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Reeth, Arkle Beck, Hurst Mine Workings, Marrick Moor, North Yorkshire.
[17.5 km] Wed 01 Oct 2014

OS Grid Ref: SE 03814 99291
Lat/Long: +54.389086, -01.942776

My walk started from the village square in Reeth. The parking is by donation and as they suggest £1/day or 50p/half day it’s a reasonable amount to pay. I’d driven there via the Tan Hill road and started by walking back the way I’d come for about a mile until I left the road and followed a track down to Arkle Beck. The bridge is surrounded lovely woods but a sign says no footpath access upstream.

Bridge over Arkle Beck

Castle Farm House

Castle Farm House

I followed up between stone walls to a higher path on the hillside. I joined it via a ladder stile but on the other side a sign said ‘no path’ the way I’d come. Too late. I was now on a nice path with great views heading NW and parallel to a wall on my left. Up ahead I would need to turn right near a building called Heggs House. I could see the stone building below but no sign of a path above. The building looked as though someone was doing it up but hadn’t done any work in a while.

Keep off my land

Nobody was about. I set off up the steep hill, partly through ferns and scrub. I climbed a barbed wire fence where the path should be then noticed a stile further to the west. After a flat area I followed an old miner’s track up to the Fell End Lead Mine area and found the main path.

Lovely path below Fremington Edge

View south from Fremington Edge

Brown Shaft Chimney

Through a gate the track improved considerable through extremely substantial old workings. For almost a mile the whole area was spoil heaps and old excavations. At Hall Farm I made the first of two detours to old chimneys. The first was square in section and in good condition. It is known as the Brown Shaft Chimney.

Cat Shaft Chimney

The second was round in section and the Cat Shaft Chimney. Both had been refurbished and pointed though neither had a base level access. The area is called Hurst and there’s even a phone box and notice board. I turned right and continued along the road to Ings Head where I climbed over a path gap in the wall to the right.

Telephone Box at Hurst

There was no sign of the path but I headed off in the direction where it should be and eventually found it. Over the hill I was heading for Owlands Farm but couldn’t see it. As I headed down to the valley its roof appeared in front of me. I walked through the farm to sounds of barking dogs both inside the farmhouse and outside in the yard. But there was nobody about.

Cairn on Fremington Edge

A track took me over Raygill Allotment where I joined the main track along Fremington Edge. I headed SE for a while then set off across rough and featureless moor to check out the O.S. trig post in an area that doesn’t even have a name. And it’s not even on the highest point either. Objective achieved I crossed more rough ground back to the track. As I descended to the road at New Close Bank I met my first and only walkers of the day, a couple coming up the hill.

Trig Post on Copperthwaite Allotment

At the road I descended steeply down Reels Head towards Low Fremington. I had a feeling of Déjà vu as I walked along. The last time I was here was walking the Coast to Coast route with Charlie.

The Black Bull, Reeth

I still have the Wainwright book of the walk and the time schedules on the back pages. The last time here was Sat 17 May 1980. Over 34 years ago. In Low Fremington I joined the main B6270 where the Tour de France passed back in July. Over the bridge and I was back in Reeth.

Reeth, North Yorkshire