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A Dales High Way An
exhilarating 90 miles across the glorious high country of the Yorkshire
Dales Walk this
spectacular landscape from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmorland Explore
its rich history, geology and culture Return
with a breathtaking train ride along England's most beautiful railway More
than just a walk
"For those who love
long-distance walking, this new 90-mile route from Saltaire, near
Shipley, to Appleby will be a delight."
- Ann Clarke, Westmorland
Gazette
"Their description of
the route makes you want to pull your boots on and set off
immediately."
- Mike Priestley, T&A
"An excellent and
innovative route which is to be highly recommended for dedicated
fell walkers - my feet are itching to get started on this
walk!"
- Peter G. Davies, FoSCL
magazine
"Promoted through a
superbly illustrated Companion booklet, rich in local geology,
history and wildlife, with detailed OS-based maps in an excellent
Route Guide, the Dales High Way is a sure-fire winner for all keen
Dales walkers."
- Colin Speakman
Yorkshire Dales Review
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News en
route
New guide to Dales Rail Trails
Explore the glorious high country of the Yorkshire Dales - by
train! A new walk  guide from the authors of
A Dales High Way is
published this month and offers 32 day walks from stations along
the world famous Settle-Carlisle line, the most beautiful railway
in England.
Dales Rail Trails covers 18 circular routes from stations along
the line from Settle to Kirkby Stephen, each between 6 and 13
miles long, with a further 14 linear walks from station to
station. There are 22 full colour maps at a scale of 1:25,000,
with concise descriptions of the routes and places along the way.
Taken as a whole they provide a comprehensive coverage of the area
of the western Dales along the railway.
Co-author Chris Grogan said: "You can reach the heart of
this fabulous walking country from Leeds, Bradford or Carlisle by
train in little over an hour. Better still, why not enjoy a
walking holiday by basing yourself at a village on the line and
use the train to explore the stunning western Dales.
"We've been planning this book ever since we finished work
on the two Dales High Way guides. All those people who enjoyed the
long-distance trail and have thought about returning to the area
to explore this beautiful landscape further, will find this book
fits the bill perfectly."
The book also includes a guide to the popular 24-mile Three
Peaks Challenge Route, and for lovers of long distance walking
there are details of the 48-mile Six Peaks Trail, which links
stations from Settle to Kirkby Stephen. There's additional
supporting material online, including outtakes - outlines of walks
that didn't make it into the final book.
The Dales Rail Trails project received financial backing from
the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's Sustainable
Development Fund, and a proportion of the proceeds from the sale
of each copy will be donated to the Friends of the Three Peaks, to
help improve and maintain the footpath network in the Three Peaks
area.
So, as they say, let the train take the strain while you enjoy
the walk.
See more details of Dales Rail Trails
here. Buy a copy online
from Skyware Press.
22 January 2012
Olympic Torch blow to Mountain Rescue Teams
The arrival of the Olympic Torch in Skipton this summer will be
cause to  celebrate for many, but will inadvertently add to the
funding worries of local Mountain Rescue organisations.
The arrival of the Torch on June 24th from Manchester, passing
through Bradford and Skipton before heading to Leeds, has meant
that the annual Broughton Game Show has had to be cancelled. This
in turn means that both the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue
Association (UWFRA) and Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) will miss
out on more than £20,000. The Broughton Show is a major
fundraiser for both groups.
David Aynesworth, Chairman of the show committee said
"With lots of family events being planned for the town
centre, we felt this would have a massive affect on show
attendance, particularly as this event will draw people from many
surrounding areas".
Paul Jackson, editor of the Dalesman magazine which sponsors
the Broughton Show, said "It's a great shame that people will
miss out on what is a quirky and enjoyable day but I understand
that being part of the torch ceremony is for most people a once-in
a lifetime experience.
"The volunteers are the big losers, so I hope people who
would normally attend the show will go out of their way during the
next twelve months to support the teams' other fundraising
events"
Since the first show in 1979 around £300,000 has been raised
for the two groups. It has only been cancelled twice in the past -
in 2001 because of Foot & Mouth and in 2009 after flash
flooding.
Both groups are hoping alternative fund raising efforts will
help plug the gap this year. And both teams reiterate that they
will continue to provide the rescue service, wherever and whenever
it may be needed.
See the Broughton Game Show website
here. Find out about
alternative support for the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue
Association (UWFRA) and the Cave Rescue Organisation
(CRO). See
the Olympic Torch route
here.
11 January 2012
High Way Art Project triumph
The year long experiment of having an "Artist in
Residence" on A Dales High  Way has ended
in triumph with
almost all the new paintings sold. Of over 30 oil paintings
produced through the year and exhibited in art galleries along the
route, from Shipley to Penrith, only a handful remain.
Saltaire artist David Starley, who came up with the idea of the
year long Dales High Way Art Project at the end of 2010,
agrees
he's had a great year: "The painting has been both challenging and creatively stimulating, but
with results that exceeded my expectation."
David works in oils, creating
fabulous, textural paintings - great big canvasses with the paint layered on to
create a sculptural surface which changes constantly as the light moves across
the scene.
Excited by the possibility of creating an
exhibition themed around the route, David spent the year walking sections of
the trail with his camera and sketchbook, returning home to create his
paintings. Paintings inspired by the varied landscapes he experienced, from the
bleak moorland of Rombald's Moor to the flower-filled meadows of Dentdale, the
dramatic limestone scenery of Malhamdale to the richly wooded riverbanks of
Hoff Beck. Paintings which transform the views into pieces of art.
The Project maybe over, but the paintings remain as a lasting legacy of the power of this landscape to inspire and to
thrill.
See our previous post
here, and see the results of David's
Dales High Way Art Project here.
1 January 2012
Early Anglo-Saxon site uncovered on Ingleborough
A team of volunteers from the Ingleborough Archaeology Group
have excavated  the earliest example of an Anglo-Saxon building in
the Yorkshire Dales.
The site, in Upper Pasture, near Selside, on the eastern flank
of Ingleborough, was excavated over 11 days in spring this year.
The excavation was led by Dr. David Johnson, who said: "We
uncovered a small, rectangular, partly stone-built building with
two rooms and in it we found 16 pieces of charcoal impressed into
the compacted soil floor.
"Two of these were sent for radiocarbon dating and
returned identical dates - between AD660 and 780, which puts the
end of the site's use firmly within the Anglo-Saxon period. That
makes this building the only firmly-dated, post-Roman
archaeological site in Ribblesdale - which is of more than local
significance."
The area around Ingleborough is beginning to reveal a detailed
pattern of human occupation throughout the historic and
pre-historic period. In 1975 a Viking-age settlement was excavated
on the mountain's northern flank at Gauber, by a team led by Dr.
Alan King. A number of coins dated that site to the ninth century.
Robert White, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's
Senior Historic Environment Officer, said: "This is an
exciting discovery and one which is a credit to the group for the
professional way they approached and conducted the excavation.
"The results help fill in a picture of how life and
farming communities developed in the Dales and shows just how much
unrecorded archaeology there still is."
See the Ingleborough Archaeological Group's report
here. Find
out more about Dales archaeological sites
here.
20 December 2011
National Park extension wins approval
Plans to extend the boundaries of both the Yorkshire Dales and
Lake District  National Parks have won the approval of Natural
England, the public agency responsible for advising the government
on the environment. The decision follows a second round of public
consultations.
Natural England's recommendations will now go to the Secretary
of State Caroline Spelman for approval.
The second round consultations looked in particular at the
future designation of the Orton Fells which lie to the north of
the Howgill Fells, and include the fine limestone pavements of
Great Asby Scar. A large number of those who responded supported
the inclusion of the Orton Fells in the Dales National Park,
including most of those who lived in the area. But there was
opposition from both Cumbria County Council and Eden District
Council, as well as a number of local parish councils.
Natural England has decided:
1) the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park should be
varied to the north, to include parts of the Orton Fells, the
northern Howgill Fells, Wild Boar Fell and Mallerstang; and to the
west, to include Barbon, Middleton, Casterton and Leck Fells, the
River Lune and, part of Firbank Fell and other fells to the west
of the river; and
2) the boundary of the Lake District National Park should be
varied to the east, to include an area from Birkbeck Fells Common
to Whinfell Common; and to the south to include an area from
Helsington Barrows to Sizergh Fell, and part of the Lyth Valley,
including the small new addition of land North of Sizergh Castle.
The route of A Dales High Way crosses both the Howgill Fells
and the Orton Fells in it's final stages on its way to Appleby-in-Westmorland.
There will be further opportunity for public scrutiny, and if
objections continue a public inquiry may result.
See previous posting
here. Natural England's Lakes to Dales
Designation project here.
9 Dec 2011
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A Dales High Way: Route
Guide
[
Buy Direct from Publisher ]
"At £6.99 this is an
excellently-produced, pocket-sized publication, printed in full
colour on quality paper."
- Mike Priestley,
T&A
"This pocket sized book
contains many interesting photographs and informative descriptions
of the history, geology and the culture of the area - worth buying
for these alone."
- Jay Dingley, Strider
"It contains
large-scale coloured maps for every two to four miles of the
route, and these are full of detailed helpful directions."
- Keith Wadd,
West Riding Rambler
A Dales High Way Companion
[
Buy Direct from Publisher ]
"If you fancy hiking
the 93 miles from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria,
this beautifully designed and illustrated book would indeed be an
ideal companion to have in the back-pack."
- Jim Greenhalf,
T&A
"I cannot recommend this guide highly
enough."
- Mike Addison,
Westmorland Gazette
"it would make a fine
present for you, or a friend. Thoroughly recommended"
- Pete Shaw, FoSCL magazine
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