Penguins and Polar Bears - the filming of Frozen Planet
From: Booktown News
Date: 24 January 2012
The BBC television series "Frozen Planet" captivated BBC
viewers with its incredible footage of nature in action in the most
extreme of weather conditions on the ultimate polar expedition. This
landmark series brought to the screen the frozen wildernesses of the
Arctic and Antarctic as you have never seen them before, and may never see
them again...
Now, in Sedbergh, you have the opportunity to hear Frozen Planet
cameraman Mark Smith recounting his close encounters with the wildlife in
the Arctic and the Antarctic in a talk arranged by the Sedbergh support
group of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Mark, who is a former pupil of Sedbergh School, will be illustrating
his presentation with a collection of stunning photographs and video
footage on Thursday 9th February in Queens Hall, Sedbergh School, at
7.30pm.
Tickets (£8.00) are available from The Sleepy Elephant shop in Main
Street Sedbergh or online from www.sedberghbooktown.co.uk/webshop.
One night stays, Croft Gate, Chapel le Dale
From: Martin Carter
Date: 12 January 2012
Due to unprecedented demand we now offer one night stays Sunday to
Thursday inclusive.
Thanks
Martin Carter www.croft-gate.co.uk
Dales Highway Enquiry
From: Guy Anderson
Date: 12 January 2012
Hi Tony,
Having read the feedback on your website I am really looking forward to
walking the Dales Highway with my Dad in May 2012 (your route book was
ordered yesterday...) and am keen to understand the approx daily walking
times. My Dad and I are early morning walkers and are looking to build up
a hunger and thirst with approx 6-8 hours walking a day. With this in
mind, does our planned itineray look reasonable?
Saltaire to Skipton (17.9)
Skipton - Settle (18.7)
Settle - Chapel-le-Dale (14.2)
Chapel-le-Dale - Sedbergh (15.7)
Sedbergh - Newbiggin-on Lune (10.9)
Newbiggin-on-Lune - Appleby (12.7)
Excited to be planning the route - open to all and and any suggestions
and greatly appreciate any guidance you can provide.
Many thanks
Tony replies: Looks good. That's the most natural itinerary
I think, but two tough days to start with - probably 8 hours plus with
breaks. Please let us know how you get on.
Waymarking
From: John Holding
Date: 10 January 2012
Is the Dales High Way waymarked?
Tony replies: No, not specifically. Waymarking of the
first part of the route is expected to start this year.
Dales High Way Art Project
From: Dave Starley
Date: 23 December 2011
Well it’s been quite a year as an artist and the highlight was
definitely the Dales High Way Art Project. It's been a great experience.
Firstly of course it's a wonderful walk and Chris and Tony's guide book
and companion volume are great for not just finding the right path but
learning more about the landscape. Secondly, the painting has been both
challenging and creatively stimulating, but with results that exceeded my
expectation. Finally, exhibiting the pictures at galleries along the route
of the walk has made some great links with new (to me) galleries which I
hope to maintain. Thankfully, the output has proved popular with the
majority of the works now sold, with just a few left. When the
"final" exhibition at Shipley library closes tomorrow, there'll
just be a handful of works left. (do contact me if you're interested).
With very best wishes for Christmas and 2012
Dave Starley ( www.saa.co.uk/art/davidstarley
)
Camping on the DHW
From: Peter Dawson
Date: 2 November 2011
Does anyone have experience or knowledge of camp sites along ( or
sensibly near ) the DHW in winter ? I plan to join the trail in Ilkley or
Addingham and would like to work out if it is possible to complete the
journey ( in winter ) exclusively by camping.
Thank You.
Tony replies: From, say Addingham, you could break down
the walk as follows:
1) Gargrave -
campsite 1½ miles SW of Flasby (along Eshton Rd).
2) Malham - campsites
at Goredale House and Riverside (Malham Cove).
3) Little Stainforth -
campsite (open 1 March-14 January).
4) Ribblehead - wild camping
at back of Station Inn.
5) Dent -
several campsites and lots of facilities.
6) Low Greening
Campsite, Ravenstonedale; or Bents
Camping Barn, Newbiggin-on-Lune.
7) Return home on train.
This would give a short day between Ribblehead and Dent, or you might
want to skip Ribblehead and go straight through to Dent. Can't guarantee
the weather though...
For other itineraries, see here.
Dogs
From: Sally Goodall
Date: 11 October 2011
I am interested in walking the DHW. Has anyone any comments/experience
on whether it is realistic to take a dog, i.e. is there enough
accommodation en route that allows dogs? I would be aiming to walk it in 6
days.
Chris replies: Hi Sally. We usually take our dog Jess
with us when we walk A Dales High Way and we've never had any problems
finding somewhere to stay. If you look at the accommodation
listings on the website it says which places take dogs. Have fun.
The Dales High Way September 2011
From: John and Jean Hussey
Date: 13 September 2011
We have just completed a thoroughly enjoyable time completing the Dales
High Way despite wet, windy and misty conditions making the going"
interesting". Although the official start is Saltaire we took on
board the theme of the book and walked from our home in North Leeds, via
the Meanwood Valley Trail, Golden Acre Park, Otley Chevin and Burley Moor
to join the main route at Ilkley. We took advantage of cars and buses so
as to return home for the first few nights which saved us money on hotel
bills.
Route Taken
A summary of our route is as follows:
- Day1 Home to Bramhope
- Day2 Bramhope to Ilkley
- Day3 Ilkley to Skipton
- Day4 Train to Skipton and walk to Cracoe (Devonshire Arms
Hotel)
- Day5 Cracoe to Settle (Whitefriars Country Guest House)
- Day6 Settle to Ribblehead (Station Inn Bunkhouse)
- Day7 Ribblehead to Sedbergh (Bull Hotel)
- Day8 Sedbergh to Ravenstonedale (Kings Head Hotel)
- Day9 Ravenstonedale to Appleby and 5pm train back to Leeds
We followed the maps in the guide without any problem, very clear
especially if you concentrated on the details and didn't just drift off
into enjoying the scenery and company as we sometimes did. I thought the
size/layout of the guide book was excellent, we use the Topo series of
books for walking in France which have a 1:50 "OS" type map on
one page and a set of instructions on the adjacent page. This makes for
clear reading (and a lighter pack weight) of the route, any additional
information on the region, its history, geology etc is kept completely
separate to be read at leisure. We couldn't see the tops of Ingleborough,
Whernside or the Calf so used the low level options which were a real
delight and a wise choice.
Hotels etc
The accommodation was all fine but the Kings Arms Hotel in Ravenstonedale
stands out for a special mention-it has just been refurbished and was a
real treat for our last night away. Sheer luxury!!! We stopped for a break
at Elaines Tea Rooms in Feizor (open 7 days a week 9.30am to 4.30pm) where
drinks, sandwiches, cakes etc are always excellent-yes, we have been there
before. We wanted to stay at the Railway Inn at Ribblehead but the rooms
were full so we booked the bunkhouse. At £10 each per night plus £6.50
for breakfast it was cheap but some repairs to window glazing/tidying up
of our room would have been much appreciated. The pub served good beer and
food so there was no problem there.
Route Problems
P19 sect2 Blue topped posts not apparent any longer, there was 1 fallen
down at top but couldn't spot new route so followed usual, old route down
and there were no posts at bottom. P37 sect5, alternative route now seems
to be the main/preferred route-easy to follow
Thanks for the weather!
From: Susie and daughter Julia
Date: 5 September 2011
19th – 26th August 2011
August typically has some of the most unreliable weather of the whole
summer, but we were blessed on this walk with some fabulous sunshine, and
only half a day of rain, apart from an unwelcome blast of a shower right
on top of Whernside. We looked at the forecast each morning and although
showers (or, worse, real rain) were frequently predicted, we always got
away with it and, unusually, the west of the Pennines got away with it
while the east, and the south of the country, got clobbered.
We all try to kid ourselves that rain doesn’t spoil things; that we
will have a good walk anyway; but it’s all bravado really, and being
able to walk in T-shirt and shorts and take blue-sky photos has made one
of the most enjoyable weeks I have ever spent. Using SherpaVan to carry
our bags was also one of my more brilliant decisions. (Flawless service
btw – thanks).
My 15-yr-old daughter commented that one of the great features of this
route is that each day, you walk through noticeably different terrain. No
two days are the same. We have walked the Isle of Wight, the Dales Way and
the West Highland Way in recent years and I can’t remember this feature
occurring on any of these walks. We didn’t attempt more than 12 – 15
miles in a day, preferring to get to the accommodation in good time in the
late afternoon, to give time for pottering about the area a bit and
reflecting on the day (and editing photos off the camera!). Sure, we could
do 20 miles but day after day this takes the shine off the “relaxation”
element of the walk. On the penultimate day we made a decision not to walk
the final section: a combination of a very dodgy forecast (subsequently
borne out) and the fact that we came off the Howgills on such a “high”
that anything after that would have been anti-climactic.
We used mainly private Bed and Breakfast, with the occasional pub where
this was unavoidable. With one exception, in Skipton (I won’t name the
establishment but I shan’t be going back), we had wonderful and
memorable overnight stops.
Ilkley: Archway Cottage. Really welcoming, fantastic Family room in the
attic, BATH, brilliant breakfast and fantastic ground coffee. Evening meal
at nearby, newly-opened Wetherspoons. Predictable but OK fare.
Skipton: not commenting here, but the fish and chip shop by the canal
bridge was really cheap and also does jacket potatoes etc.
 Malham: Beck Hall B&B. Much larger than I expected, but definitely
not at the expense of a welcoming and personal service. Our host booked a
table for us at the Lister Arms where we had a sensational (if a bit
expensive) meal. Arrived and left Malham in blazing sunshine, so it all
made for a memorable stay.
Stainforth: Craven Heifer pub. Excellent. Patrick the landlord has
reopened the place relatively recently, and couldn’t do enough for us.
Great pub fare in the evening – massive portions too. I wish them well.
Chapel-le-Dale: The Old Hill Inn. Arrived indecently early so had tea,
coffee and cakes. The place is run by 3 or 4 chefs, so the food was
magnificent, and though expensive was worth paying for (like the Lister
Arms in Malham). I don’t eat cooked breakfasts (my companion makes up
for that) and was offered a massive bowl of fresh berries plus a massive
bowl of homemade fruit compote along with cereal etc. Good accommodation
too and a huge selection of books to browse.
Sedbergh: Wheelwright Cottage. Very comfy private B&B. BATH!
Residents’ area in lounge with small TV and books. Host Suzy very
welcoming and helpful. Food at the Red Lion round the corner was rather
disappointing – microwave very evident – and frankly a bit pricey for
what we got, but the welcome was fine.
Ravenstonedale: Westview. Excellent, spacious, helpful host (drove us
to Kirkby Stephen station in the morning for Appleby, as we’d decided
not to walk). Evening meal at the Black Swan – excellent; pricey.
Appleby: Bongate House. Not as far out of town as I’d imagined – 5
mins’ walk from the river. Big establishment but very welcoming;
spacious room and residents’ lounge. Owner John drove our bags to the
station later in the morning. Evening meal at the Royal Oak down the road
– chose it because it was the nearest. Like the Black Swan, very good
but pricey.
 Following the Dales High Way route guide and maps: these were so
informative and helpful. I support the comment made somewhere here that
combining the info in the two books would be a great idea if possible. We
had to put the Companion book away after a couple of days, as the binding
gave way after a bit of bending the pages back to make carrying easier,
and this was a shame. The only time we came to grief was between Crummack
and Simon Fell, where the grassy-sometimes-limestoney terrain has about 65
paths all weaving and crossing, but despite fastidiously following the
instructions, using compass bearings off the 25,000 OS map etc, we just
could NOT find the “Access Post” mentioned in the guide . . . . we had
just wanted to maintain our “purist” approach and stick rigidly to the
route! Much head-scratching and back-tracking and re-taking of bearings
later, we decided that as we had perfect visibility we would just go for
the obvious route up the foot of Simon Fell. In fact we were on the right
path all along. We found out once we got home that the said Access Post is
no more . . .
But many congratulations to Tony and Chris for putting together such a
valuable and informative couple of publications.
I’d put up a couple of photos if I knew how . . . or do you have to
post a link to a blog? I’m not at all IT-savvy.
Low points: hardly any. Skipton B&B, I suppose; the heavens opening
when we got to Dent and staying opened all the way across the miserable
boggy Longstone Fell; having to come home at the end.
Highlights: Heather-clad Bingley Moor and Ilkley Moor in the sunshine;
stepping on the first piece of limestone (somewhere out of Hetton); Malham
and Goredale against cloudless skies; VERTICAL descent from Ingleborough;
and the Howgills! My first time after 30 years of looking at them from the
Dales and from the M6. Mile after mile of rolling, folding high tops, no
fences, walls or stiles (never included in the Enclosures Act), ravens
wheeling and dancing in the air, fell ponies, astonishing views, SUN! And
the chance to spend a week in Julia’s company, away from all the gripes
and hassles of ordinary life.
I’d recommend a serial walk to everyone, for getting yourself
re-calibrated and re-balanced and re-charged. Planning the next one . . .
. though I’d definitely do this one again.
The Write Idea: Late Summer Book Events in Sedbergh
From: Booktown News
Date: 3 September 2011
Poetry takes centre stage between 21st. and 25th. September in Sedbergh
with events highlighting the interest currently being shown in reading and
writing poetry. This will include an evening of poetry with the
Lancaster-based poetry group ‘Sixfold’, a full day poetry writing
workshop with Appleby poet and novelist Kathleen Jones and a distinctive
evening with poetry and pizza with our special Guest Poet Gerard Benson.
Further information about these events can be found at www.sedbergh.org.uk/bookfestival
.
A Damp Week in July
From: Trevor
Date: 24 July 2011
Up from Cornwall for The Dales High Way. I know The Dales quite well
and have covered most of the ground before but not in a linear route. The
Saltaire-Skipton leg was new to me and undertaken in superb walking
weather (13 & 14 July 2011). Based at Skipton, I used train and bus to
excellent advantage and had plenty of time to explore the points of
interest described in The DHW Companion.
On Friday, the best day for weather of the entire holiday, I spent time
in Harrogate and then picked up my friend at Manchester Airport. He'd
flown over from France to join me for the rest of the walk.
Saturday 16 July was disappointingly wet but the rain had stopped by
Weets Top and the walk via Malham Cove to Settle was superb and we enjoyed
the sun and excellent visibilty. A pint or two at The Lion at Settle and
then the train back to Skipton for fish and chips supper at Bizzie Lizzies.
Sunday 17 July was truly dreadful. We set out from Settle in heavy rain
and even Smearsett Scar was shrouded in cloud so we opted to avoid
Ingleborough. Then it got worse and we compromised by taking The Ribble
Way to Horton and recovered in Pen y Ghent Cafe before taking the train
south. A disappointing day but it would have been folly to attempt even
Simon Fell and the Cafe was, as always, most welcoming. Later we
discovered that The Lion at Settle stopped serving food at 8 pm so we went
to an Indian restaurant.
Monday 18 July and more rain. The plan was to park the car at Garsdale
Station, take the train to Ribblehead and walk to Sedbergh, then invite a
taxi to return us to Garsdale. However, we chickened out of that and
alighted at Dent, thereby avoiding Whernside and instead walked down to
Dent town and then over to Sedbergh. The weather turned out better than
forecast and we sat happily on a bench overlooking the cricket field of
Sedbergh School while I telephoned the numbers of local taxi firms given
to me by the Tourist Information Centre. No replies from any of them.
Nothing for it but to hitch the 9 miles to Garsdale Station. I hate having
to hitch. The champagne moment of the whole week was when, after 2 miles,
a very nice lady stopped to give us a lift right to my parked car. By now,
of course, the weather was very pleasant and the drive to Ravenstonedale a
delight.
I'd really hoped for good weather for the Howgills but Tuesday 19 July
was very wet. Nonetheless we took the bus from Ravenstonedale to Sedbergh,
had a coffee at Cafe Duo and set off up Settlebeck Gill. We were dry as
far as The Calf but from then on it rained all the way to Ravenstonedale.
I was so sorry my friend couldn't see the beauty of the Howgills that I've
enjoyed so many times in the past.
Wednesday 20 July was even wetter and we made an early decision to
drive the route to Appleby. Rather a sad way to finish The Dales High Way
but my friend assured me he'll be back to see the area in decent weather.
I'm passing by in August and if nothing else, will attempt the Newbiggin-Appleby
leg (on foot).
The walk is beautifully presented in the Guide and I congratulate Tony
and Chris Grogan for conceiving the route and for describing it so
accurately and enticingly.
Accommodation: We used Skipton Park Guest'otel, Settle Lodge and The
Black Swan at Ravenstonedale. Each was different and each represented very
good value. Superb meals at The Black Swan and a perfect pint of Black
Sheep. Early breakfasts no problem and free parking a valuable bonus.
Skipton, Settle and Sedbergh are all ideal for reprovisioning.
Number 10
From: Geoff
Date: 19 July 2011
Dear Chris and Ron
Congratulations on a wonderful walk. If you update your accommodation
list could you please include 'Number Ten' 10 Main Street, Sedbergh LA10
5BN T.015396 21808. Very pleasant and helpful with great breakfast.
Best Regards Geoff (from Oldham not 10 Main St.)
Sandra from Number Ten replies: Thank you Geoff, I'm glad
you enjoyed your stay. There's always a warm welcome at the "Number
Ten" fireside, where tales can be told and boots dried, followed by
the occasional sing song.
Howe Slacks
From: Richard
Date: 2 June 2011
We noticed the sign “Beware of the Dog” but thought nothing of it.
As we came round the corner into the farm yard the 3 dogs all chained up
went crazy. I’m glad they were all chained up and the four of us couldn’t
get through the gate quick enough. I think you are right and the farm
owner has put a board across the gate to make it very difficult for us
walkers. This didn’t spoil the last days walk and we really enjoyed the
river side walk into Appleby.
Chris replies: We walked this section last week (June 22)
and had no problems at Howe Slacks, so hopefully these issues have been
resolved.
Dales High Way feedback
From: A and M
Date: 1 June 2011
We completed the Dales highway on 28th May 2011. It was a memorable
walk with many highspots but we wanted to flag up a problem that we faced
on our final day after we left Great Asby. Approaching the farm at Howe
Slacks, there is a “Beware of the Dog” notice but this didn’t
prepare us for the reception that we received at the farm. Three dogs
barked loudly to warn of our approach and whilst two of them were chained
up, a third was not. This one ran at us very aggressively. The farmer
half-heartedly called it off as we raced to get through the stile to take
us out of the farm drive, but it came at us again as were doing this. The
stile was boarded at the top such that we had to crawl underneath the
boarding on our hands and knees (not easy with an aggressive dog and
wearing rucksacks!) Our impression of the whole experience was that the
farmer was not at all happy to allow walkers to follow the public footpath
and was trying to make it difficult. Has anyone else had a bad experience
at this farm?
During the final day, we also had to make a significant detour on our
approach to Great Asby because of a bull (older than the required 10
months for certain, but we were not sure of its breed) and a herd of cows
with young calves in a field through which the path passes. The book does
warn of cows on the final stretch and we were quite prepared for this. We
passed through a number of herds. But a monster bull is a different
matter! We preferred to take the risk-free option of a detour.
Chris replies: These problems have been passed on to the
Rights of Way officers at Cumbria County Council.
Up There With The Best
From: Tim & Pauline
Date: 30 May 2011
We walked the DHW over 8 days from 13 to 20 May 2011. Even though the
weather was mixed it could not spoil a really great walk. The route guide
and companion book proved to be a good purchase but OS maps are useful for
identifying more distant features and showing the bigger picture. We chose
to do the Pen-y-Ghent option from Stainforth and can confirm that it is
well worth the extra effort.
The B&Bs we used tended to be better quality and value than the
pubs/hotels and we can recommend the following: 1 Tivoli Place, Ilkley;
Park Hill, Skipton; Tranna Hill, Newbiggin on Lune and Bongate House,
Appleby. We would also recommend Croft Gate, Chapel le Dale but they no
longer accept one night bookings.
The DHW is superior to some more popular routes and is therefore worthy
of publicity in the walking press.
We look forward to seeing the DHW go from strength to strength.
Croft Gate B&B reply: We do actually take one
night bookings between the beginning of October to the end of April, May
to September we prefer a minimum of two nights and some Dales Highway
walkers do in fact book two nights and take the opportunity to explore the
dale. We may have late availability for one night stays May to September.
Hope this clear things up.
Regards Martin Carter www.croft-gate.co.uk
Brilliant walk
From: Richard
Date: 24 May 2011
Four of finished the walk on Saturday 21st of May. Brilliant walk.
The guide is fantastic but could do with places to eat and drink added.
(ie the cafe in Feizor).
Regards, Richard
Backpack cloth badges?
From: Carol Charlton
Date: 23 May 2011
We recently walked the Dales High Way with a group of 16 people from
the Swaldale Outdoor Club and had a great time.
Is it possible to purchase cloth badges for our rucksacks ?
Chris replies: We're glad you had a good time Carol. If
any of your group want to share your experiences, send us your highs,
lows, photos etc. and we'll put them on the Forum. Sorry we don't have any
badges at the moment, but if it's something walkers would like, please
will more people let us know and we'll look into it.
Sedbergh Folkfest 24-25-25 June 2011
From: Sedbergh Folkfest
Date: 9 May 2011
Martin Simpson & The FOS Brothers added to the bill!
We are delighted to announce that all our Main Marquee ticketed
concerts will feature three great acts with The FOS Brothers taking us
late in to Saturday night and the legendary Martin Simpson closing the
festival on Sunday. This is in addition to Judy Collins - Altan - The
Eliza Carthy Band - Ska Cubano - 3 Daft Monkeys - Andy Irvine - Hans
Theessink - Chuck Brodsky - Ben Paley & Tab Hunter - The Hut People -
Blackbeards Tea Party - Gilmore & Roberts and Tony Wilson who are also
all playing the Main Marquee!
The Arena
The full Arena programme is now online. With over 60 different events
there is something for everyone! Live Music and Dance, Storytelling,
Workshops, Puppets, Song Walks, Street Theatre, Ceilidhs, Music Sessions
and Children's events. You don't need tickets for the Arena, just turn up
and pay a donation. You can pick up a free programme on site with full
details of all the weekends events.
Stewarding At The Festival
We still have a few stewarding places available if you wish to work a
couple of 4 hour shifts in return for free tickets. Sign up on our
website.
Food and Drink
The Beer Tent will feature fantastic beers from The Black Sheep
Brewery. Johnny Baghdad's Middle Eastern fare including falafel, lamb
kebabs and veggie dishes, plus sausages and burgers from Sedbergh’s
award winning butcher Garth Steadman. Perugia wood fired pizza, freshly
made in a beautiful authentic wood fired oven! The Mashed Tea Tent serving
fresh filtered organic coffee and dozens of different organic teas along
with soup, hot chocolate, flapjacks, muffins and fruit. The Bloom Berry
Juice Companies fresh fruit smoothies and juices. The Windermere Icecream
company, lovely ice cream from the Lake District.
Festival Market
We have expanded the festival market this year with more stalls selling
Indian and Nepalese Clothing and Handicrafts, Jewelery, Hand Woven
Baskets, Stained Glass, Face Painting, Musical Instruments, CD Stall,
Vintage Clothing, Homemade Sweets, Crafts from Borneo and Clogs! KORU
massage will also be on site to bring you a sense of calm and well being!
Sessions in the local pubs
The Pubs in Sedbergh are all licensed for live music and happy to
accommodate people playing sessions. We don't organise sessions in the
pubs, it’s up to you, take your instruments and voices and play! The
Bull Hotel in Sedbergh also has a Beer Festival on over the weekend with a
fantastic selection of Real Ales and some of the dance teams performing at
the festival will also be performing in the beer garden at The Bull over
the weekend.
For further details and tickets see www.sedberghfolkfest.co.uk
Sedbergh Between the Music Festivals
From: Booktown-news
Date: 29 April 2011
As you may be aware the Sedbergh Music Festival runs on a biennial
basis with the next festival being due in 2012 but this year we are
introducing a number of “Between the Festivals” events..
While we were searching for something different for 2012 we came across
The Spooky Men's Chorale, an
Australian male voice choir of beefy bearded angels on a day trip to
Planet Earth. Spookmeister Stephen Taberner steers 16 men from the Blue
Mountains, where manners are short and stories tall, across the whistling
prairie of rock and pop, trad and punk, rib tickling and deep. They are
touring the United Kingdom during summer 2011 and we are delighted that
they will be performing in St Andrew's Parish Church on Tuesday 19th. July
starting at 7.30 pm. Tickets for this event are now available from the
Sedbergh Tourist Information Office or from our online Box Office at www.sedberghbooktown.co.uk/webshop
“Surely the best à cappella act in the land” - Sydney Morning
Herald
“Combining nuttiness with a knock-you-dead delivery” - The Scotsman
Other dates for your diary in 2011 are Saturday 7th. May when there
will be another light hearted evening hosted by Maureen Hinch and Jean
Dixon. In addition to the old favourites the evening will include a
performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's “Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat” by the members of the church's
children's and youth groups with a bit a adult support! And ending with
“Last Night of the Proms”.
Looking further ahead the Encore Opera Group will be visiting on
Saturday 24th September with a wide ranging selection of opera cameos.
See the Sedbergh Music Festival web page at www.sedbergh.org.uk/musicfestival
.
Re: a post from CHRIS
From: Matt
Date: 13 April 2011
Hi, I have just been linked to this page from my blog. Chris posted
(About 5 posts below this) linking to my blog and my justgiving page. I
would just like to say thank you for showing people about why we did the
walk. We had a fantastic week and it was a real pleasure. My first venture
into the Howgills, certainly not my last. We will be camping in Malham
this year and plotting a few walks around there to see the sights over a
few days.
Regards, Matt
Oxenber Woods
From: Julia
Date: 30 March 2011
After leaving Feizor on the track up the hill I would really recommend
that you take a slight detour into Oxenber & Wharfe Woods.The stile
into the woods is at the brow of the hill, you could just climb the steps
to the gate in the wall and have a look over, though I would really
encourage you venture further in, if only a few yards. The woods are a
great example of pasture woodland, and in early May the flowers are
spectacular - when I visited almost everyone I spoke to had made the trip
especially to witness the spectacle including bluebells, cowslips, early
purple orchids and wood anenome. It is not just the number of species to
see but the abundance of flowers that is breathtaking - a real joy!
Another Settle to Carlisle Way
From: Roy Pedlar
Date: 22 March 2011
Recently I bought a long distance walk book called "Settle to
Carlisle - Hill Walk with return by Classic Train Route" by Hugh
Stewart (ISBN 978-1-908098-06-1) which consists of a route from Settle to
Carlisle returning using the train. The route from Settle is similar to
the Dales High Way but from the Howgills it then heads across to go
through the eastern Lakeland hills then the Caldew valley. It looks if it
could be a route to complement the Dales High Way by either diverging on
to it at Sedbergh or continuing to Appleby and taking one of the paths to
join this route from Crosby Ravensworth to Carlisle.
Friends of A Dales High Way
From: Chris
Date: 13 March 2011
We are planning to launch The Friends of A Dales High Way
in the coming month. It is an informal group of people who want to help  support,
promote and maintain the long distance trail.
It will be open to anyone who has walked some or all of the route, or
who just want to support it. Membership will be free.
The group will mainly be organised through a Facebook Group, which we
will link to from here. Anyone who would like to join but doesn't want to
use Facebook can just send us an email (to friends@daleshighway.org.uk
) and we'll keep you up to date via email and this forum.
We hope to organise occasional events for those that can make it, but
online Friends can help by posting reports, photos, suggesting
improvements, commenting on other suggestions and so on.
We know a lot of people have already walked A Dales High Way in its
first two seasons, and quite a few have already made plans for this
season. Any help you can offer, including just a simple report of the
things you liked or disliked about the route or any troubles you had
route-finding, is invaluable to us for improving the route in the future.
Plans under consideration for the future include the possible
waymarking of the route, developing an alternative route for those wishing
to head for Ingleton, and organising a 3-day "challenge" event.
Watch this space and let us have your thoughts.
Regards, Chris & Tony (and Jess).
Baggage Service
From: Lyn
Date: 12 march 2011
My husband and I are planning to do your trip this year. We are staying
in bed and breakfast, not camping or anything, but propose to carry out
stuff rather than use a baggage transport service. We are keen walkers and
enjoy long walking trips where we have carried our rucksack before but
wonder if it is sensible on this trip. Can you offer any advice.
Chris replies: Thanks for your email. If you're used to
carrying your stuff you should be fine. I usually do. You could always take
the phone numbers for Brigantes and Sherpa Van with you just in case you
change your mind half way through!. They're both really helpful. I hope
you enjoy A Dales High Way. Let us know how you get on - we always love to
hear from walkers.
Best wishes Chris
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