Highs and lows

WE TRAVELLED to Wensleydale with two walks in mind, high and low. As the fell tops were invisible we played safe, took the pretty option and settled on the village of West Witton.

In the Fox and Hounds Inn is hung information on the 'Burning of Owd Bartle', a fertility/harvest god rite perhaps, 'At Penhill crags he tore his rags./ At Hunters Thorn he blew his horn.'

And so on, but this need not concern us now as the annual re-enactment is in August.

We slipped through St Bartholomew's churchyard, snowdrops fading, the fruit and nut trees blossoming, and channelled down a track towards the River Ure. The track is a gem, narrow, the drystone walls pale with lichens and green with moss.

Once upon a time the land was deer park, now it is an intricate pattern of hummock-shaped pastures, small fields, small field barns, diddy gates and ridge and furrow grassland. The whole unmodernised for modern farm machinery. For a moment a stab of sunlight set Bolton Castle aglow, then the towering 14th century walls vanished in the mists of distance.

The river was shallow, quick and wide, running gin-clear with a silken sheen. The path is just beside, described in the 19th century as a 'natural promenade'. Of birds small, the yellow fronted wagtails hopped from rock to rock; of birds large, a buzzard scanned a limestone scar and Canada Geese honked. Apart from this honking and the water it was quiet.

After a mile the path rises above the river, the hummocks of limestone make a most distinctive landscape; there is an info-board about this. Then we reached Redmire Force, settled for our sandwiches in a bowl of tree roots and soaked up the sight and sound of the big river cascading over gap-toothed shelves 50 feet below us.

Bluebell Wood is further upstream, but there were plenty shooting up underfoot here. For us, early season, there were the permanent pleasures, another miniaturised walled track, more springs, and the field furniture, notable a sculptural squeezer stile, that prompted one of our party to complain that 'the squeezers seem to get narrower'.

Rabbits were out, lambs were out and at last the sun was out, hanging warm over Penhill. But we didn't regret not going for a climb, it had been so sweet a route, and we found a good long view near the finish, of the sequence of big buildings at mile or so intervals down Wensleydale - Bolton Castle, Bolton Hall and the Holy Trinity church at Wensley.

Directions:

When in doubt, look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1. From the Fox and Hounds, cross road, down alley, through churchyard, right to lane, 100 yards, right at junction to track behind village. Left to walled track just before rejoining main road.

2. At end of track, squeezer on right and stay by wall to your left until 20 foot bank downhill at corner, 1 pm, 200 yards.

3. Left to grassy track, fieldgate, bridge and right, stile.

4. Left to riverside path.

5. Follow stream to your right for 100 yards, step over, path picks up wall above river.

6. Ladderstile. Straight on to gate into woods and Redmire Force, return then right to track immediately before ladderstile, gateway, fieldgate, left 20 yards on concrete track by wood, fieldgate and 2 pm uphill across field then right at far side so wall to your left. Gate.

7. Fieldgate to walled track.

8. Fieldgate, 20 yards, gated squeezer on left (signed), 1 pm, squeezer, 1pm, fieldgate and immediately right to fenced path back into village.

Fact file:

Distance: Four and a half miles.

Time: Two hours plus.

General location: Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Start: West Witton.

Right of way: The complete route is along public rights of way.

Date walked: Saturday, March 15, 2003.

Road route: A684 from Leyburn.

Car parking: Lay-by just east of village, limited roadside. Andrew and Nola Blackburn have kindly allowed that walking patrons of the Fox and Hounds (tel: 01969 623650) may use the top end of the pub's car park.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: Two pubs, food.

Tourist & public transport information: Leyburn TIC 01969 623069.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL30 Northern and Central Dales.

Terrain: Riverside and pastures.

Points of interest: The 'Burning of Owd Bartle' takes place on the Saturday nearest to St Bartholomew's day, August 24.

Difficulty: Easy/moderate.

Dogs: Suitable.

Weather forecast: Evening Press and recorded forecast 0891 500 418

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 16:09 Friday, March 21, 2003