Falling for Aysgarth

Everybody is donning green wellies, grabbing the Labrador, and heading off on 'countryside marches'. How can I compete with my take on the countryside? Today you merely get millions of years of geology, ultra-ethnic woods and plants, dales hills, Wensleydale views, autumn colour, quiet, and the great waterfalls at Aysgarth.

Since I was last here, the National Park Centre has had a tasteful remake. But it costs. No change from a fiver after parking and tea with hot buttered crumpets from the Coppice Coffee Shop. Never mind, I learned a lot and cannot resist repeating their information board quote from a 16th-century herbalist on the 'formidable laxative effects of buckthorn...they do purged downeward mightily...with great force, violence and excesse'. If you trap some in your sandwiches, there's always the thrill of the eco-loos.

The upper falls come quickly but can, with their 50p honesty box, be bypassed. You'll glimpse them, and the lower ones are better. So I left the crowds for Bear Park and its splendid trees. You'll pass right by a horse chestnut with smooth conker shells, probably the red variety. Then a valley floor amble, part an old rail route, for a couple of miles. Vestiges of blue sky disappeared but the surrounding tops of Addlebrough and Penhill were mostly visible, as was the grey drama of Ivy Scar to the north.

You barely notice the hamlet of Woodhall as you turn north and wind up to our return route of high barren terrace. It's great here, short turf, long views, scree, caves and stream, and parallel and looming 300 feet above, a twisted limestone scar.

Raptors, buzzards among them, swirled, checked and glided above Ivy Scar, then eased over the valley to hunt and scavenge the stone-walled fields, while sunbeams pierced the gloom and panned across the pastures.

I followed the birds, rolled off the terrace, caught a sight of Castle Bolton and the North York Moors, and dipped down to Carperby. We leave the village by its geometric medieval field system and enter Bear Park again, where maples were early turning to autumn fireballs of yellow-orange.

After another cuppa and for a fantastic finale, I did the lower and middle waterfalls. In the ancient coppiced Freeholders' Wood, Vivien Mousdell's sculptural essays in timber and stone tell of 'thundering water conquering rock' and on the steps to the river she has carved a mantra of 'soft shale ... hard limestone ... soft shale ... hard limestone ...'.

DIRECTIONS

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

1. From western end of car park, path left downhill (signed), gate to riverside track. Field on left at honesty box/hut to see Upper Force. Rejoin track, uphill, sharp right to stile/ gate at old railway line into park, 11 o'clock (waymarked) to wall stile.

2. Squeezer on left above tennis court, over farm drive (two squeezers), squeezer, gated squeezer and left (signed), gated squeezer, 11 o'clock (signed) and join old railway track, stile, footbridge.

3. Steps to gate, right to lane, left to road, gated squeezer on left (before house, signed) and right, squeezer, ladderstile, squeezer by lean-to, squeezer/metal fieldgate, large ladderstile by corner of wood and stay by edge of wood (three fieldgates), fork left to tarmac after farmhouse.

4. Right to lane, cross road at junction, track to left of bungalow, fieldgate.

5. Fieldgate and track uphill, first fork right, fieldgate in field corner (signed Castle Bolton) and right to track, stream with stepping stones, fieldgate. Where main track swings left towards scar, carry on parallel to Ivy Scar on grass, (signed). Squeezer/fieldgate, one o'clock uphill, gateway, fieldgate.

6. About 100 yards before next fieldgate, (barn and trees a couple of fields to left) turn right, path fades, head for about 100 yards to left of larger of two hawthorn trees, then short, steep track/path zigzags downhill by fallen wall around old quarry.

7. Right to track, 50 yards, fieldgate on left to track downhill towards farm, squeezer/fieldgate, 200 yards, squeezer on left, one o'clock, squeezer, wall stile, squeezer by house and left into Carperby.

8. Opposite post box/bus shelter, drive by Laburnum House, squeezer/fieldgate, 100 yards, fieldgate on left, cross field and right by wall (not through squeezer).

9. Squeezer and right to lane, left to road, 50 yards, squeezer on right (signed), squeezer, one o'clock downhill, stile/fieldgate, stile, gate into wood and back to car park.

10. Path downhill by car park entrance, cross road to gates and signed trail (firm surface path) to Lower Force and Middle force.

FACT FILE

Distance: Six and a half miles.

Time: Three hours.

Start: Aysgarth National Park Centre

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

Date walked: Sunday October, 10 1999.

Road route: Aysgarth is west of Leyburn on the A684.

Car parking: More than three hours, £2.20 weekdays, £3.50 at weekends, rates may change at end of October.

Lavatories: National Park Centre.

Refreshments: Caf at National Park Centre, tea rooms by river, pub in village.

Tourist and public transport information: Aysgarth National Park Centre, selected winter opening - please check: 01969 663424, Leyburn TIC 01969 623069

Map: Based on OS Outdoor Leisure 30, Yorkshire Dales Northern and Central Areas.

Terrain: Valley floor, valley side, 150 foot climb.

Footwear: Walking boots.

Points of interest: Waterfalls, views, autumn colour.

Difficulty: Moderate. Two large ladderstiles. Many squeezers had heavily-sprung gates.

Dogs: Suitable for dogs but keep on leads or under close control.

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