several grassy fields until I came to a junction of paths with a signpost that pointed towards the tiny hamlet of Feizor. I had never heard of this place before so, thinking I had gone the wrong way, I headed in another direction, which turned out to be the wrong direction. Eventually, I came across another signpost that proclaimed that I was now on the Dales High Way. Astonished, I finally checked my map and realised that the Dales High Way actually goes through Feizor, so as I followed the trail again I slowly began to come to my senses and decided on a more rational course. Once in Feizor I joined the route of the Pennine Bridleway and a trail called “A Pennine Journey” based on a walking holiday that Wainwright did in 1938. I was happy to be following in his footsteps, even though he probably didn’t take this actual route. I had a pleasant walk along Hale Lane that took me into the village of Austwick and then Thwaite Lane took me into the village of Clapham where I said goodbye to my accompanying trails and, after a brief stop to look at the waterfalls, I set off along Old Road.

The rain had now stopped and the sun tried to make an appearance while across the shallow Wenning Valley I could see the hills of the Forest of Bowland encouraging me to keep going even though I was now very weary and struggling. This was a difficult day with poor weather, but with my biggest problem being with my health and a reoccurrence of the problems that had afflicted me over the winter and left me lacking in energy or the motivation to do anything, which ruined the second half of this walk. Eventually I dragged myself into the village of Ingleton where I found the youth hostel, but I was thinking about the rest of the holiday and whether I could or should keep going. When I saw the weather forecast for the rest of the week, especially Wednesday, my decision was made.

Dales High Way: Skipton Castle Woods

Sunday 9th April 2023

After the glorious sunshine of the day before on my first walk along the Dales High Way out of Saltaire, I woke to thick fog, but at least it wasn’t raining. However, on paper, this section of the trail was not the most interesting, so I wasn’t too worried about the weather. After packing up my tent at Ghyll House Farm Campsite, I set off along the Dales High Way descending through grassy fields towards the village of Addingham where there is a path that is notoriously muddy and after prolonged rainfall it is recommended to divert through the village. After all the rain we have had recently, I thought it was prudent to branch off into Addingham, walk along the main road and eventually climb out of the village on an arrow straight road that is known locally as the Roman Road, though it is more likely to be prehistoric and has been dubbed Rombalds Way. After climbing to over a thousand feet, the tedium of the dull surroundings was relieved as I gradually began to descend while crossing the northern slopes of Skipton Moor and eventually deciduous trees appeared beside the stream, Jenny Gill, where I dropped steeply down through the trees. By this point the fog had begun to clear and the views north revealed the town of Skipton with the sun soon appearing through gaps in the clouds which signified that the weather this day was going to be much better than it had at first appeared.

The steep path led me down to a road past many people, particularly cyclists, into Skipton, which made me realise that the Dales High Way passes through a comparatively large number of towns and villages, so you are never far away from an opportunity to resupply. After passing through the centre of Skipton I dropped down to the canal, a branch of the Leeds and Liverpool, onto an alternative route that took me through Skipton Castle Woods, instead of the apparently dull walk over the grassy Park Hill on the main route. Initially I had an exciting walk along a raised path between the Eller Beck and the canal before entering the wood where ramson covered the banks of the valley and filled the air with the smell of wild garlic. Tragically, it wasn’t long before I was torn away from this idyllic scene onto a path that climbed steeply up near Sougha Gill. At the top of the path was a bench that I was very happy to use so I could catch my breath and eat my lunch while looking down into the picturesque valley. The path continued through woods decorated with wood anemones and celandines before bringing me onto Short Lee Lane where the Dales High Way could have soon been rejoined, but that would cross the busy A65 road  and onto a golf course, so I decided to stay on Short Lee Lane for another alternative route.

This took me onto the pavement around a roundabout and along a good path beside Grassington Road that was lined with celandines and daffodils before returning me to the main route of the Dales High Way after passing Craven Heifer Inn. The trail now took me across several grassy fields, finally into the Yorkshire Dales National Park and onto open moorland where a conical peak drew me towards it. The path across the moor was a little boggy, but not excessively, and as the gradient steepened the ground became drier while I climbed up to the top of Sharp Haw where a bit of a wind was blowing, but it was great to be at the top of a hill, though I didn’t stay there long. Immediately I descended steeply back down the hill and around the smaller Rough Haw on a good path that was not as boggy as the approach. Blue topped posts guided me all the way down the hill and onto an enclosed lane where some sort of matting, like thin carpet, was very slippery as it was wet. This surface might have worked when dry but this is Yorkshire so it was wet and I almost slipped over several times. It didn’t last long and after passing through a sunken lane, decorated with celandines, I reached the village of Flasby. Now the Dales High Way kept to the bottom of a valley as I passed many sheep through grassy fields while following the Flasby Beck upstream until I reached the village of Hetton.

The sun that had greeted me in Skipton was now a distant memory as I climbed out of the valley on another arrow straight track, this one known as Moor Lane, that took me over the moor until finally I started to descend and past Winterburn Reservoir, which did not look picturesque due to the overcast skies and a lack of trees that would have broken the tedium of bare grassy slopes. The Dales High Way steadily climbed again, apart from a brief descent to cross Ray Gill, during an unrelenting ascent that took me up to the Wheets, a hill that was the highest point on the trail thus far at 414 metres, which I felt was very cruel to expect me to climb after such a long walk. The path was often good and this kept me going wearily all the way to Wheets Top where I found a wall and a trig point, which I had to visit, before joining an enclosed lane that descends steeply to a road. The descent continued down the road all the way to Gordale Bridge where I turned off the trail to visit Gordale Scar, which is an awesome ravine that I would consider to be best place in the whole of the Yorkshire Dales. Previously when I have been in the area, in 2009 and 2014, I have allotted plenty of time to explore, but I was now at the end of a long, tiring walk and I had another long, tiring walk the next day, so I had no time. Despite it being past five o’clock in the evening I couldn’t pass by without a visit, so I walked up beside the Gordale Beck until I turned the corner and beheld the awesome scenery of Gordale Scar.

Even the approach is awe-inspiring with tall cliff-faces that slowly close in on you until finally I turned the corner and saw the cathedral of rock that is Gordale Scar. I was disappointed that I didn’t have the time or the energy to explore so I reluctantly turned around and headed back out to the road. Rather than returning to the Dales High Way, I took an optional route into Malham that passes Janet’s Foss, a beautiful waterfall that was spoilt by the vast numbers of people surrounding it. I quickly headed away through the beautiful little dell whose banks were covered in wild garlic and dog’s mercury. There was a dramatic change in the scenery after I passed through a gate into grassy fields where the only interest was provided by celandines and primroses beside the stream. Eventually the path took me into Malham where I found my campsite and I finally ended this long walk that was probably the longest that I have done since I was in Wales seven months previously when I wasn’t carrying a heavy rucksack. This day left me feeling very tired so I was happy to be in Malham.