Exploring around Appletreewick

This weekend I'd planned a camping trip to Borrowdale but work got in the way; I was late home from a meeting and the weather wasn't good, very windy and grey.  Andrew had had enough of mad rush Friday packing, pulled rank and called it off.

On Saturday we reached a compromise; to camp for one night at Appletreewick and run from there.  Our friends Martyn and Helen invited us to join them for their long run on Sunday so we only needed to organise a route for Saturday and arrange our accommodation.  After a quick search on google we discovered that the main camp site was full, but we found Howgill Lodge which is about half an hours stroll along the river from the village and had space for us.  By this time it was early afternoon and we were running out of day, so packing was another rushed affair.  Andrew looked at the map whilst I assembled the camping gear; it didn't take us long to pack, and we were soon at the campsite with the tent pitched in a lovely quiet corner.

Andrews route was on trails and footpaths along Howgill Lane to Skyreholme, past Rabbit Hill then crossing the B6265 road just below Stump Cross Caverns and up to Grimwith Reservoir.  the return route was along Skyreholme Beck and past Parceval Hall.  We worked out we had no more than two and a half hours spare for this.  It was mostly uphill on the way out and was rather slow going as we frequently needed to check the map.  By the time we reached the road crossing we were getting concerned about the time and decided to cut out the reservoir loop and follow the road to join our return route.  The road was not the nicest of places to be running as it was a fast stretch for drivers.  I was much relieved when a chicken that strayed out from a farm scuttled back into the yard and not under the wheels of an approaching car (I hid behind Andrew as I was convinced it was going to be flattened!)

It's odd how you can bump into fellow fell runners in the remotest of places.  As we ran down a lane off the main road, a car pulled up in front of us.  Mark and Emma (new friends met on a Bob Graham Round we were supporting) got out to say hello.  Mark had been running on part of the route we'd be taking the next day.

The rest of the run was uneventful except for the discovery of a promising looking teashop located in the entrance to Parcival Hall.  We didn't have time to drop in but we'll definitely try it out some time soon.  We arrived back earlier than expected and realised we would've had time to visit the reservoir after all.  Ho hum!


There are two pubs in Appletreewick, both are excellent.  We ate in the Craven Arms.  Despite arriving early it was busy but we were lucky to find a table straight away and had no trouble getting served at the bar.  The food was tasty and the atmosphere was cheerful.




We saw two Tawny Owls on our way back from the pub in the evening, one of these was quite close and seemed still to be learning to call. Back at our tent we were treated to owl calls that seemed to come from all directions. We slept well in our tent, and in the morning woke up to a chorus of birdsong.  We loved the campsite and hope to return in the spring when the new lambs are in the fields. 

Sunday's run was a 14 mile route from Thruscross Reservoir taking in the Bolton Abbey Estate grouse moors and Simons Seat.  It was cool and blustery and being really good runnable route I should have felt good.  Despite carrying only a light pack, I had to work hard to keep up with the pace, alternating between feeling quite strong and struggling to keep going at all.  I felt stiff and achy and am hoping this was just the after effects of a long day travelling on Friday.

Thruscross reservoir.
The construction of the reservoir in 1966 flooded the village of West End, which was mostly derelict following the decline of the flax industry. The remains of a flax mill are still standing in the edge of the reservoir.  Much of the village ruins still remain below the water.

Introducing the new tarp

Following a superb dry weekend bivvying in the Lake District we decided to purchase a tarp for those occasions when we want to keep it basic but may get wet.  I didn't like the thought of stuffing my sleeping bag into the stuff sack in a downpour; it wouldn't be possible to do this and keep the bag dry.  The result was the Alpkit Rig 7.  

 

Last weekend had been earmarked for a tarp adventure; destination to be determined by the MWIS forecast! As the outlook for the Lake District was low cloud, we elected instead to keep it local and agreed on a grand tour of Wharfedale.

 

We set off on Friday evening after work and left the car in Starbotton with a 5 litre bottle of water in the back. The plan was to make big loops, filling our water bottles from springs, in cafes and pubs, and from the bottle in the car as a fall back. This arrangement worked well; we were never far from a source of water. 

 

A cat nap after an early mug of tea and cornflakes

Our first camp was made high up on the hillside overlooking the valley.  Contrary to the forecast, we were soon enveloped in low cloud so the view was hidden from us.  It took a couple of attempts to get the tarp pitched just right as we'd not had a practise run.  The rocky backdrop was perfect for leaning against and we had a foil blanket for insulation from the ground.  The air was full of moisture and there were a few drops of rain in the night, but we remained dry under our shelter.  I was surprised to find that I felt vulnerable under the tarp, a feeling I hadn't had when sleeping completely in the open on our last adventure. 

We spent Saturday romping around the head of Wharfedale.  Our route took us over the top and down into Arncliffe in Littondale, then back over into Kettlewell where we stopped in the tea shop.  Those who've been following my blog since the early days may remember that we dropped into this tea shop for emergency tea and soup on a particularly foul day when we were preparing for the BGR last year.  We were soaked through and I was cold despite being well wrapped up.  After the warm welcome we recieved on that day, I'll always have a soft spot for the Kettlewell Tea Rooms.  On this occasion we were dry and presentable and enjoyed a second breakfast of sausage butties and tea.  The cakes looked delicious so we purchased a couple of pieces of fruit cake to take away for later.

 

From Kettlewell we climbed Great Wherneside via a stunningly beautiful clough following Dowber Gill Beck. The path ended near Providence Pot from where we took a cross country route up to the cairn at the fence bend on the ridge between Great Whernside and Sweet Hill, then headed for the main summit.  Dowber Gill Beck flows over a bed of rock with beautiful formations, natural pools and a series of cascades.  As we followed it's course, the sun came out.  It was cool but a perfect day for exploring and I felt all the stress of work slip away from me.

 

From Great Wherneside we traversed via Park Rash to Starbotton on the Starbotton Road (not a road at all but a bridleway!) for a water refill. Then up to Buckden Pike along Walden Road (another bridleway). I know Buckden Pike as a remote, peat boggy, windy and bleak location but on this occasion it was realtively dry underfoot and had all the benefits of a grassy wilderness. We dropped down into Cray along Buckden rake, stopped for a wash in the gill, before calling into The White Lion:

 

It was a lovely surprise to find the fire was lit, and as seems to be the norm in the dale, we recieved a warm welcome.  Dinner for me was a huge plate of chilli con carne with half and half chips and rice and a generous portion of dressed salad coleslaw and potato salad,  washed down with two bottles of Kopparberg.  Andrew had steak and mushroom casserole with herby dumplings chips and salad, with Timthy Taylors Golden Best.  We'll definitely be going back!

The walk up to our camping spot was much easier than we'd imagined although it did end up being twice the distance owing to the chosen site being occupied by cattle.  Neither of us were keen to share, so we ended up being much higher up than planned, pitching in the twilight, in a somewhat exposed position. 

We only had one pole with us, so elected for a simple tent like configuration this time.  The wind picked up in the night so a bit of extra strapping down was needed but again the shelter worked well and when the sun rose in the morning it shon straight into the entrance.  The wind had dropped and we found ourselves in a beautiful remote spot with stunning views on the edge of Yockenthwaite Moor.  It was warm enough to set off in shorts and we decided to head back to Buckden for breakfast in another of our favourite cafes.

 

Our route to Buckden took us uphill first on a cross country course through grass, bogs and tussocks.  Great training with a heavy pack!  We traversed over to Gilbert Lane then back along Buckden Rake to Buckden.  The West Winds Teashop was closed for the day, but the village store restaurant and tea room was open and we sat outside in the sun for tea and bacon butties.  We were soon joined by several groups of walkers and cyclists and enjoyed the lively ambience.  This time we had Chorley cakes to take away.

 

The rest of the day was spent exploring the west side of the dale.  We climbed over Old Moor Cote Top and down into Litton, then along the River Skirfare (which was almost dried up) to Arncliffe.  From Arncliffe we crossed back over to Starbotton.  On arrival in Litton our path took us straight past the front entrance to the Queens Arms so we stopped for a drink in the pub garden on the way through; well, it would've been rude not to!