George Wilkinson braves the drizzle for a walk out from Grassington.
Grassington National Parks Centre was open, though the Dales Authority has been cut deep. We parked in the drizzle, paid our dues, and started the climb at noon, up through the village past the pubs and cafés to Moor Lane and north to the high-mined lands.
Yes this is the road that lead miners trod. Nowadays the 500-ft ascent is dead-end and metalled, past pastures rough and less rough with dry stone walls dark and splashed white with lichens. The gutters were rushing, the lane was sluicing with ash seeds and there’s a waterfall at Spring House. At the top, we turned east and through the edge of the mined zone where the information boards tell of the processing here, of a grinding mill and waste rock or ‘deads’, a mile rather bleak.
And we didn’t lose the industrial archaeology when we dipped down into the valley of Hebden Beck to follow it down to Hebden the village, just were rather distracted by the need to cross the water.
The old track holds tight to the water all the way, tight indeed. There is a peculiarity here, two fords 100 yards apart. These we avoided, but watched as they were attempted by six mountain bikers, they got their Lycra wet.
After the fords you must cross the beck, and note, if there’s much water it’s a mistake to go further and further downstream looking for stepping stones because gushing springs, side streams and falls each side increase the flow. A 2000 plaque recalls a drowning.
It felt a dark and spooky valley, steep sided, hemmed in and overhung by large black rocks, one named the Rocking Stone and loud with the water and rough history. The frame downstream was a misty V of Wharfedale.
At Hebden, the Old School Tea Room was open, but the public WC was boarded up. So it goes. Where Back Lane joins Mill Lane, behind a bench, is an interesting structure. Then it’s the grand River Wharfe.
It flowed wide, fast and smooth, brimming to its banks, serene under a slender low-slung suspension bridge. Horse chestnuts hung out sticky red buds and dog walkers were out in the afternoon for the lovely couple of riverside miles to Grassington. It was upriver for us but easy and flat.
Water birds were sheltering except for one of those ‘rakish’ surface-skimming grebes, divers or loons.
By halfway back the river was choppy, by the approach to Grassington it was loud, and from the pedestrian bridge over Linton Falls it was roaring a real blast.
DIRECTIONS
When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.
1. From National Parks car park left to main road and right to road up through centre of Grassington, after town straight on up.
2. Gate/cattlegrid on right (fingerpost Hebden and info board). Track.
3. Pass pond/reservoir away to right, 100 yards, fork right to track, ignore two tracks to right after 100 yards.
4. Step-stream and fieldgate and left downhill (fingerpost bridleway) on track that winds down to Hebden Beck.
5. Ford to eastern bank, track 100 yards, ford back to western bank, track fades.
6. Choose place to cross beck to eastern bank, track. Four fieldgates.
7. Stone bridge over beck and into Hebden on dead-end road. Cross main road to lane, pass Old School Tea Rooms then lane on right. At junction, left to track after Church, ignore walled track fork on right, right to rejoin road at bench.
8. Gate near fieldgate on right (fingerpost) and down across grass and right to path alongside the River Wharfe (3 gates, footbridge).
9. Angle away from the river across a field, gate to track/metalled drive. On right-hand bend after house, squeezer on left (fingerpost), path across fields, gated wall stile, squeezer.
10. At waterfalls, squeezer and right to walled path, gate on left into car park.
FACT FILE
Distance: Seven miles.
General location: Yorkshire Dales.
Start: Grassington National Parks Centre.
Right of way: Public.
Dogs: Legal.
Date walked: February 2011.
Road route: Various.
Car parking: Parks Centre.
Lavatories: Parks Centre.
Refreshments: Grassington and Hebden.
Tourist and public transport information: Dales National Park Centre 01756 751690.
Map: Drawn from OS Explorer OL2 Yorkshire Dales southern and western areas.
Terrain: Uplands and valley.
Difficulty: Moderate if fine.
Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.
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