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Whittle Wander|
Keld (Swaledale), Great Sled Dale, Great Shunner Fell. Fri 10 Feb 2006 |
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| It was still overcast but there was no wind and the sky looked like I may clear a bit. At Keld I had a nice view of the fells and many icy patches lingered on pools in the River Swale as I approached the main waterfalls. |
 Some of the waterfalls near keld. |
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I left the road at the main bridge and continued on the south bank to another bridge where the path crosses the river. But as I didn’t want to finish up on the far bank I followed a minor sheep-track up the fell side and in to Great Sled Dale. The map didn’t show any path but I could see a minor vehicle track on the far bank. By now the river was low enough to hop across the rocks and onto the other side. Staying on the west bank I continued up the wide valley. Then a substantial barn appeared in the distance and shortly after that another. I had a look at its 2 storey interior. It was in quite good condition and seemed to be the ‘Sleddale House’ shown on the map. After following the river for a while I headed diagonally up the hillside to look for some old mine workings shown on the map. I found one of the spoil heaps but there was no sign of a shaft or adit. The weather had improved and I could see Great Shunner Fell in the distance. | |||
| I descended to the river and climbed the opposite bank across Angram Common. At the summit, and just past a small tarn, I stopped to eat my sandwiches. The map shows the area as ‘Market Place’ which is a delightful contradiction as I can’t think of anywhere more remote from a market. The area was an interesting mix of rocky outcrops and form peat. Perhaps in times past it was an area for the people of Swaledale and Wensleydale to meet and trade? |
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I followed the fence line up East Gill Gutter and up to the summit of Great Shunner Fell. The views were good but I didn’t stop too long. I was now on the Pennine Way and took the path north-east to descend into Swaledale. Large stone floor slabs had been placed over large parts of the route to make a walkable path. Before they were imported the path would have been a nightmare of black squelch. | |||
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| In the distance I saw a lone walker approaching. He was back-packing and when we met stopped for a brief chat. He was doing the Pennine Way heading south. I was the first person he’s seen all day and only the sixth since leaving Hadrians Wall. He was using a Terra Nova Solar one-man tent. We compared notes on its inadequate design. It is interesting to note that we found the same irritating things about it. Moaning over we said our goodbyes and continued on our opposite ways. The views down Swaledale were nice and continued almost all the way back to the road and my car. |
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