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Whittle Wander|
Dent, Craven Way, Whernside, Deepdale. Thu 16 Feb 2006 |
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The roads were very wet and muddy due to overnight rain. As I reached the village of Dent the Bin Lorry was just making its collections. This meant quite a wait as there was no way I could pass on the narrow lane. Once past I drove on to Whernside Manor and left my car by the old Chapel. It was still wet but the rain had stopped. I was more or less planning to follow one of Wainwright’s walks over Whernside. |
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I set off south on the narrow lane then left up the gated track which leads steeply up the hillside and along the Craven Way. The first part was concrete surfaced but this stopped as soon as I reached a small stone building which seemed to have something to do with wireless communications. As I then climbed the rutted and muddy track I had to try and pick my way through the mess left by the motor bike enthusiasts who seem to delight in ripping the countryside up for their amusement. At the end of the walled track is an area called ‘Boot of the Wold’. It’s worth coming here just to say you have. A right turn and I was heading along another wall and up towards the mist and icy wind. Some large cairns gave a little shelter before heading up to the twin lakes of Whernside Tarns. |
| The temperature was at freezing and the wind was whistling. The tarns had their own pack-ice swishing about along one shore. The wind took my hat and deposited it in one of the lakes. It floated for a while and I thought it would blow across and I’d be able to collect it from the far shore. No such luck, I watched as it slowly sank and then vanished. My last hat went a similar way, blown off and into a fast flowing and raging river torrent. I rarely walk past rivers or lakes so what are the chances of that happening twice? |
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The cloud lifted a bit as I continued up, following a well used path. |
| Once on the ridge I could look down into Ribblehead and the magnificent Railway Viaduct. It was a windy walk along the ridge but the views made up for the chill. |
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Whernside summit is certainly not what you would call a summit, just a high point in the middle of a lot of flat. I turned west and descended straight down to the road at the head of Kingsdale. A short way to the north I left the road and cut across fields down to the farm of Deepdale Head and the footbridge over Deepale Beck. |
| Further on I came to Mire Garth, previously a farm and barn and now a holiday cottage for rent. The sign outside says it is 16th Century, but I doubt that. After another two fields I came to the old farm of 'Woods'. A similar but smaller property but this time not a holiday cottage and not looked after either. The windows were blocked and it was generally left to rot, though the roof is still on. The next farm I came to was Hingabank; occupied, in good condition and wonderfully named. A snarling dog waited for me as I approached but the owner soon appeared to shoo it away and let me through. I was now on a made track and wound my way through narrow lanes back to the car. |
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