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On Sunday Lorraine and I had a trip to Wharfedale, the plan was to follow one of Bob Allen's routes and walk from Burnsall to Trollers Gill following the Dales Way. We set off with the sun in front of us and it was soon very warm as we followed the riverside path from Burnsall past Appletreewick to Howgill. The scenery was lovely with plenty of wildlife and great views. We left the Dales Way at Howgill and followed a footpath through fields to Skyreholme, stopping to watch the martins flying in and out of their burrows in the cliffs. Too fast to get pictures though. The next step was to Parcevall Hall for a brew and cake. A lump of Yorkshire fruitcake with a wedge of Wensleydale cheese, not bad at all. Onward and upward now to Trollers Gill, we passed an old dam along the way, it was a good place to take photos of the valley leading up to Trollers Gill, shame about all the nettles though! Ten minutes later we entered Trollers Gill, it is a great place, the stream running through it had dried up, it must only run when there's been heavy rain, in dry weather I reckon it runs below ground. Stating the obvious there I guess, seeing as the stream is very much running at the head and foot of the gill! Sadly it didn't last long enough but it was a great place to be, especially seeing a Gollum/Smeagol peeping out of a crack in the limestone. Probably left by one of the scramblers who risk life and limb playing on the cliffs! We popped out of the gill and crossed the moor to The Devils Hole, not sure which of the Devil's holes it is, but it could do with a trim! The pothole is fenced off, but you can easily get a view of.... a dark hole! Next step was crossing the road and heading back down to Burnsall, this was when my travelling light method came back to haunt me. It poured, no, bucketed down. I had a showerproof jacket on but no proper waterproofs, I got drenched! Nevermind, it was refreshing!!! The last leg of the walk was a nice stroll across pasture below Kail Hill, nice views to be had here of Barden Moor and Burnsall. The sun came back now and I was drying out nicely with a half mile of tarmac to walk. A bacon bun and a coffee followed. It hit the spot beautifully. A lovely short day's round walk with cracking scenery nearly all the time, only the moor being drab and that was because of the rain. A full album is available on Webshots at http://community.webshots.com/album/563963963HFSKsJ PS My travelling light regime is partly because I can't see the point of carrying a load of 'kit' on a short easy walk and that my dodgy (broken to bits) right foot feels better when I'm not lugging a heavy 'sac round with me. Two snickers, a bottle of water and my camera - all the kit you could need! |
