Flooded with history

BAINBRIDGE is a delightful Dales village with a sprawling village green overlooked by a 15th Century inn.

In medieval times this large green had an important purpose as a refuge for livestock as this village was once on the edge of the vast hunting Forest of Wensleydale that stretched from the River Bain to Mallerstang and was home to 12 foresters and their families.

This forest was the haunt of wolves, bears and eagles and was a dangerous place to be after dark, so much so that a law was passed which stated that a horn was to be blown each winter's evening to guide travellers to safety - the Bainbridge Forest Horn still hangs in the passageway of the Rose & Crown.

But the history of Bainbridge stretches back a thousand years earlier to the time of the Romans who built a fort on Brough Hill, which rises to the east of the village.

This fort, known as Virosidum, was built in AD80 by Agricola, Rome's most successful and longest-serving governor in Britain, and housed up to 500 men who kept a watchful eye on the local Brigantes tribes for nearly 300 years, although the fort was attacked and rebuilt on several occasions.

The return leg of our route follows a Roman Road, still a stony track, down across the flanks of Wether Fell - this road once connected Bainbridge with Ribchester.

The small glacial lake of Semerwater lies hidden in the side-valley of Raydale, the source of the River Bain, England's shortest river, which cuts through glacial moraines to join the River Ure at Bainbridge.

This glacial lake is one of only three large natural sheets of water in Yorkshire - the others being Malham Tarn and Hornsea Mere - a distinction that has given rise to several legends including the famous 'flooded city'.

Mark Reid is the author of The Inn Way and Town Trails series.

Fact file:

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 3 hours

Start: Bainbridge village green.

Maps: OS Explorer OL30, Yorkshire Dales Northern & Central Areas

Terrain: Field and riverside paths lead to the shores of Semerwater, from where there is a steep climb up along a lane and then across rough pastures up onto the ridge of Hawes End before dropping down to join the Roman Road (stony track). This track is followed down to join the road from where field paths lead back into Bainbridge.

Parking: On-street parking alongside the large village green.

Refreshments: Rose & Crown and Tea Rooms at Bainbridge.

How to get there: Bainbridge lies along the A684 between Aysgarth and Hawes.

Directions:

1. From the centre of Bainbridge, walk across the sprawling village green away from the pub along the main road towards 'Leyburn & Aysgarth', over the bridge across the River Bain with its waterfalls and on up the hill. Just after you have left the village behind take the footpath to the right just by a metal gate (signpost 'Semerwater') before the road-turning towards 'Semerwater, Stalling Busk'. Follow the clear grassy path straight on up alongside the wall on your left at first (River Bain down to your right) then up along a clear wide grassy path across the middle of the open pastureland (signposts) gradually climbing up across the hillside to reach a stone wall (and two wall-gates) across your path.

2. Head through the right-hand wall-gate in the stone wall (signpost) and head on with the stone wall on your left, then bear to the right across the top of the hill along a clear grassy path (views of Semerwater open out). Drop down to join a stone wall on your left (river down to your right) on to a small wall-gate. Follow the clear path straight on through wall-gates then on down a wide grassy path to a ladder stile beside a gate (River Bain just on your right).

3. Cross the ladder stile then head to the right and follow the clear riverside path all the way to reach the road at Semerwater Bridge. Turn right over the bridge and follow the road steeply up to a T-junction. Turn right into the hamlet of Countersett then, just after the road-turning to the left, take the track to the left (signpost 'Hawes End'). Follow the stony track down for a short distance, then head through the gate to the left (yellow markers) and follow the path bearing up to the right to reach a gate to the right of a stone barn. Head through the gate beside the barn, cross over a stream then bear left up the field passing to the left of another stone barn to quickly reach a squeeze-stile in the stone wall just above the barn. After the squeeze-stile, head up across the field to join the stone wall on the opposite side of the field and follow it up and over the 'saddle' in the hill to reach a wall stile. Continue alongside the wall to reach a gate that leads on to the road at Hawes End.

4. Turn right along the road and follow it bending round to the left then take the footpath to the right ('Horton Gill Bridge'). Follow the narrow path slanting to the left down the hillside to join the walled track of Cam High Road (Roman Road). Turn right down along this track for just over a mile to join a metalled road on a bend.

5. Turn right up along the road and follow this road as it bends up to the left then, where the road bends to the right, take the track to the left towards Gill Edge Farm (just before a stone-built garage/barn). Follow this track on through the wooden gate ahead, just after which (Gill Edge House across to your right) head left over a stile (signpost 'Bainbridge'). After the stile, bear to the right across the field passing a signpost, then drop down over a small stream and up to a wall stile. Head across the next field and through a small wall-gate in the corner, after which bear to the right down across the hillside, over a tumbledown wall then pass to the right of the stone barn (River Bain down to your right). After the barn, head on bearing slightly to the right passing the end corner of the stone wall then continue on (with this wall now on your left) over another tumbledown wall then head straight on across the field ahead (ravine of the River Bain down to your right) to soon join a wall on your left that leads down to a squeeze-stile at the end of the field. Follow the path straight on with the wall on your left down through a wall-gap then on down through a gate to join a lane back into Bainbridge.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 17:25 Friday, November 28, 2003