A 90 mile walk across the glorious high country of the Yorkshire Dales
A Dales High Way
News Archive 2016
Friends promote A Dales High Way
Thousands of copies of a new promotional leaflet for
A Dales High Way are ready
for
distribution in the new year.
15,000 leaflets have been printed by the Friends of A Dales
High Way group ready for the 2017 walking season. The leaflets
have been updated to include the newly extended Yorkshire Dales
National Park, which is crossed by the northern sections of the
90-mile trail.
They will be distributed mainly through the National Park Centres
and Tourist Information Centres along the route.
Julia Pearson of the Friends said "The previous leaflets proved
incredibly popular and were in great demand. As we ran out we
thought it would be good to update them to take into account the
extended National Park and to highlight in particular the northern
sections that lead into the beautiful Eden Valley.
"We're very grateful to Eden Tourism, the Long Distance Walkers
Association and Skyware Press for their help and support in
producing the leaflets."
The routes of the three-day cycling Tour de Yorkshire 2017
have been unveiled, with a treat for Dales High Way walkers for the
start of the final day.
Stage 3 of the event, on Sunday, April 30, will begin in
Bradford's City Park, with cyclists warming up as they pass through
Lister Park and along the A650 onto Saltaire, where they will turn
down Victoria Road to pass Victoria Hall, the start of A
Dales High Way.
Cyclists will then turn along Caroline Street and up Exhibition
Road to join the A657 to Shipley centre, before turning down onto
the A6038 towards Otley. The racing proper begins just outside
Baildon.
Riders will then go through Ilkley, Addingham and Skipton, then
on to Keighley, Haworth, Halifax, Brighouse and Holmfirth, and end
at Fox Valley in Sheffield.
Sir Gary Verity admitted organisers have made the final stage of
the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire as brutal as they dare after unveiling
the challenging route on Friday.
"We know we have to deliver a tough stage, but we also know it
can't be insane," said Verity, the chief executive of Welcome to
Yorkshire and the man behind the race.
"We can't put in 5,000 metres of climbing but we can put in
3,500m. It's as tough as we can make it."
Nicknamed the Yorkshire Terrier, the 194.5km stage from
Bradford to Fox Valley near Sheffield includes eight categorised
climbs - a total of 3,517 metres of climbing.
Four of those categorised climbs will come in the final 15
kilometres as the peloton tackles a circuit around Stocksbridge, but
the highlight of the stage promises to be the cobbled climb of
Shibden Wall near Halifax.
Short but extremely sharp, the climb averages 13.5% but hits
gradients of up to 25%, with the cobbles only adding to the pain.
"We want something that is going to look good visually, something
where you will get a huge crowd, and something that is testing from
a sporting point of view, and Shibden Wall will do all of that."
Three fell runners have set what is believed to be a new record
for A Dales High Way: 93 miles in just
over 26 hours non-stop.
Matt
Neale, Mark Collinson and Dave Dixon set off from Saltaire in the
dark at 8 p.m. last Friday night, 11 November. They finally jogged
into Appleby at 10.15 p.m. on Saturday night.
The runners had covered the official route in one continuous run,
stopping only occasionally for refreshments courtesy of the support
van with Andrea Cassidy and Jess Palmer.
All three are seasoned runners, between them covering such long
distance challenges as the Spine Race and Bob Graham round.
Matt Neale said "The last couple of years in November we have run
the Dales Way, so wanted a change this year. This was a better
route in my opinion, although not wanting to take anything away from
the Dales Way. A few less gates and stiles and higher ground,
which actually means it does get slightly drier underfoot."
The first part of the route was covered through the first night,
with "brew" breaks at Addingham Moorside, Skipton and Goredale Scar
before a cooked breakfast in Settle.
Matt said "After 20 minutes, we left Settle about 0600hrs, onto
Feizor and Wharfe. Daylight eventually arrived in time for the
climb up Crummackdale and Ingleborough. There was no hanging
around on the summit, touch the trig and down towards Chapel le Dale
on the Fellsman route. Ahh, the van! More tea and
sandwiches and then off towards Blea Moor signal box. The kind
owners of Broadrake B&B had been tracking us, so were waiting with
refreshments! Rude not to stop for 5 minutes, so we indulged
and had a chat about the Dales High Way. If the flapjack is anything
to go by, this spot is worth staying at if you are walking the route
at a more leisurely pace."
More brew breaks followed in Dent and Sedbergh before the climb
over the Howgill Fells and the Orton Fells, with a final brew break
in the support van at Great Asby.
Matt explained "Quick stop followed by difficulties moving tired
legs, we made slow progress to Hoff across muddy fields and
eventually arrived at the market cross in Appleby at 2215hrs. A
total of 26hrs 15mins and 93 miles.
"The Route Guide was great! We supplemented this with the OS map
during the night sections and occasional gps use. We only really
came off route a few occasions because we were busy chatting!"
Well done lads!
Photo shows the runners at the start - Mark Collinson, Davie
Dixon and Matt Neale (photo courtesy Andrea Cassidy). Many
thanks to Matt, Cathy, Andy, Chris, Tracey and Adam who came out to
help and Jess & Andrea for the road support.
A
new 28-mile circular route has been unveiled linking three West
Yorkshire Walkers Are Welcome towns: Otley,
Burley-in-Wharfedale and Baildon.
The Welcome Way was produced as a collaboration between
the three groups under the chairmanship of John Sparshatt, and is
now up-and-running, fully waymarked and supported by a detailed
50-page guidebook.
Bingley, which achieved Walkers Are Welcome (WAW) status in 2015,
has added a Bingley Loop to the route, giving an extra optional
9-miles.
Ramblers president Kate Ashbrook, who officially launched the
route earlier this year, said "Walkers Are Welcome has grown at an
astonishing pace as more towns and villages have seen the benefits
of accreditation and have come on board. Now walkers know that, if
they see the friendly footprint logo, they are assured of a warm
welcome throughout the town, a good path network and waymarked walks
round about. So everyone benefits - visitors, residents and the
local economy."
As well as passing right through the heart of each of the
communities, the route takes walkers high up onto Burley and Baildon
Moors, as well as crossing Otley Chevin and the northern flanks of
Wharfedale.
Walkers setting out on A Dales High Way
will soon come across the distinctive Walkers Are Welcome waymarks,
as the new route follows sections of the long-distance trail between
Shipley Glen and Burley Moor.
Crowds gathered at Saltaire this weekend to welcome the canal
boat Kennet as it
moored
for a while by Roberts Park, recreating the inaugural 127-mile
journey across the Pennines from Leeds to Liverpool to mark the
200th anniversary of England's longest canal.
The first voyage, in October 1816, took five days, though this
trip is taking a more leisurely 9 days.
Chantelle Seaborn, local waterway manager of the Canal & River
Trust said: "The opening of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal played a
key role in Britain's industrial revolution and encouraged the
development of the textile industries in West Yorkshire.
"There are fewer industries along its banks today but the canal
still brings many benefits."
At Hirst Wood Locks, where walkers on A Dales High
Way leave the canal towpath at the start of their
long-distance journey, a new information board on the canal's
history was unveiled by members of the Hirst Wood Regeneration
Group, alongside a stunning mural produced by pupils at Saltaire
Primary School.
The Regeneration Group are also celebrating being declared
overall winner from over 170 projects at the prestigious Biffa Award
Ceremony 2016. The group's volunteers have worked hard over the last
two years to create the Hirst Wood Nature Reserve from a derelict
land site on the southern side of the locks. If you're passing, pop
over the canal swing bridge and take a look.
Walkers finishing A Dales High Way can
now pick up souvenir mugs alongside
their
Completers Certificates, thanks to the enterprising staff at the
Appleby Tourist Information Centre.
The staff, who reported having "a lovely busy summer!", love to
meet Dales High Way walkers as they finish the trail at the foot of
Boroughgate by Moot Hall, where the centre is based. Walkers can
sign the guest book and pick up their free certificate. Now they can
also buy the new "I've completed the Dales High Way" mugs.
The idea for the mugs came from centre manager Nicola Elliott,
after walkers completing the long-distance trail were looking for
extra mementos of their walk.
Nicola said "They are made in Appleby and priced at £5.99 each.
We decided to get them made after several requests from walkers on
the route."
The TIC is open every day through the summer, from 9.30 am to 5
pm. from Monday through Saturday, and from 10.30 am. to 2.30 pm. on
Sunday. The friendly and knowledgeable centre team will help you
make the most of your visit and can provide you with all you need to
know about where to stay, where to eat, plus things to do and how to
get there.
The TIC stocks a range of walking and cycling leaflets and books,
postcards, maps, gifts and souvenirs. They can also book you on
special tours of the historic Appleby Castle.
If the mugs sell well, Nicola will look into extending the range
of Dales High Way souvenirs on offer. "We will have to look into Key
rings and Pin Badges next" she said.
The work to repair the badly eroded track along Swine Tail to the
summit of
Ingleborough
is now well underway.
Hundreds of old Lancashire mill flags have been lifted onto site
by helicopter, along with a small mobile excavator, and park rangers
are busy laying the flags with the help of volunteers.
If you think climbing the iconic peak is tough going, think about
the task faced by Park Access Ranger Josh Hull and his young
apprentice Tom, operating an excavator on the precarious mountain
edge overlooking The Arks at 700 metres altitude.
The cost of the scheme was estimated at £10,000 with the money
being raised in a unique crowdfunding exercise - Mend our
Mountains - organised by the British Mountaineering Council.
The initial task is to flag the path from the summit down towards
Simon Fell and the start of the "hair-raising" descent to Humphrey
Bottom.
The successful campaign beat the target figure by 25% and it is
hoped the extra money will help towards similar work on the
adjoining section which climbs up from the path from
Horton-in-Ribblesdale. Both these sections are part of the route of
A Dales High Way, but also trampled by
thousands of Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge walkers boots each
year.
So spectacular and beautiful is the 830 Northern Dalesman weekly
bus ride across
the
Yorkshire Dales, the BBC decided to film the two hour journey live,
then broadcast it as one of its Slow TV programmes.
The bus journey, from Richmond to Ingleton, follows sections of
some famous long-distance trails, including Wainwright's Coast to
Coast Path, the Pennine Way and A Dales High Way.
The 830, which begins its journey in Middlesbrough before
travelling to Richmond, only runs on Sundays and Bank Holidays from
early May to late September, and there’s just one round-trip journey
a day from each end point. This means that – depending on where you
alight – you can have between three and six hours at your stop of
choice before getting back on and heading back in the opposite
direction.
But it's still a popular bus for walkers, as it connects to the
Settle-Carlisle train at Ribblehead. For others, the bus journey
itself is the main event.
From Richmond the bus heads west along Swaledale, following the
Royal Route of Wainwright's Coast to Coast path, passing
through Reeth, Gunnerside and Muker. Then it makes the spectacular
climb over Buttertubs Pass, parallel to the Pennine Way's crossing
of Great Shunner Fell, before dropping down to Hawes and on to
Ribblehead.
Passing under the railway alongside the famous Viaduct, the bus
continues between Ingleborough and Whernside, well known to Dales
High Way walkers, to finish its journey at Ingleton.
All Aboard! The Country Bus was broadcast on August 29th
2016 on BBC Four.
There is just a week to go until a brand new boutique summer
festival is staged as part of Appleby’s fightback from the
after-effects of Storm Desmond last
December. It will be held in the spectacular surroundings of the
medieval Appleby Castle from 12 noon on Saturday 20 August 2016.
Expect a quality day of retro vibes, vintage markets, live
music, street entertainers, funfair, free children’s activities
followed by an After Party featuring the chart-topping Sam and the
Womp, The Correspondents and Gypsy Hill. Camping is available.
Walkers finishing A Dales High Way on
the Friday may wish to stay over an extra day to enjoy the
festivities.
Appleby-in-Westmorland was very badly affected by flooding in
December 2015, ruining houses, businesses and livelihoods. Eden Arts
were approached by a group of Appleby residents who wanted to put
together an event to help the town recover. So they threw around some
ingredients and The Summer Pudding was the outcome.
Adrian Lochhead, Director of Eden Arts, says, “It’s hard to
describe how excited we are about this fabulous new summer festival,
which is a great addition to Cumbria’s events calendar.
“We’ve handpicked a huge range of street performers and live
music acts to make this the biggest party Appleby has ever seen.
With nostalgic family fun throughout the day and a more intimate,
edge feel to the evening gig, it has all the ingredients to bring in
visitors not only from Cumbria, but from across the North of England
for a unique day out against the backdrop of this epic fairytale
castle.”
The festival takes place on Saturday August 20th, from 12pm - 7pm
for the Daytime event, 6.15pm - 11.30pm for the After Party. Adult
tickets range from £10 to £20, with children starting at £1. There
are generous discounts for local residents.
On Yorkshire Day - Monday 1st August 2016 - the area of the
Yorkshire Dales
National
Park was officially extended by a quarter, taking on huge swathes of
land in Cumbria and parts of north Lancashire.
The expansion will see it take on a extra 161 square miles of
upland landscape and move it within touching distance of the Lake
District National Park which is also expanding.
To the north, the Dales will now include the limestone-terraced
plateau of Great Asby Scar and the northern Howgill Fells, the
distinctive Wild Boar Fell and Mallerstang, and the settlements that
surround them. To the west, the National Park covers the fells of
Casterton, Middleton, Barbon and Leck.
The route of A Dales High Way crosses
the entire length of the newly extended National Park.
Chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Carl Lis
said: “I’m eternally grateful for the extraordinary work so many
people have put in to make today a reality. “
“For the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, the hard work
starts now. But through our passion for this special place, working
alongside local people and businesses, we will ensure it remains a
thriving area: its unique cultural landscape will be treasured for
its stunning scenery, exceptional heritage and wonderful wildlife,
and every year millions of people will be inspired to be a part of
it.”
The National Parks contribute £4bn to the UK economy each year
with tourism responsible for 13 per cent of rural employment and 10
per cent of rural businesses.
Mark Corner, from the Yorkshire Dales Society, said: “We’re very
excited, we have been working on this for many years and campaigned
and lobbied wherever we can. Some of the boundaries were picked on
an arbitrary basis in the 1950s, so to join it up makes an awful lot
of sense. It now should be on everyone's bucket list."
Andrew Sells, chairman of Natural England said: “This is a
momentous day for the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National
Parks, as well as for the wider family of protected landscapes.”
Natural England first suggested the extensions in 2009, with a
public inquiry launched in 2013. After hearing more than 3,000
representations of which only 220 were objections, it was
recommended the extensions be approved.
The Westmorland Dales are celebrating their inclusion in the
newly extended
Yorkshire
Dales National Park.
A day of events in Kirkby Stephen, which becomes the northern
gateway to the Yorkshire Dales, takes place on Sunday 31st July.
There will be a series of guided walks from the town before a
Celebratory Ceremony which will be held in the Parish Church,
Welcome to the Westmorland Dales with guest speaker John
Dunning and music from Kirkby Stephen Silver Band.
Kirkby Stephen Town Council is working with partners Howgill
Harriers, Kirkby Stephen & District Walkers are Welcome, British
Cycling and Cumbria Classic Coaches to offer free organised runs,
walks, cycles and coach trips around Kirkby Stephen and the northern
extension of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Breakfast is being sold by the Nateby Women’s Institute at the
Masonic Hall from 9am and may be booked with your walk if you are
interested before departing for your walk. Afternoon tea is
available from 1.30pm to 4pm.
Ann Sandell, chair of the Kirkby Stephen and District Walkers are
Welcome, said: “We are delighted that these parts of our beautiful
area have been recognised and we look forward to welcoming everyone
on Westmorland Dales Day or at any time.”
The new annual newsletter from the Friends of A Dales High
Way (FDHW) is now available to download.
This
year's newsletter focuses on the detailed Route Survey undertaken by
the Friends, which aims to highlight any problems with access or
waymarking along the 90-mile trail.
The survey concluded with a walk of the very first section from
Saltaire to Addingham with a group from the FDHW and Rick Hill - a
member of Bradford Metropolitan District Council's Rights of Way
department. This proved particularly useful, and adds to other
similar route walks with rangers from Cumbria County Council in
October 2012 and rangers from the Yorkshire Dales National Park in
July 2014.
Copies of the Survey report have been sent to each of the four
authorities which are responsible for sections of the route:
Bradford Metropolitan District Council; North Yorkshire County
Council; the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and Cumbria
County Council.
The newsletter also features the imminent extension of the
Yorkshire Dales National Park, which will take in most of the
northern end of the trail, leaving three quarters of the route
within the National Park.
Other features include accommodation updates, the Mend Our
Mountains campaign, news round-up and an excellent article on the
increasing popularity of A Dales High Way
by the celebrated rural campaigner Colin Speakman; "The Yorkshire
Dales are increasingly recognised as an international destination
for sustainable tourism, of which A Dales High Way is an outstanding
example."
The original cobbled square on Victoria Road, Saltaire, bounded
by four lions, is being reinstated as a final part of a £720,000
restoration scheme. Victoria Square, as it was once known, is the
starting point for A Dales High Way.
The
restoration scheme, which is now nearing completion, has seen the
whole pedestrianised length of Victoria Road reflagged with Yorkstone, with new
lamp posts, bins and signage installed.
More controversially, a number of trees planted in the 1950's
were removed, opening up the vista down Victoria Road as it was
originally when built by Sir Titus Salt.
Another aspect of the Victoria Square Setts Scheme, as it is
called, will be better disabled access across this part of the road
with near-level access between road and pavement along the central
section.
A council spokesman said the setts would improve the appearance
of the area, making it appear more like a public square again and
complement the setting of the surrounding listed buildings.
A combination of new and reclaimed setts has been chosen to
reflect the historic sett design elsewhere in Saltaire and also to
provide good colour contrast for people with a visual impairment and
smoother access for people with mobility impairments or those using
buggies, he said.
Bradford Council Deputy Leader Coun Val Slater said: “We ask
businesses, residents and visitors to bear with us while the work is
carried out but we are sure that any short-term disruption to
traffic will be well worth it in the end.
“The UNESCO World Heritage Site Saltaire is a wonderful asset to
the Bradford district and it is our responsibility to make sure that
we make the best of it for now and the future.
“We are sure that the improvements to Victoria Road will be fully
appreciated by everyone.”
The introduction to A Dales High Way Route Guide says,
“Accommodation is generally plentiful except at Chapel-le-Dale”.
Thankfully this is no longer the case and walkers now have the
choice of pub, B&B, campsite or bunk barn accommodation.
Broadrake (above) and Gauber (below)
This year has seen the opening of two new bunk barns, one at
Broadrake which is directly on the route of A Dales High
Way on the path between Chapel-le-Dale and Blea Moor
signal box. The other, Gauber Bunk Barn, is on the roadside just
after the Ingleborough alternative at Ribblehead.
These days Bunk Barns are not the rough and ready accommodation
some people might imagine. These two certainly aren’t.
Broadrake Bunk Barn is run by Mike and Rachel Benson and opens
for guests on July 1st. It’s a beautifully converted agricultural
building attached to their old farmhouse. From the entrance hall a
wide, glazed staircase leads up to a large open plan room complete
with the original exposed beams. There is a kitchen area in one half
and a lounge with comfy sofas in the other. There is a small snug
off this room with a sofa and bookcase; there is also an upstairs
toilet. It’s not all dormitories either. There are 2 four-bedded
rooms and 2 twin rooms at Broadrake and Rachel says, “We can provide
lifts for the footsore down to the local pub where the food is
excellent. DIY breakfast provisions are included for Dales High Way
guests’ use and hot breakfast baps and packed lunches can be
provided by arrangement.”
Gauber Bunk Barn is also very attractively renovated and sleeps
12 in three separate rooms, one of which has a double bed. Logs are
available for the wood burning stove and the owners Jon Radda and
Katie Hawkins provide bedding, towels and a basic breakfast for just
£21 per person per night. The lively Station Inn at Ribblehead is
just 10 minutes walk away for Dales High Way walkers looking for a
pint and an evening meal.
Katie told us, "Dales High Way walkers can be assured of a warm
welcome at Gauber Bunk Barn. Surrounded by stunning views and
situated right on the Dales High Way alternative route we offer
excellent facilities, warm, comfortable bunk rooms and a cosy
lounge."
The Mend Our Mountains crowdfunding campaign run by the
British Moutaineering Council (BMC), which ran through March, April
and May, succeeded
in
raising more than the £100,000 target towards urgent path repair
projects on some of Britain's most iconic peaks.
The specific campaign to repair the Swine Tail approach to
Ingleborough on the route of A Dales High Way,
raised an additional £2,460 above the target of £10,000. The path
also lies on the route of the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge route.
Steve Hastie, Yorkshire Dales National Park Ranger for the Three
Peaks area, said: "Over the years this path has become very badly
eroded and a wide scar now blights the side of arguably Yorkshire’s
finest mountain, making walking unpleasant and undermining the local
ecology.
"We have tried several path construction techniques over the
years, including coconut matting, stone pitching and cobbled steps.
But the sheer pressure of use and several wet winters meant none of
them have been effective, and the topsoil continues to be lost.
"The whole Ingleborough massif is a Special Area of Conservation
with European importance and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
It is also of significant archaeological interest, with the remains
of an ancient hilltop sanctuary on its summit."
The campaign was supported by Skyware Press, publishers of the
Dales High Way guidebooks, who donated 10 signed copies of their
latest Heart of the Pennine Way book as rewards, raising
£300 towards the total.
Dave Turnbull, the Chief Executive of the BMC, thanked supporters
of the campaign, telling them: "Thanks to your help we smashed our
target, raising almost £104,000 in total. This is a fantastic result
and an indication of the depth of affection which many walkers,
climbers and outdoor users feel for the environment and their
willingness to help maintain it.
"The support of Skyware Press both helped us to offer compelling
rewards to backers and showed that Mend Our Mountains had the
support of recognised brands, businesses and adventure providers,
essential prerequisites for the success of a campaign like this."
Chris Grogan of Skyware Press and Friends of A Dales High Way,
gave a well received presentation of the long distance trail to a
meeting of the BMC Yorkshire Area on 11 April in the middle of the
campaign. She said "We're really thrilled to have been able to
support this campaign in this way. Ingleborough is such an iconic
mountain and climbing it is one of the highlights of A Dales High
Way. We need to do all we can to look after it."
The 2016 annual Appleby Horse Fair got underway yesterday with
thousands of
gypsies,
travellers and tourists flooding the Cumbrian market town in bright
sunshine.
The town, which is still recovering from the devastation of the
winter floods, welcomed the visitors which swell the towns
population from 2,500 to an estimated 30,000.
RSPCA staff removed about half a tonne of dangerous debris from
the River Eden at the spot popular for the washing of horses,
including gates, fence posts and rusty farm equipment last week.
RSPCA chief inspector Rob Melloy said on Wednesday: “It could
have been a real danger to horses and people. It is something we
usually do before the Fair starts, which I’m not sure people
realise, but this year we wanted to put extra emphasis on it given
the recent floods. We’re expecting the weather to be good for this
fair, and it’s likely there will be a lot of horses, and people, in
the water, so we’re doing another sweep today. Of course anyone
going into the water does so at their own risk.”
Dr Robin Hooper, Chair of the Multi Agency Strategic
Co-ordinating Group (MASCG) for Appleby Fair said yesterday:
“Appleby Fair starts in earnest this morning with Fair Hill opening
and once again I would like to praise the Gypsy and Traveller
community for listening to our appeal not to arrive too soon for
this year’s Fair. The number of early arrivals has reduced again
when compared to last year, with initial numbers down by about 10%.
The lower number of motorised caravans arriving early helps
minimises the impact of the Fair on rural communities and allows
more grazing for bowtops as they make their way to Appleby."
The fair is an important community gathering and is believed to
be the biggest in Europe. Most of the travelling community camp on
Fair Hill above the town, bringing their horses down to the river to
wash them.
These days the fair is a generally well managed affair, though
there is still a touch of the wild west about the whole spectacle.
The entire route of A Dales High Way is
now available on current OS maps in
print,
shown as a Recreational Path.
The full route covers five OS maps, though most of the route is
found on just two: OL2 - Map of Yorkshire Dales - Southern &
Western Area, Whernside, Ingleborough & Pen-y-ghent; and
OL19 - Map of Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley.
Most of the first section across Rombalds Moor can be found on
Explorer 297 - Map of Lower Wharfedale & Washburn Valley,
Harrogate & Ilkley Moor.
The start of the route at Saltaire is shown on Explorer 288 -
Map of Bradford & Huddersfield, East Calderdale.
A very small section intrudes into OL41 - Map of Forest of
Bowland Pendle Hill, Clitheroe & Settle, though most walkers
will manage without this map.
A Dales High Way was born in 2007, with the first official
guidebook published in 2008. Initial waymarking of the route was
completed in July 2013 and the entire route appeared on OS digital
maps in March 2014, thanks to the support of all the local
authorities along the route, including Bradford District Council,
North Yorkshire County Council, the Yorkshire Dales National Park
authority and Cumbria County Council.
The route began to appear on printed maps as they were updated,
with the first being OL2, the Yorkshire Dales Southern & Western
areas in August 2014.
The 2016 Settle-Carlisle walking festival - ride2stride
- attracted record numbers
of
walkers to Dales High Way country, despite some
very varied weather.
Over 100 walkers turned up for the festival launch at Settle
railway station on Tuesday to join one of three walks. Dr. David
Johnson was "gobsmacked" to find 50 walkers on his geological and
archaeological trail from Settle to Feizor Thwaite.
The Friends of A Dales High Way sponsored a tour to
Appleby Castle on the Wednesday, along with the Friends of the
Settle-Carlisle Line (FoSCL), which attracted over 40 people
and had to be split into two groups. The tour was enjoyed by all and
is likely to be repeated in the future.
Friday saw the exciting finale of the first stage of the Tour de
Yorkshire cycle race at Settle, and on Saturday some 800 runners faced
a challenging climb over snow capped mountain tops on the annual
Three Peaks Fell Race from Horton-in-Ribblesdale, passing through
Ribblehead and Chapel-le-Dale.
Diane Taylor of the Festival committee said: "It's been a
fantastic week.
"We have had a lot of returners this year - people who come very
year -and they tell us it is the combination of the fantastic
Yorkshire Dales and the fact that they can leave their cars at home
to access the walks by train, and end each day with live music, that
brings them back".
Photo shows High Cup Nick (photo courtesy John Wood).
Ride2stride 2016 - the fifth Settle-Carlisle Walking
Festival gets underway on
Tuesday
with three walks leaving Settle station at 10 o'clock after a brief
welcome.
These are the first of 30 free guided walks over the week. There
are also 3 talks and seven nights of music to be enjoyed.
A tour of Appleby Castle on Wednesday morning is also included
this year. There is a small charge of £5 for this, with the event
being sponsored by the Friends of A Dales High Way and led
by the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line (FoSCL).
To liven up the weekend, Friday sees Settle hosting the finish of
this years opening Tour de Yorkshire cycle race. And on Saturday the
62nd annual Three Peaks Fell Race sees a thousand runners set off
from Horton-in-Ribblesdale for the 24-mile marathon.
“We love being part of Ride2stride," said David Singleton, of the
Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line. "We lead walks from the Settle
Carlisle line all year round and Ride2stride gives us a chance to
meet new people and introduce them to the area. It’s a showcase of
the best of what’s happening in the Yorkshire Dales and Eden
Valley."
This week's Craven Herald includes a detailed feature on
the festival, alongside a feature on A Dales High Way
long distance trail.
Train operators Arriva North took over the 9-year franchise to
run trains on the
northern
network this month - including the world famous Settle-Carlisle
line.
Passengers who didn't know might be forgiven for not noticing any
changes - yet. With most existing staff transferring over to the new
company and the same rolling stock being used initially, it will be
some time before the promised improvements become apparent.
Rebranding will be the first of the changes rolled out.
The Department for Transport's specification includes a guarantee
that the existing Leeds-Carlisle service will continue for the
length of the franchise, plus two extra Sunday services from 2017
and an extra late afternoon departure from Leeds from 2019.
The biggest changes will come elsewhere on the network, with the
complete overhaul of the existing fleet of the widely-unpopular
pacer trains by the end of 2019 promised, with an investment £400
million in 281 brand new carriages.
Other wholesale changes set to be introduced by 2019 include the
introduction of more than 2,000 services a week, a near-40 per cent
increase in capacity on trains and an improved ticketing scheme. The
total cost of the improvements is set to be £1.2 billion.
Launching the new franchise on April 1st, Alex Hynes, managing
director of Northern, said: “Today is the day we begin to deliver
our plans for the exciting next phase of Northern and each and every
one of the team is focused and determined to deliver for customers.
“Investment is exactly what customers wanted and we are looking
forward to achieving major improvements before the end of the
decade.”
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is taking part in a
crowdfunding appeal to help restore a section of path to the summit
of Ingleborough.
The
route up Swine Tail at the northeast end of the summit is shared by
both Dales High Way walkers and those
tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.
Three Peaks ranger Steve Hastie said: "Approximately 60,000
walkers complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge each year, at a
conservative estimate raising five million pounds for charitable
causes. Every one of them walks over the Swine Tail, the last climb
before reaching the iconic summit of Ingleborough from the north.
"Over the years this path has become very badly eroded and a wide
scar now blights the side of arguably Yorkshire’s finest mountain,
making walking unpleasant and undermining the local ecology.
"We have tried several path construction techniques over the
years, including coconut matting, stone pitching and cobbled steps.
But the sheer pressure of use and several wet winters meant none of
them have been effective, and the topsoil continues to be lost.
"The only technique we have found to be sustainable on the very
heavily used stretches of the Yorkshire Three Peaks is the use of
stone flags. In recent years a number of flagged sections have been
installed on the route, leading to restored vegetation and a more
sustainable long-term walking surface.
"On the Swine Tail we aim to install 325 metres of stepped stone
flags and restore a further 500 square metres of eroded ground. We
will work closely with Natural England to ensure maximum benefit and
minimum disturbance."
The 'Mend our Mountains' crowdfunding appeal is being run by the
British Mountaineering Council (BMC) to raise money for
environmental projects on some of Britain's most iconic peaks.
Skyware Press, who publish the Dales High Way guide books, are
supporting the appeal by offering signed copies of their latest
guidebook Heart of the Pennine Way as rewards.
The whole Ingleborough massif is a Special Area of Conservation
with European importance and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
It is also of significant archaeological interest, with the remains
of an ancient hilltop sanctuary on its summit.
UPDATE: Chris Grogan will be giving a
presentation on A Dales High Way to a meeting of
the BMC Yorkshire Area on Monday 11 April at the Wheatley Arms in
Ben Rhydding at 7.30 p.m. Members of the public are welcome.
"Holy shit. Malham Cove is amazing" - so tweeted Julia Bradbury
on the early morning of 10 September 2015.
A
walk to Malham Cove, taking in Janet's Foss, Gordale Scar and a
chunk of A Dales High Way is just one of
eight of Julia's best Walks With A View which is currently
showing on ITV on a Friday night.
Julia, well known as the popular presenter of BBC's
Wainwright Walks and Countryfile, has picked out a
family-friendly trek that can easily be done in a morning or
afternoon. The series will take you up hill and down dale, along
valleys and coastal paths, across rivers and streams, and through
fields and woodlands.
The Malham Cove walk features lots of local interest including
Town End Farm Shop, River House Hotel, Beck Hall, Hill Top Bunk Barn
& Annabelle Bradley of Malham Smithy.
Julia said; "Best Walks with a View has been a very different
experience for me because I put on the hiking boots as a mother of
three, something I still can’t quite believe. After my little boy,
Zephyr, was born four years ago, I had this deep longing to give him
a brother or a sister – pretty much as strong as the urge to become
a mother in the first place. I was 40 when I gave birth to Zeph and
Number Two proved to be a bit more difficult to achieve. However,
after a tricky ascent and a few stumbles along the way, I am now the
proud mama of twins, two girls, Zena and Xanthe.
"I have often been curious about families heading up into the
hills with a horde of kids in tow, especially as soon I’m going to
be one of those parents. And the magnificent walks featured are
suitable for families and are less than 16km (10 miles) in length.
Some have particularly personal resonance, as I walked them with my
dad when I was a child, and now I look forward to walking them with
my own children, probably with dad in tow."
The TV series is accompanied by a book, which is called
Unforgettable Walks and is published by Quercus, costing
£16.99. The Malham walk is shown on ITV Friday, April 1st, 8 p.m.
Where2Walk, a Dales based company that specialises in
offering walking holidays
in
the Yorkshire Dales, has added A Dales High Way
to its self-guided walking holiday portfolio.
Book your Dales High Way holiday with Where2Walk and they will
give you: advice on the best number of days for your ability; an
accommodation booking service; a guidebook of the route; extra
information on key route finding decisions, what to look out for
(often short detours off the route); emergency contact details and
an optional baggage movement service.
Where2Walk's Jonathan Smith believes A Dales High Way will prove
attractive for the adventure seeking walker. He said: "To me there
is nothing more satisfying than striding out on a high level ridge,
but most long distance walks usually stick to the lower ground.
Along with the presence of the excellent Settle to Carlisle railway
this is what appeals most to me about this excellent route."
Where2Walk holidays offer six of the most popular long distance
walks in the north of England - including the Dales Way, Bracken
Way, Cumbria Way, Coast to Coast and Cleveland Way.
Based in Long Preston, Where2walk also offers a guiding service,
navigation courses and a popular information website with over 500
of the best walks and places to go in the area.
Jonathan has lived in the Yorkshire Dales with his family for 15
years and is passionate about conserving and promoting this lovely
corner of England.
"More than anything Where2walk is a reflection of the love I hold
for the landscape of Northern Britain and how much I enjoy walking
in it. If I can encourage a few more to try and enjoy then it has
been a success."
Photo shows Jonathan and his 5 year old Border Collie Mist on
the Howgill Fells.
The world famous Settle-Carlisle railway line has been closed
north of Appleby following a major landslip at Eden Brows near
Armathwaite. Trains continue to
run
between Leeds and Appleby on a revised timetable.
Following heavy rains earlier this month a large section
embankment below the two-track railway at Eden Brow slipped into the
River Eden, running below.
Trains had been allowed to run through the area at speeds of 5mph
on one of the two tracks while engineers and geotechnical experts
designed a permanent repair. Network Rail’s Orange Army is now being
mobilised to tackle this problem as quickly as possible. But further
slips have meant the complete closure of this part of the line.
Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said
"Since movement of the embankment was first detected by aerial
monitoring, we have had a team of experts on site to monitor
conditions and to measure ground movement. This team measured
significant movement of the embankment overnight and we have needed
to close the line.
"Major repairs are needed and the line is likely to be shut for
many weeks while these take place."
Trees are being cleared on the slope below the track for ease of
access, and a new access road has already been constructed so heavy
equipment can be brought to the site.
Northern Rail will be operating train services between Leeds and
Appleby and a replacement bus service between Appleby and Carlisle.
Northern will continue to work with Network Rail to ensure its
customers are kept on the move, up to date with the latest
information and that disruption is kept to a minimum.
The closure should not affect walkers on A Dales High
Way who are planning to return by train from Appleby,
but you are advised to check the latest timetable as changes are
being made.
Most visitors to the Dales come to walk and enjoy the beautiful
scenery by day.
But
the wonderful dark skies of the Yorkshire Dales hold their own
unique treats, and to celebrate the National Park is hosting its own
festival which will take place over February half-term - 15 to 21
February 2016.
There's plenty do and see, including a talk from astronomer
Richard Darn - Searching for ET; a series of Open
Telescope sessions; a pop up planetarium with stunning cosmic
presentations; a Night at the Museum with storytelling and things to
do and make; and a night run and a guided bike ride.
The National Park Authority-run events are being held at or from
the Dales Countryside Museum and Aysgarth Falls National Park
Centre, but there are also events in Askrigg, Malham, Reeth and
Ribblesdale. On Saturday 20 February there's an exciting evening
walk with Yorkshire Photo Walks to Janet’s Foss in Malham,
where you can discover how to make the invisible visible through the
magic of photography and learn how to use your camera effectively
after dark (cost £22).
A photo exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum - A
Celebration of Dark Skies - will feature the work of several
local photographers who have captured the night skies in all their
glory. Museum manager Fiona Rosher said: “The Dark Skies Festival is
a fantastic chance for people to learn more about what they can see
at night – from constellations to the International Space Station,
which is orbiting the Earth right now with British astronaut Tim
Peake on board."
The week long event to showcase the sky at night - as well as the
thrill of the Dales after dark - is being organised jointly by the
Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park Authorities. Low
light pollution in both national parks makes them ideal locations
for spotting cosmic happenings.
Photo: "Dark Skies over Ribblehead" by Martin Eastwood.
SKIPTON'S Springs Canal has been closed to canal boats after
several tons of rock
fell
into it from an overhanging outcrop on Friday.
The popular footpath through Skipton Woods, which runs
alongside it, was also closed for several days, but has now reopened
to walkers. The path forms a popular alternative route for walkers
on A Dales High Way leaving the town
centre.
Engineers from the Canal and River Trust and Craven District
Council are formulating a plan to clear the waterway, under the
outcrop on which Skipton Castle stands.
A spokeswoman for the Canal and River Trust said: "Engineers are
still looking at how best to remove the rocks and there is no
timescale yet for when the work can take place. It is in a difficult
place to access so no estimate of how much the operation will cost
can yet be made."
It is believed that recent heavy rain is likely to have weakened
the structure of the rock, though there is no danger of a further
fall, according to the Canal and River Trust.
The Springs Canal is a half-mile branch from the main Leeds and
Liverpool canal, which was unaffected.
A new TV drama based around the building of the Ribblehead
Viaduct in the 1870s is premiered on ITV on Thursday, January 7th.
The eight-part series is set in an imagined version of one of the
notorious navvy shanty towns - Jericho - under the shadow of
Ingleborough and Whernside on the desolate Blea Moor. In the drama
Ribblehead is renamed "Culverdale".
The Ribblehead Viaduct, the longest on the Settle-Carlisle
Railway, was built between 1869 and 1875. It required 6,000 workers
to construct the line with at least 200 hundred fatalities through
engineering accidents or smallpox, most of who are buried in the
nearby cemetery at Chapel-le-Dale.
The route of A Dales High Way passes
under the arches of the magnificent Viaduct.
Life in the lawless shanty towns was wild and tough, and the
drama has been described as Britain's first Western.
Much of the filming was done in Huddersfield. Production teams
built the shanty town at the heart of the storyline. They had to get
special permission from Kirklees Council to construct the set and
also to allow explosions as part of the filming.
“We're delighted to be embarking on the production of Jericho, an
epic character driven drama set in the visually striking landscape
of a frontier community. We're also thrilled that we have a
wonderful cast with Jessica Raine, Hans Matheson and Clarke Peters
in the leading roles,” said Executive Producer Kate Bartlett.
for
distribution in the new year.
Matt
Neale, Mark Collinson and Dave Dixon set off from Saltaire in the
dark at 8 p.m. last Friday night, 11 November. They finally jogged
into Appleby at 10.15 p.m. on Saturday night.
A
new 28-mile circular route has been unveiled linking three West
Yorkshire Walkers Are Welcome towns: Otley,
Burley-in-Wharfedale and Baildon.
moored
for a while by Roberts Park, recreating the inaugural 127-mile
journey across the Pennines from Leeds to Liverpool to mark the
200th anniversary of England's longest canal.
their
Completers Certificates, thanks to the enterprising staff at the
Appleby Tourist Information Centre.
Ingleborough
is now well underway.
National
Park was officially extended by a quarter, taking on huge swathes of
land in Cumbria and parts of north Lancashire.
Yorkshire
Dales National Park.
This
year's newsletter focuses on the detailed Route Survey undertaken by
the Friends, which aims to highlight any problems with access or
waymarking along the 90-mile trail. 
The
restoration scheme, which is now nearing completion, has seen the
whole pedestrianised length of Victoria Road reflagged with Yorkstone, with new
lamp posts, bins and signage installed.
in
raising more than the £100,000 target towards urgent path repair
projects on some of Britain's most iconic peaks.
print,
shown as a Recreational Path.
of
walkers to Dales High Way country, despite some
very varied weather.
Tuesday
with three walks leaving Settle station at 10 o'clock after a brief
welcome.
northern
network this month - including the world famous Settle-Carlisle
line. 
The
route up Swine Tail at the northeast end of the summit is shared by
both Dales High Way walkers and those
tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.
in
the Yorkshire Dales, has added A Dales High Way
to its self-guided walking holiday portfolio.
run
between Leeds and Appleby on a revised timetable.
But
the wonderful dark skies of the Yorkshire Dales hold their own
unique treats, and to celebrate the National Park is hosting its own
festival which will take place over February half-term - 15 to 21
February 2016.
fell
into it from an overhanging outcrop on Friday.
