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25 circular walks via 84 traditional pubs throughout the Yorkshire Dales…
A collection of twenty-five circular walks throughout the Yorkshire Dales calling at traditional pubs that serve Black Sheep’s ales. With walks ranging from 5 to 14 miles in length, this book is a ‘must’ for anyone who loves the Dales and the delights of good ale and old fashioned hostelries. Complete with foreword by Paul Theakston.
Black Sheep Pub Walks
These walks are in addition to the 25 that feature in the book ‘The Inn Way…to Black Sheep Pubs’. Please feel free to print out these walks and use them. Due to Ordnance Survey copyright, I have not reproduced any mapping to accompany these walks, so please purchase the appropriate OS map listed. These walks are the copyright of Mark Reid 2002 and must only be used for personal leisure purposes. They must not be copied or reproduced in any format whatsoever without the written permission of the copyright holder.
WALK ONE – KETTLEWELL & GREAT WHERNSIDE
Distance: 9 miles
Time: 4 hours
Maps: OS Explorer Map OL30 ‘Yorkshire Dales Northern & Central’
Start: Main Car Park in the centre of Kettlewell.
Parking: Large ‘pay & display’ car park near the bridge across the River Wharfe.
How to get there: Kettlewell lies midway between Grassington and Buckden on the B6160. For details of public transport call 0870 608 2 608.
Terrain: This is a strenuous walk up to the summit of Great Whernside at 704 metres. Much of this walk is across exposed moorland with little shelter from the elements. Please ensure that you have suitable outdoor clothing and good footwear. Check the weather forecast before setting out.
Black Sheep Pubs: The Racehorses, Kettlewell; Tel: 01756 760233
The Kings Head, Kettlewell; Tel: 01756 760242
Close by… Tennant Arms, Kilnsey; Tel: 01756 752301
Fox & Hounds, Starbotton; Tel: 01756 760269
POINTS OF INTEREST
Great Whernside dominates Upper Wharfedale, an immense mountainous shoulder of land towering above Kettlewell that forms a very physical boundary between Wharfedale and Nidderdale, indeed the River Nidd is born on its eastern flanks. From the flat, rocky plateau 704 metres above sea level there are incredible views across Wharfedale towards Kilnsey Crag, down along the length of Coverdale towards Leyburn and across the reservoirs of Upper Nidderdale. In every direction fells, hills and mountains rise up from deep valleys with Buckden Pike (702 metres) and Pen-y-Ghent (694 metres) clearly visible. Great Whernside is capped by a huge shelf of gritstone, which sits on the underlying limestone strata – it is this gritstone that gave the mountain its name for Whernside means ‘the hillside where millstones were got’. Great Whernside is often mistaken for Whernside above Ribblehead, which forms one of the famous Three Peaks of Yorkshire – Kettlewell’s Whernside is ‘Great’ because the views are much better!
It was 'Ketel', a Norse-Irish chieftain who first settled in the sheltered valley at the confluence of Cam Gill Beck and the River Wharfe back in about the 9th Century, however the village grew in size mainly due to its location. The Roman Road from Ilkley to Bainbridge came this way, as did the monastic route through to Coverham Abbey, the stagecoach route from London as well as numerous packhorse trails – it also lay on the edge of the Norman hunting forest of Langstrothdale Chase, and the monks of Coverham Abbey, Fountains Abbey and Bolton Priory held lands nearby. With so many important routes converging at one place Kettlewell quickly developed as a trading centre and gained its market charter in the 13th Century. Lead mining in the hills behind Kettlewell and textiles brought prosperity to the village with many of the houses being rebuilt or improved during the height of this industrial activity in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Soon a bustling village grew with as many as thirteen inns to accommodate the market-goers, miners and travellers. The old tracks, miner’s paths and roads that radiate from the village in every direction make Kettlewell an excellent centre for walking and its three remaining inns are busy with a mixture of locals and walkers.
On the climb up to the summit of Great Whernside we come rather unexpectedly across the 18th Century farmhouse of Hag Dike, used as a Scout hostel since 1947. This is one of the highest buildings in the country and even has a small chapel in a converted outbuilding that is said to be the highest chapel in England. A deep earthwork stretches for almost a mile across the saddle of land between Great Whernside and Buckden Pike, known as Great Hunters Sleets, over which the road into Coverdale passes. This is Tor Dike, a huge ditch and rampart that once formed part of a defensive system built by the early British Iron Age tribes in an attempt to prevent the Romans invading the northern Dales. The final part of this walk follows the old monastic route known as Top Mere Road between Coverham Abbey in Coverdale and Kettlewell, where the monks held grazing lands. This ancient walled lane forms a superb end to this walk with far-reaching views down Wharfedale towards Kilnsey and Grass Wood.
THE WALK
1. From the car park beside the bridge across the River Wharfe, turn left along the main road into the centre of Kettlewell, over the stone bridge across Cam Gill Beck then turn right at the Blue Bell Inn and the Racehorses Hotel and follow the lane up through the village to reach a junction with the General Stores on the corner. Turn right here, over another bridge then immediately left along a lane (Kings Head on your right). Follow this lane alongside Cam Gill Beck up to reach a small stone bridge on the edge of the village. Do not cross this bridge, but continue straight on along what is now a rough track (still with the stream on your left) to reach another stone bridge where the track divides.
2. Bear left along the rough track over the bridge and follow the walled track climbing steadily up the steep valley side (with Cam Gill Beck down to your left) to eventually reach two gates at a junction of tracks. Turn right through the gate (signpost) – ignore the track straight on towards Hay Tonge Farm. Follow this rough track up across several pastures winding its way up to eventually reach the isolated buildings of Hag Dyke (which only come into view as you approach them).
3. Walk through the gate into the yard (signpost ‘Coverdale Road via Great Whernside’) then follow the path immediately to the right of the old farm buildings through a small gate, then head left passing behind the old farmhouse along a distinct path climbing quickly but steeply up a rocky outcrop onto a flat plateau (surmounted by a line of stone cairns). Head straight on along the clearly waymarked path (marker posts) as it meanders across the gently rising boggy moorland – the rocky, boulder-strewn summit of Great Whernside is directly ahead of you. As you approach the summit there is a final steep climb up onto the rocky plateau of Great Whernside with its large cairn and trig point.
4. At the trig point on the summit turn left and walk along clear path across the flat plateau of Great Whernside keeping close to the rocky ridge on your left. The path soon divides with a waymarked path slanting off to the left – our route continues straight on along the top of the rocky ridge passing a large stone cairn, then a stone shelter and on to reach the conspicuous outcrop of Blackfell Crags. Continue straight on, bearing slightly to the left, dropping gradually down across the shoulder of land to reach the corner of a stone wall ahead. Cross the stile in the corner of this stone wall and head down the hillside with the wall on your left. You soon come to a stile on your left and a well-worn path – follow this to the right slanting steeply down the hillside, then across some boggy flat ground and on over a stile across a stone wall to reach the road just to the right of the cattle grid.
5. Turn right along the unfenced road for about 500 yards then, just after the tumbledown walls which once enclosed the road end, take the grassy track to the left back on yourself (signpost ‘Kettlewell’) heading across the moor gradually bearing away from the road. After a while, the grassy track swings round to the right (another track joins it from the left) and runs alongside a stone wall (Tor Dike on the other side of the wall) to reach a gate. Continue on along the clear, undulating track skirting around the valley head, through another gate and on to reach a junction of tracks (Starbotton Road and Top Mere Road).
6. At this junction, bear left (signpost ‘Kettlewell’) and follow the clear green lane across grassy moorland back down towards Wharfedale. This track becomes a walled stony lane known as Top Mere Road, and then joins the metalled road that drops down to the right back into Kettlewell village.
Go to Walk 2 >>
© Mark Reid 2003. ‘The Inn Way’ is a Registered Trademark of Mark Reid
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