Nidderdale

This reputation persists locally, particularly in Pateley Bridge, a couple of miles down the road and relatively sheltered in Nidderdale.

A peleton of cyclists had just done the serious climb to the top in hot sunshine; we pulled in, parked, and sat on the recycled plastic picnic benches scattered on the Toft Gate Lime Kiln site.

We read the info boards; our route today on the Industrial Heritage Trail is a gallery of these. By chance we met Martin Hammond, a York ecologist, who told us about the local plants - alpine this and mountain that.

Then came a little diversion to a nearby spot where one can see into "Yorkshire's hidden quarry". The viewing platform resembles a raised circular sheepfold and is surmounted by a weathervane depicting a front-load tractor. Down below, giant machines spiral on terraced roads into the bowels of the earth. The raised cap of limestone has been blasted out; Hanson extract about a million tons a year.

After that energy and excitement and sight of Menwith Hill spy station, there were ponds with small blue dragonflies, nice damp unimproved pastures with small blue butterflies, the promise of Exmoor ponies, and grassed over spoil heaps drilled by rabbits. To ease progress there's a novel and new steel gate with a built-in step stile. The sun warmed the high landscape.

There are no waymarks for a while, which is irritating on a permissive path. There is a farmer's tip/bonfire of burnt plastic, wool, stock mark spray, and wheel hubs. In the bad old days, this might have been dumped in the nearby hole, but that is now industrial heritage.

A mile later we enjoyed a big view up Nidderdale and came to the remnants of the Providence Lead Mine and its lead-tolerant plants, although actually it's the zinc that's most toxic. A line of Alpine cress or maybe Pyrenean scurvy grass ran from an arched mine- level entrance. Clay-pigeon shooting is clearly popular here, that will add to the heavy metal, and shotgun cartridges, thousands in blue red and green, are coagulated, their plastic hulls melted in a primitive hearth as if for recovering the brass caps.

Further along, on the Nidderdale Way, there is a mile of pretty valley with, at intervals, a lovely house and deer. It is definitely sandstone country now with the hard rock smooth and dark in the beck.

The day was ending, we were slow and heavy with new knowledge, but pleased to have caught Greenhow Hill on a hot day and to have found it interesting and not unattractive.

We were also relieved to find the few hundred feet of climbing back up to the top were comfortable on a track sweet-scented by freshly-cut hay.

fact file

Distance: Five miles.

Time: Three hours.

General location: Yorkshire Dales.

Start: Toft Gate car park GR 129 644.

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

Date walked: Friday, July 25, 2005.

Road route: Two miles west of Pateley Bridge on the B6265 Grassington road.

Car parking: Free. No signs but info boards in car park for The Bewerley Industrial Heritage Trail and Toft Gate Lime Kiln. And next to a junction signed 'Unsuitable for buses and coaches'.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: The Miner's Arms at Greenhow. And at Pateley Bridge.

Tourist & public transport Information: Pateley Bridge TIC 01423 711147.

Map: Based on the new OS Explorer 298 Nidderdale.

Terrain: Upland grasslands and valley.

Points of interest: Pateley Bridge Museum, 01423 711225. Greenhow church is the highest in England.

Difficulty: Moderate in fine weather.

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

directions

From car park to little lime kiln circuit, right at kiln, 50 yards, over road, stile, 50 yards.

Option, either stile ahead and fenced path up to quarry viewing platform then retrace steps OR stile on left and path around field keeping near fence to your right.

Fieldgate, cross quarry road, stile (info board), 50 yards, 10 o'clock across field, footbridge and stile, pass farmhouse, track, fieldgate.

Cross road, stile on fieldgate, faint path at 2 o'clock towards far side of field then left on track up field edge, loops around quarries and swings right to stile/fieldgate (no sign), track, stile/fieldgate, 50 yards.

Cross main road, right 25 yards, gate/fieldgate on left by house to walled path (signed), fieldgate, 50 yards, left at waymarked post then right to skirt house, downhill on track and keep on right of gully, fieldgate, pass house, gate/fieldgate, fieldgate.

Ignore stile/fieldgate on right and drop into mine area, cross streams, track up. Right at junction (waymarked ladderstile, fieldgate ahead signed private), 50 yards, left to track before house.

Ladderstile/fieldgate and right at junction (3-way post, signed) and ignore left fork soon after, stay on track.

Left to road after house and bridge, 100 yards, farm drive on right (signed IHT), becomes track.

At cattlegrid below house, fork right before it to grassy track, 50 yards, fieldgate (IHT signs). On bend with wood to right, turn left (waymarked post) across grass for 100 yards to gated squeezer, 50 yards, barn, 1 o'clock up to fieldgate (waymark), left to track uphill, fieldgate, cross main road back to car park.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 16:43 Friday, July 22, 2005