Gargrave

Gargrave lies at the heart of Airedale where road, river, canal and railway compete for space along the valley floor. This former coaching village is surrounded by low, undulating hills known as drumlins, created by retreating glaciers many thousands of years ago which, combined with the close proximity of the meandering rivers Aire and Ribble, has made this one of the few low-level routes across the Pennines known as the Aire Gap.

The Pennine Way also heads through the village on its 268-mile trek from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland - Gargrave marks the start of its journey through the Yorkshire Dales. Just to the north of the village is the attractive former parkland of Eshton Hall, a fine early 19th Century house that was once the home of the Wilson family who acquired the estate back in the 17th Century; the Hall has recently been redeveloped into luxury homes.

A quiet lane then leads down to reach Brockabank Farm in the secluded wooded valley of Eshton Beck. This stream has something of an identity crisis as it changes name five times between its source near the moorland village of Bordley and where it swells the waters of the Aire to the east of Gargrave.

Just to the north of Brockabank Farm is the magnificent Friars Head farmhouse, a superb 17th Century yeoman's farmhouse with four well-proportioned bays and lots of mullion windows. This house is said to stand on the site of a grange (monastic farm) that once belonged to the monks of Furness Abbey.

Near the road-bridge across Eshton Beck is the impressive St Helen's Well, where a good flow of water bubbles up into a large rectangular stone basin, before flowing into Eshton Beck.

The highlight of this walk is Haw Crag which, despite its modest height, affords wonderful views across the Aire Gap with Pendle Hill, Flasby Fell, Rylstone Fell, Winterburn Valley and the upper reaches of Malhamdale clearly visible.

Mark Reid is the author of The Inn Way series of guidebooks www.innway.co.uk

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fact file

Distance: Six miles

Time: Three hours

Start: Gargrave village centre

Maps: OS Explorer OL2 'Yorkshire Dales Southern & Western areas'

Terrain: Field paths initially, then quiet country lanes and a muddy track. After a short section of road walking, a farm lane then field paths lead up to Haw Crag from where there are superb views. The old enclosed track of Mark House Lane leads all the way back to Gargrave.

Parking: Car parks off North Street and West Street in the heart of Gargrave.

Toilets: Gargrave

Refreshments: Pubs and cafs at Gargrave; no facilities en route.

Tourist Information: Skipton Tourist Information: 01756 792809

How to get there: Gargrave lies along the A65 to the north-west of Skipton.

the walk

From the centre of Gargrave, walk along the main A65 road towards Skipton then, just before you leave the village, turn left along Eshton Road. Follow this road heading out of the village, over a bridge across the Leeds and Liverpool Canal then follow the road bending round to the right. Continue straight on along the road then, where the houses end on your right just after the 'Gargrave' village sign, take the path to the left over a wall-stile beside a gate (signpost 'Eshton').

Cross the stile then head to the right across the field bearing away from the road (following a line of mature trees) to reach a metal stile over a fence, after which head left up across the hillside to reach a kissing-gate in a fence that leads into Gamsbers Wood. Follow the clear path through the woods, passing a house set in a clearing then on to reach a kissing-gate at the end of the woods. After the gate, bear left across the field and over a stile across a fence, then straight on to reach another stile in the far right corner of the field, after which turn right over a wall-stile onto the road.

Cross the stile opposite to the left (signpost 'Winterburn Lane') then head straight across the field to a stile in the bottom left corner, after which continue along the top of the steep grassy bank, with Eshton Beck down to your right, gently curving down to reach a stile beside a gate that leads onto a lane. Turn right along the lane and follow it down over Brockabank Bridge then up to Brockabank Farm. As you reach the farm gates, head left along the grassy bridleway passing in front of the farmhouse, with the steep wooded banks of Eshton Beck to your left, to reach a gate just beyond the house.

After the gate, head straight on alongside the wall and wooded riverbank on your left then, where this wall bends away, continue straight on to quickly join another wall on your left at the start of a clear track, which you follow straight on to join the road (Winterburn Lane). Friars Head farmhouse (private) is a short detour along the road to the right.

Turn left along the road and follow this down over a bridge across Eshton Beck then up passing St Helens Well on your right and continue along the road to reach a T-junction with the Malham Road. Turn right along the road towards 'Airton, Malham' (take care) and follow this up for just less than mile, then take the track to the left just after a bungalow towards Throstle Nest Farm (signpost 'Mark House Lane'). Follow this track up then, just after the track bends to the right after a cattle grid up towards the farm, cross the stile to the left beside a gate. Head up alongside the wall on your left (farmhouse across to your right) and over a stile beside a gate that leads onto a rough track. Head straight across this track over the ladder stile, after which walk up alongside the wall on your left to reach a copse of woodland where you head to the right alongside the fence/woodland up to reach a stile beside a bridle-gate at the top of the field.

After the stile, walk straight on up across the open field then, as the field levels out, bear slightly to the right to reach a wall-stile beside a gate at the top of the field, with the Trig Point on Haw Crag just ahead. Head through the gate then walk straight on, keeping close to the fence on your left, passing some old quarry workings on your right below Haw Crag, to join a rough track which you follow down through a gate at the bottom of the field that leads onto a junction of tracks.

Turn left along the walled track (Mark House Lane) and follow this, gently rising up then levelling out before dropping steadily down (the track becomes a rougher stony bridleway for a while) to reach the large stone barn of Harrows Laithe on your left after about 1 mile. Continue straight along the enclosed track, which soon becomes a metalled lane, and follow this all the way back down into Gargrave. As you reach the outskirts of Gargrave, the lane skirts around the walled gardens of Gargrave House to reach a road junction, where you head straight on over a bridge across the canal into Gargrave.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 16:01 Friday, December 02, 2005