Route 1: Conistone - Conistone Bridge - Bow Bridge - Malham Moor - Height Laithe - Height House - Cow Close Wood - Wood Nook - Wood Lane - Skirethorns - Threshfield -Well Lane - Linton - Bow Bridge (different one) - Linton Falls - Sedber Lane - Grassington - Dalesway - Lea Green - Old Pasture - Conistone Dib - Conistone (Wharfedale)
Distance: - 12.5 miles (Time taken: 6 hours total, 5 hours walking)
Weather: - Sunny with a couple of showers
Route 2: Ramsgill - Nid Bridge - Grimestone Hill - West House Farm - Stud Fold Farm - Nidderdale Way up to How Stean Gorge - Lofthouse - Low Sikes - Longside House - Bouthwaite - Ramsgill
Distance: - 8 miles (Time taken: 4.5 hours total, 3.5hrs walking)
Weather: - Dry & sunny
Wednesday 15th May
So it was time for my 3rd trip out with the Jolly Boys (or the Ferensway Adventurers Club) and I headed to Barney to pick up Bob at 6.30pm. After an interesting and scenic ride we arrived at Wharfeside House Youth Hostel in Kettlewell, our home for the next few days.As it was now 8.00pm we headed straight down to the Bluebell Inn as our usual haunt, the Kings Head, was closed. Probably best following previous years aggresive evenings fighting over quiz answers!!
We met everyone else and had a couple of pints as I reacquainted myself with Dudley the KR fan. As the Town Crier eloquently called last orders (which took him over 10 mins to do so!!) we headed back to the Hostel for pie n pea's curtesy of Dudley. This as usual was washed down with whisky, or in my case a few bottles of weissbier. As the witching hour approached I hit the sack, sharing a room with Bob jnr, Bob snr & Holmesy.
However a good nights sleep was rudely interupted in the early hours by my top bunk violently shaking and a bright light shining in my eyes - in my half asleep state I thought it was an alien abduction. However it was just the two Gartons attempting to wake me and stop me snoring!! I compliantly rolled over and went back to sleep, having nightmares about alien probing!
Thursday 16th May
Up at 7.45am and after a quick shower we headed across to Zarina's for a full English to start the day - still not a patch on Dudley's breakfast banquets!
Back to Hostel to get our gear sorted then a short 4 mile drive to Conistone where we parked the cars and set off (10.10am) for our walk. The A-team was me, the two-Bobs, Nathan, Stuart & Paul Coates.
The remaining guys (B-team) walked from the Hostel to Grassington and got the bus back after a leisurely day of shopping & drinking! Hard core walkers?!
We set off along Mastiles lane and saw Lapwing chicks in the fields by the roadside. Crossing the road we began our obligatory climb. The scenery as always was fantastic, limestone country, rivers, streams and becks all full and fast flowing. We skirted round the caves at Cow Close Wood.
There were many stops along the clearly signposted route (!) for Paul to consult his oracle - Gadget-man insisted on using his SatNav, all-singing, all-dancing phone with colour detail OS map downloads! This despite the presence of a signposts saying "Footpath" and an arrow pointing the right direction!!
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| Para-gliding over the Dales |
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| Spot the Lapwing Chicks! |
We set off along Mastiles lane and saw Lapwing chicks in the fields by the roadside. Crossing the road we began our obligatory climb. The scenery as always was fantastic, limestone country, rivers, streams and becks all full and fast flowing. We skirted round the caves at Cow Close Wood.
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| Hi Ho ......... |
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| Stunning views |
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| Bob's Jnr & Snr - Alien abducters! |
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| Signpost's - Clues to which way to go! |
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| Caves |
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| Outbuilding |
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| Limestone Kiln |
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| Map, Sat Nav or ooooh look a signpost! |
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| Or we could just follow the yellow markers |
We headed down to Wood Nook campsite and then along the river to Linton where it was suggested we should partake of a beverage - a wise decision. However Herr Gruppen Fuhrer Garton snr decided we should strike on towards Grassington for a rendezvous with the B-team in the Forresters Arms. As if on cue the heavens opened up on us (an omen I'm sure that we should have stayed for a pint!). By the time we had our waterproofs on the worst of it was past as we headed along the road towards Grassington. Our route took us towards the river and the impressive Linton waterfalls.
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| Wood Nook |
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| Dales Cottage |
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| Busy as a ........ |
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| We came, we saw (the pub) & we left! |
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| The impressive Linto falls |
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| Grassington & a well earned pint. |
Following the river we soon came into Grassington. Nathan quickly located the Forresters Arms (without the aid of technology!) and we entered for a well deserved pint. Shortly after the B-team arrived to join us. Garton snr sat surreptitiously eating his own butties in the pub, showing a blatant disregard for pub etiquette! Anyway once he had finished his pack-up we left and headed up out of Grassington following the Dales Way up towards Grassington Moor. Herr Gruppen Fuhrer Garton snr having already eaten wasn't going to let anyone stop for food so chicken drumsticks & nuts were taken on the hoof (I can now see where Garton jnr gets his 10 min lunch stop mentality from!). However once we'd had another climb he soon decided it was time for a brew!
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| Typical Dales landscape |
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| Tea up! |
We sheltered behind a wall and were allowed time to eat the rest of our bait. The exact location changed a couple of times as Mr Indecisive (Paul) couldn't decide which side to shelter on - may have had something to do with me informing him that ramblers used the shelter of walls to relieve themselves! Either that or his SatNav phone was on the blink.
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| Rain ....... |
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| ........then Sun |
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| Conistone Dib |
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| Limestone country |
After the usual Garton regulation 15min stop we continued our walk towards Conistone Dib. Here the group split as Nathan and Stuart wanted to walk all the way back to Kettlewell and the Hostel. We headed down into Conistone Dib, an impressive if somewhat slippery gully. Reaching the cars in one piece we headed back to the Hostel.
After a shower and rest the evenings entertainment was to be found at the Buck
Inn. A table for 13 and a beer all bode well for the evening ahead. Our
starters arrived and once we ate them the conversation turned to
ghostly stories and talk of the spirit world. Whether this was to scare
us or just some of the guys wondering about their future I'm not sure.
Anyway it did nothing to kill the absurb amount of time we had to wait
for our main courses. When the food finally arrived my Gammon left a lot
to be desired - such as egg, pineapple, veg!!! What was even more
upsetting to a tight Yorkshireman was that my dish was the most
expensive of the 13 and the least appetising. The rest of the evening
was spent reminding me how good everyone elses food had been,
particluarly considering how cheap it was!
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| Bare tree & shingle |
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| Shingle markers |
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| Beginning the descent. |
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| Feeling closed in! |
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| Back to the cars. |
The one thing to put a smile on my face was my favourite KR fan, Dudley, trying very hard to fit in with all the FC fans. I took great delight in pointing out that his KR shirt was a lovely FC grey colour and had a badge that was B&W - all in all it looked very much like an FC top. This led me to believe that perhaps Dudley is a closet FC fan! With my mood somewhat lighter we returned to the Racehorses Hotel pub back in Kettlewell for a few sherberts before hitting the Hostel to continue with whisky & wheat beer. Happily it was an uneventful nights sleep!
Friday 17th May
Once again it was brekky at Zarina's before packing up our gear, saying farewell to Kettlewell and driving to Pateley Bridge and round Gouthwaite Reservoir for our final walk. We arrived in Ramsgill at 10.30am and parked the cars. Our walk in the sun began with a climb up Grimestone Hill and as we reached the top the more observant members of the team noticed we were a man down. Ray had decided his feet had stopped working and had returned to base camp.
We followed the Nidderdale Way until we reached How Stean Gorge and walked in to have a nosey. However being tight yorkshiremen we baulked at paying the £5.75 entrance fee and opted to take our views from the bridge and roadside!
Continuing in a circular path we ended up at the Crown Hotel in Lofthouse and as it was 12.30pm we stopped of for the obligatory pint stop. On this occasion Garton snr kept his butties in his rucksack! A family were also enjoying lunch and it was to the groups great amusement when a fabulous gammon steak with all the trimmings appeared on their table, and to make matters worse it was significanlt cheaper than my bacon & chips effort from the previous evening! After our pint it was time to use the facilities before moving on - a sign informed us that the gents was "outside". They weren't wrong, a small outbuilding, rather cold & exposed served as the gents for the pub - interesting. We headed off following the Nidderdale way but stopped after a few minutes to partake of our sarnies.
Refuelled we began a slow climb up, stopping for a group photo before descending down and finding ourselves back at the cars at around 3pm.
Garton jnr and myself got changed, said our farewells and headed back up North to the delights of County Durham.
Another wonderful adventure filled 3 days with the FAC boys.
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| Base Camp. |
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| And Hull KR lead the charge - a first! |
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| Nidderdale views |
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| The sun catches a maple tree in the distance. |
We followed the Nidderdale Way until we reached How Stean Gorge and walked in to have a nosey. However being tight yorkshiremen we baulked at paying the £5.75 entrance fee and opted to take our views from the bridge and roadside!
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| How Stean Gorge |
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| Too tight to pay! |
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| How Stean Gorge |
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| Bets on whether he'll fit through the gap :-) |
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| Not your traditional Dales accommodation! |
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| Nidderdale views |
Continuing in a circular path we ended up at the Crown Hotel in Lofthouse and as it was 12.30pm we stopped of for the obligatory pint stop. On this occasion Garton snr kept his butties in his rucksack! A family were also enjoying lunch and it was to the groups great amusement when a fabulous gammon steak with all the trimmings appeared on their table, and to make matters worse it was significanlt cheaper than my bacon & chips effort from the previous evening! After our pint it was time to use the facilities before moving on - a sign informed us that the gents was "outside". They weren't wrong, a small outbuilding, rather cold & exposed served as the gents for the pub - interesting. We headed off following the Nidderdale way but stopped after a few minutes to partake of our sarnies.
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| Meadow field |
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| The obligatory pub stop! |
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| Leaving Lofthouse |
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| The sun is out. |
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| Stunning views. |
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| Lunchtime. |
Refuelled we began a slow climb up, stopping for a group photo before descending down and finding ourselves back at the cars at around 3pm.
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| Disused Raiway carriage |
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| Just in case we didnt know where we were! |
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| Final leg |
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| Headin back to the Reservoir |
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| Nidderdale |
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| The FAC |
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| Stone wall |
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| Those maple trees again! |
Garton jnr and myself got changed, said our farewells and headed back up North to the delights of County Durham.
Another wonderful adventure filled 3 days with the FAC boys.
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