Kettlewell 2013

Date: 15th May - 17th May 2013

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?!

Para-gliding over the Dales

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.

Hi Ho .........

Stunning views

Bob's Jnr & Snr - Alien abducters!

 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!!

Signpost's - Clues to which way to go!

Caves

Outbuilding

Limestone Kiln

Map, Sat Nav or ooooh look a signpost!

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.

Wood Nook

Dales Cottage

Busy as a ........

We came, we saw (the pub) & we left!

The impressive Linto falls

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!

Typical Dales landscape

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.

Rain .......

........then Sun

Conistone Dib

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.

Bare tree & shingle

Shingle markers

Beginning the descent.

Feeling closed in!

Back to the cars.

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!

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.

Base Camp.

And Hull KR lead the charge - a first!

Nidderdale views

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!

How Stean Gorge

Too tight to pay!

How Stean Gorge

Bets on whether he'll fit through the gap :-)

Not your traditional Dales accommodation!

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.

Meadow field

The obligatory pub stop!

Leaving Lofthouse

The sun is out.

Stunning views.

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.

Disused Raiway carriage

Just in case we didnt know where we were!

Final leg

Headin back to the Reservoir

Nidderdale

The FAC

Stone wall

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.

Spring is in the air

Date: 11th April 2013
Route: Croxdale - Durham - Croxdale
Distance: - ~9 miles
Weather: - Dry, cloudy with sunny spells

Was it really January the last time we were out! A combination of work (damn, does tend to get in the way a bit) and poor weather meant the Airlie Ramblers were chomping at the bit to get out for a bit of fresh air. As luck would have it Mr Garton had need to reconnoitre a route in preparation for an upcoming footy team reunion and so with a pleasant change in weather conditions we had our opportunity.
Bob picked me up and we headed to the Honest Lawyer (is that an oxymoron?!) pub to park up and begin our walk. 10.00am and we headed up through fields and woodland, intemitently walking alongside the river Wear. It wasn't the greatest of starts as within 20 mins our navigation skills had let us down and we headed off in the wrong direction adding an extra 30 mins onto our time as we retraced our steps. As always we got the rugby conversations out of the way, always best to get the miserable stuff over and done with! Our top 4 aspirations and the strap line of "Believe" were well and truly pie in the sky stuff. However, 3 victories on the trot had tempered our anger towards coach and players and perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Old Chapel

Outbuildings

 














Our walk took us past an old chapel and some unusual outbuildings, following the edge of a forest before eventually bringing us out at Shincliffe garden centre. From here we headed on towards Durham, picking up the river Wear and enjoying a very scenic stroll into Durham centre.

University rowers

Around 12.30pm, just before we hit the town centre, we found a bench and with cracking views of the Cathedral and Castle we sat down for lunch.

Durham Castle & Cathedral

Durham Cathedral & Castle

Conversation had now turned to an upcoming teambuild event I was running later in June in Shanghai for around 20 Chinese staff. An interesting challenge given the significant cultural differences. Still us Yorkshiremen are used to dealing with different cultures such as those from Lancashire or the South!
After a whole 24 mins for lunch (this could be a record for the longest break!) we headed off into Durham, along Elvett Bridge and headed up towards the heart of student land. There we picked up a track past the Botanical Gardens and once again headed off across fields to pick up the river Wear.

 After a minor detour and retracing of steps (map reading skills were very rusty) thanks to the help of a dog walker we finished the final part of the walk along the river and back to the Honest Lawyer pub. At 2.15pm it wasnt the longest walk we'd ever done but it was just nice to get out in some decent weather. That and a nice pint helped!

Wicker woman art

Winter Wonderland

Date: 24th January 2013
Route: Middleton-in-Teesdale - Romaldkirk - Cotherstone - Barnard Castle
Distance: - ~11 miles
Weather: - Dry, bright and snowy underfoot

Is it really October since we were last out walking! All those weeks of rain and now a heavy fall of snow so the ground is hard enough for us to walk on - hoorah!
I drive through to Bob's as he has decided on a route from Middleton back to Barney along the old railway lines. The cold weather and snow should make it reasonable for walking.

So we catch the 9.55am bus from Barney to Middleton-in-Teesdale, kitted out in our warmest winter walking gear, and rucksacks full of Xmas biscuits & chocolate! Just outside of Middleton the bus is boarded by a gaggle of older women, one of whom stands in front of us staring Bob out. Am I about to discover some sordid secret for Bob's dark past? After several minutes of giving him the eye she says, in an accusatory tone "you work at GSK". Is that a bead of sweat on Bob's forehead! Alas it transpires that she remembered him from a retired staff trip to Blackpool that he had organised - no skeletons in this mans cupboard!

At the next stop we disembark and set off thru town, down to the river and then strike out across a field knee deep in snow. We pass a farm and foolishly follow a tractor track in snow, deep in conversation. Before we know it we have come to a dead end and have missed our path leading up to the road - Less than 15 minutes and we are lost! The sensible thing would be to head back and pick up the path but not for this intrepid action duo! Instead we climb the steep hill, several inches deep in snow, climb over wall and across another field knee deep in snow. Furtively we nip (or is that trespass!) through a farm to get back on to the road.

Heading up the road we soon rejoin the public footpath and the familiar surroundings of the railway track. It is surprisingly easy going as others have already been along this route and the snow has been trampled down somewhat for us.

The conversation unsurprisingly is all about FC's new signings and their chances of giving us something to smile about over the coming season. After so many seasons of optimism (only to be sadly disappointed each time) this year we are more careful with our optimism - particularly following a defeat to Rovers in the preseason friendly!

The scenery is pretty impressive with so much pristine, untouched snow surrounding the farms and houses dotted along the way.

At 12.20pm we hit Cotherstone and incredibly Bob suggests a pint - perhaps the woman on the bus incident has affected him more than I thought! Still not one to miss on such a rare opportunity we retire to the Rose & Crown, a lovely log fire and a pint.

Leaving the warmth and hospitality of the local inn we rejoin railway track and stop at the first bench we find for our lunch. Yes we could have had pie and chips in the warmth of a pub but then we would be chastising ourselves for becoming soft. So we scoop the snow of the bench, get our plastic bags out to sit on and have our butties and flasks of tea taking in the fantastic scenery. Surprisingly it is not that cold despite all the snow. Back to our standard 20 min lunch break we pack up and head back off towards Cotherstone.

Crossing a field and climbing over a style Bob catches his rucksack on a post and is left suspended in air as he jumps off the style. Should have got a picture of that one! The temptation was too leave him suspended for a few minutes but instead I did the honourable thing and unhooked him.

Crossing the road we head along a somewhat wetter path before finding ourselves with another field to cross before climbing a bank to join the final stretch of the railway line. The gamekeepers has been busy with a fine selection of recently deceased moles on display. I'm still not sure exactly why farmers feel the need to eradicate them.

The final leg of our journey takes us back towards Barnard Castle which we hit at 3.30pm. Back at Bob's there's a cuppa and time to reflect on the first walk of 2013, not that far but with the snow a good work out.

Mincing round Teesdale

Date: 12th October 2012
Route: Bowlees - Dirt Pit Farm - Caves via Ettersgill - Valence Lodge - Langeden Beck - Sayer Hill Farm - Whatgarth Bridge -  High Force - Low Force - Bowlees
Distance: - ~12 miles
Weather: - Dry, bright and windy with some showers later on

A combination of workload, dyer wet English weather and a major house rebuild at chez Garton meant it had been a few weeks since our last venture out. So when our diaries chucked out a free day and the forecasters predicted a dry day we donned our walking gear and headed up the Dales.
Starting at Bowlees at 10.45am in the sun we heade off up towards Dirt Pit Farm. Although the fields were wet the tracks weren'e too bad.

The Dales

Conversation as always started with a review of FC's season which we felt had been pretty good all things considered (made sweeter by Rovers poor season ans subsequent loss of players!). Optimism for 2013 is high - but then it always is prior to the first game!!! Feelings were mixed over Leeds victory over the Wire but hey, Wigan got nowt of note ;0)

Time to check the map

We carried on along the farm tracks into a head on strong wind towards the caves. it was still bright and sunny but the going was made difficult due to the stength of the wind. After briefly discussin Jimmy Saville we turned our attention to putting the world to rights. In particular all the waste we keep observing in all walks of industry. What is frustrating is the knowledge that we could save so many different organisation money and improve their efficiency if they just asked for help.

Flooded fields

Anyway we reached the caves and after a quick map stop we headed across a large field towards Langden Beck. With all the rain we'd had the field was absolutely sodden with not a dry spot to be found. Standing stationary for more than 4 secs resulted in you sinking into the swamp-like ground. The only way to cross the field was to hop, skip & jump our way from tuft to tuft, trying not to stop for more than a second or two. anyone watching would have seen a couple of large blue blobs 'mincing' their way across a farmers field. It was all to no avail as after 10 mins of poncing around we arrived at a gate and track with our feet well and truly soaked.

Who'd want to be a mole?

Langden Beck

Bob @ Langden Beck

We were now on more firm ground as we walked towards the Langden Beck pub (no chance of Bob letting us stop for a drink there!) and then off along the river bank. At 12.50pm we found a nice sheltered spot behind a stone wall were we stopped for a 20 minute lunch break. Within 5 minutes of setting off again the rain came down. It wouldn't have been too bad had it not been for the driving wind which ensured we got a soaking down one side of our bodies.

Looking back down to Wattgarth Bridge

We followed the river to Wattgarth Bridge before climbing up heading towards High Force. The rain and sun were competing to see who was going to win as we began to slowly dry out.

The water falls were all in full flow and and as we descended towards the quarry our path became more difficult due to flooding. Some of the stepping stones across the becks were under water meaning a bit of deft footwork across fence wires.

High Force

We hit High Force which was quite impressive with all the rain fall.

High Force

The paths here were a bit better with less surface water and we made good time along the Tees to Low Force ending up back at the car at 3.10pm.

Juniper trees

 Although the sun had won the battle and we had dried out, our feet were still soaking - thank god for the spare pair of socks in the boot!

Bob heading towards High Force

High Force

High Force

High Force

High Force

Low Force

Low Force

Low Force

A good run out despite the conditions.