Dalesway 1999
Dales Way August 1999This was to be our next big walk after the Cumbrian Way. We had prepared much better this time with many practice miles put in. New boots were purchased and broken in. Ian and I had also been told that our feet could be guarded against blisters with a regime of surgical spirit wiping for days before and during the walk. Ian now lived in Connonley, West Yorkshire and had planned our walk from Ilkley to Bowness. My wife dropped me at Ian's house the night before the start and Dad arrived by train. A taxi had been booked for the morning to get us to Illey. Much merriment was had and a fair amount of Ian's Alcohol stash was consumed.
Day 1 Sunday 8th August Ilkley to Thorpe
We arose bright and early and had a good fry up courtesy of Ian and waited for the taxi which was to take us from Ian's house in Connonley to the start of the walk in Ilkley.
After the
obligatory starting photo poses
by the signpost telling us we had 84 miles to walk to Bowness we began
our hike in good spirits and with good weather. The route took us along
pleasant riverside paths following the Wharfe up stream. This was to be
our companion for the next three days. We arrived at Bolton Abbey
around lunchtime and sat near the stepping stones to eat the packed
lunch Ian had provided. 
We were
soon surrounded by several hungry
Mallards which greedily consumed the odd crust thrown for them. The
must
have been hungry because they also ate the tiny pieces of banana skin
which we offered them. We decided no to risk completely crossing the 
stepping
stones as one
stone appeared to missing, which created an extra large gap near the
the middle. We crossed
the bridge and made our was upstream towards the
Strid which was quite spectacular even with just 
a
moderate
amount of water passing through. As we continued onwards Ian pointed
out an array of holes in the sandy bank on the opposite side of the
river out of which many Sandmartins were leaving and entering. Restrictions
were still in force after the recent outbreak of foot and
mouth and we had to paddle through several disinfectant baths as we
made our way onwards towards Burnsall. 
We arrived
at Burnsall mid
afternoon and stopped for a refreshing pint of ale before
making
our way up through the fields to our B&B at Holly Tree
farm in Thorpe. This proved to be a crossing of many high stiles to our
destination for the day. Our lodgings were very pleasant and after a
quick shower we were given a lift by the farmers wife into Grassington
where we enjoyed a sumptuous bar meal and several more pints before
being picked up at 9:30 for our lift back to the farm where we enjoyed
a pleasant nights sleep.
Day 2 Monday 9th August Thorpe to Buckden
After
a delightful
farmhouse breakfast, our route today began with a walk down lanes and
across fields to Litton Church and
then to meet up with the official
route at Litton falls where we crossed the Wharfe on the footbridge
and headed for Grassington to stock up with provisions for the day.
The rain began to fall heavier as we headed out of Grassington and up
onto
the limestone plateau and began to test my new waterproof coat. We
trekked across the fell through increasingly heavy rain
over many
ladder stiles eventually coming down into a small wooded area where
we paused under moderate shelter from trees and had a brief snack and
drink. With the weather showing no signs of improving we continued
down the steep path and eventually entered the village of Kettlewell.
Being completely soaked and cold now we decided to try and warm up in
the Kings Head. On removing my coat I realised why the coat
had been
reduced so much as my T-shirt was wet through. I decided to change
into a dry shirt and enjoyed my pint in front of the welcome fire.
Reluctantly we headed out into the rain and continued up the valley
to our destination for the day at Buckden. We commented on the
abundance of barns we saw in the riverside fields. Eventually we
arrived at our B&B in Buckden and were delighted to be offered
drying facilities for our wringing wet attire and boots. After a
shower and a game of cards in front of the fire, we made our way down
to the Buck Inn for some food which we all found less than
impressive. A quick pint after the meal and we made our way back to
the B&B for some more cards and a chat with our host who
informed
us that he was sorry he had not pointed out the tea room near the
lodgings as they provided a much more appetizing selection of food.
We were also intrigued to discover from him, that the Black Sheep
brewery had apparently acquired its brewing equipment and brewers
from the now defunct Hartleys brewery in our home town of Ulverston.
The
weather
slightly
better today as
we continued our way up the Wharfe riverside. Again we observed
that almost every one of the adjacent fields contained a barn.
Our path kept switching from the left bank to the right and vice versa
as we passed the the hamlets of Hubberholme,
Yockenthwaite and Deepfold
befor leaving the Wharfe at Beckermonds to encounter our first climb of
the last 2 days walk.
The route climbed steadily up a country lane
towards the settlement of Outershaw. We observed an advert for baggage
transfers strategically placed half way up the steepest part of the
lane. Once Outershaw was reached we headed west across the moors
heading for Cam houses. The path across the moor
was very
wet in
places
and care had to be taken to avoid
sinking
into the mire. The
track beyond Cam 
house
bunk barn was much
firmer and a pleasure to hike upon. As we reached
the
section where the Dalesway shares the route of the 
Pennine
Way we
were passed by several mountain bikers
heading in the
opposite direction.
Eventually the pennine Way
route
branched off to the south and we continued on wards towards the
Blea Moor road near Gearstones. Our B&B for the night
was
The Ribblehead Inn, which we could see in the distance when
we
reached the road. The sun had become quite strong
by now
and we had built up quite a thirst. However as we made our way towards
our destination for the day it seemed that the pub was on
wheels
and was being being pulled away from us in the opposite direction.
We arrived at about 4:30 and knocked to gain entry
as the
pub was closed. We immediately ordered 3 pints of the
landlords
finest Black sheep ale. However the first round became 4 pints as I had
downed my first pint before our host had finished pulling the third
pint. As the landlord wanted to return to his
chores
we
purchased
another pint each and retired to our room with 2 pints each.The room
had 3 single beds a TV and glass shower cubicle. We all relaxed on our
beds and commented on how marvelous it felt to be relaxing with a
supply of ale. After a short nap we showered and made our way down to
the bar where some excellent steak and ale pie was consumed together
with more Black Sheep.
Day 4 Wednesday 11th August Ribblehead to Dent
We set off in better weather and headed off up towards the Ribblehead Viaduct.
Ian set a
fast pace but Dad just dawdled along with me and
said he would have to wait for us. Today was to be a short day as we
headed up the side of Whernside. We passed several walkers heading in
the opposite direction clutching pieces of darkened gless in readiness
for the solar eclipse which was due today. As the time approached we
were disappointed that the sky began to cloud over. When the
eclipse began the temperature dropped considerably and the skys darkened
even more.
At the
maximum coverage it was possible to actually
see the sun in its crescent form through the clouds. The moment
passed
and the temperature began to rise again as we made our way down the
fell towards the village of Dent.
We 
arrived
just after mid-day and
went to the Sun Inn beer garden for a couple of pints and a bar meal.
Our appetites satisfied we made our way to our B&B at Low Hall
farm
which was about a mile outside the village on the opposite side of the
river across the bridge and along a pleasant riverside path.
That
evening we made our way back to Dent and enjoyed several pints of Dent
Brewery's Aviator and Kamikhazi bitter. We had another short day
tomorrow so we made the most of the evening. Unfortunately we had
forgotten that an eclipse meant there would be no moon. As country
lanes have no street lights we were plunged into darkness as soon as we
left the village and could not even see the road ahead. We decided to
avoid the riverside path and slowly made our way along the lanes and
were happy reach our destination.
Day 5 Thursday 12th August Dent to Sedbergh
This was to be our shortest day of the walk so we took our time getting started and made our way leisurely along the riverside path towards Sedbergh.
The day was
uneventful and we all agreed we could have easily
travelled much further as we reached Sedbergh at lunchtime. Ribblehead
to Sedbergh could comfortably have been covered in 1 day but the 2
short "rest" days probably were a bonus to allow us to take in the
scenery and of course the excellent refreshments from the Dent Brewery.
We
found our B&B
and dropped our bags and headed for a
stroll
around
Sedbergh. I could vaguely remember playing rugby on the school fields
when we had played an away game from Ulverston Victoria High School. We
found a pleasant bar where a pub lunch and liquid refreshment was
taken.
Day 6 Friday 13th August Sedbergh to Burneside
A quick trip down the main street to buy some buns and cheese to make our lunch and then off on the track towards the River Lune.
Our route for
the morning passed close to the Lune for several miles. We passed under
the disused Lune railway viaduct and made good progress to the Crook of
Lune bridge where we crossed the river.
across fields to Litton Church and
then to meet up with the official
route at Litton falls where we crossed the Wharfe on the footbridge
and headed for Grassington to stock up with provisions for the day.
The rain began to fall heavier as we headed out of Grassington and up
onto
the limestone plateau and began to test my new waterproof coat. We
trekked across the fell through increasingly heavy rain over many
ladder stiles eventually coming down into a small wooded area where
we paused under moderate shelter from trees and had a brief snack and
drink. With the weather showing no signs of improving we continued
down the steep path and eventually entered the village of Kettlewell.
Being completely soaked and cold now we decided to try and warm up in
the Kings Head. On removing my coat I realised why the coat
had been
reduced so much as my T-shirt was wet through. I decided to change
into a dry shirt and enjoyed my pint in front of the welcome fire.
Reluctantly we headed out into the rain and continued up the valley
to our destination for the day at Buckden. We commented on the
abundance of barns we saw in the riverside fields. Eventually we
arrived at our B&B in Buckden and were delighted to be offered
drying facilities for our wringing wet attire and boots. After a
shower and a game of cards in front of the fire, we made our way down
to the Buck Inn for some food which we all found less than
impressive. A quick pint after the meal and we made our way back to
the B&B for some more cards and a chat with our host who
informed
us that he was sorry he had not pointed out the tea room near the
lodgings as they provided a much more appetizing selection of food.
We were also intrigued to discover from him, that the Black Sheep
brewery had apparently acquired its brewing equipment and brewers
from the now defunct Hartleys brewery in our home town of Ulverston.Dales
Way Day 3
Tuesday 10th August Buckden to Ribblehead
Tuesday 10th August Buckden to Ribblehead
The
weather
slightly
better today as
we continued our way up the Wharfe riverside. Again we observed
that almost every one of the adjacent fields contained a barn.
Our path kept switching from the left bank to the right and vice versa
as we passed the the hamlets of Hubberholme,
Yockenthwaite and Deepfold
befor leaving the Wharfe at Beckermonds to encounter our first climb of
the last 2 days walk.
The route climbed steadily up a country lane
towards the settlement of Outershaw. We observed an advert for baggage
transfers strategically placed half way up the steepest part of the
lane. Once Outershaw was reached we headed west across the moors
heading for Cam houses. The path across the moor
was very
wet in
places
and care had to be taken to avoid
sinking
into the mire. The
track beyond Cam house
bunk barn was much
firmer and a pleasure to hike upon. As we reached
the
section where the Dalesway shares the route of the Pennine
Way we
were passed by several mountain bikers
heading in the
opposite direction.
Eventually the pennine Way
route
branched off to the south and we continued on wards towards the
Blea Moor road near Gearstones. Our B&B for the night
was
The Ribblehead Inn, which we could see in the distance when
we
reached the road. The sun had become quite strong
by now
and we had built up quite a thirst. However as we made our way towards
our destination for the day it seemed that the pub was on
wheels
and was being being pulled away from us in the opposite direction.
We arrived at about 4:30 and knocked to gain entry
as the
pub was closed. We immediately ordered 3 pints of the
landlords
finest Black sheep ale. However the first round became 4 pints as I had
downed my first pint before our host had finished pulling the third
pint. As the landlord wanted to return to hischores
we
purchased
another pint each and retired to our room with 2 pints each.The room
had 3 single beds a TV and glass shower cubicle. We all relaxed on our
beds and commented on how marvelous it felt to be relaxing with a
supply of ale. After a short nap we showered and made our way down to
the bar where some excellent steak and ale pie was consumed together
with more Black Sheep.Day 4 Wednesday 11th August Ribblehead to Dent
We set off in better weather and headed off up towards the Ribblehead Viaduct.
Ian set a
fast pace but Dad just dawdled along with me and
said he would have to wait for us. Today was to be a short day as we
headed up the side of Whernside. We passed several walkers heading in
the opposite direction clutching pieces of darkened gless in readiness
for the solar eclipse which was due today. As the time approached we
were disappointed that the sky began to cloud over. When the
eclipse began the temperature dropped considerably and the skys darkened
even more. At the
maximum coverage it was possible to actually
see the sun in its crescent form through the clouds. The moment
passed
and the temperature began to rise again as we made our way down the
fell towards the village of Dent. We arrived
just after mid-day and
went to the Sun Inn beer garden for a couple of pints and a bar meal.
Our appetites satisfied we made our way to our B&B at Low Hall
farm
which was about a mile outside the village on the opposite side of the
river across the bridge and along a pleasant riverside path.
That
evening we made our way back to Dent and enjoyed several pints of Dent
Brewery's Aviator and Kamikhazi bitter. We had another short day
tomorrow so we made the most of the evening. Unfortunately we had
forgotten that an eclipse meant there would be no moon. As country
lanes have no street lights we were plunged into darkness as soon as we
left the village and could not even see the road ahead. We decided to
avoid the riverside path and slowly made our way along the lanes and
were happy reach our destination.Day 5 Thursday 12th August Dent to Sedbergh
This was to be our shortest day of the walk so we took our time getting started and made our way leisurely along the riverside path towards Sedbergh.
The day was
uneventful and we all agreed we could have easily
travelled much further as we reached Sedbergh at lunchtime. Ribblehead
to Sedbergh could comfortably have been covered in 1 day but the 2
short "rest" days probably were a bonus to allow us to take in the
scenery and of course the excellent refreshments from the Dent Brewery. and dropped our bags and headed for a
stroll
around
Sedbergh. I could vaguely remember playing rugby on the school fields
when we had played an away game from Ulverston Victoria High School. We
found a pleasant bar where a pub lunch and liquid refreshment was
taken.Day 6 Friday 13th August Sedbergh to Burneside
A quick trip down the main street to buy some buns and cheese to make our lunch and then off on the track towards the River Lune.
Our route for
the morning passed close to the Lune for several miles. We passed under
the disused Lune railway viaduct and made good progress to the Crook of
Lune bridge where we crossed the river.
Our
pleasant countryside walk of the last few days was now disrupted by the
distant rumble of the M6 which soon came into view. A 
footbridge
allowed us to cross the motorway and we headed away through the fields
towards our next obstacle, the main railway line to Carlisle. However
before we reached this I spotted some watercress growing in a pathside
stream. Dad and I helped ourselves to a generous bunch to improve our
cheese sandwiches, but Ian was not convinced we had the correct plant
and declined. We soon reached the level crossing and gingerly crossed
the high speed rail line. The rain had now begun to get
heavier
so we found some shelter and sated our hunger with cheese and fresh
watercress sandwiches. A pleasant afternoons walk led us to our
B&B
for the night at the Jolly Anglers pub in Burneside. After a shower and
change of clothes we filled up with Wainwright walking food from the
fish and chip shop next door. As this was our last night and we were
staying in a pub we made the most of it and enjoyed the refreshments
until closing time and a little bit after as we were indeed residents.
Day 7 Saturday 14th August Burneside to Bowness
We woke early and made our way down to the bar for a delicious cooked breakfast. We were on our way by 8:45 and were pleased to find the weather had improved a little.
Our route
followed the river Kent
upstream to Staveley where we crossed the Windermere railway branch
line. Our route now began to gain height as we passed along country
lanes and through woods and fields. We spotted several buzzards
circling high above . We became both sad as our weeklong
outing
as a family was drawing to a close and excited to reach our final
destination. Eventually the lakeland mountains began to form the
horizon as we began to make our descent towards Bowness. We made note
of the seat sited just above Bowness for the use of those who had
walked the Dales way. When we reached the road near Bowness pier it was
a shock to the system to be surrounded by bustling crowds
after
the solitude of our last weeks walking, We made our way to the shingle
at the lakes edge and dipped our boots to conclude the walk.
footbridge
allowed us to cross the motorway and we headed away through the fields
towards our next obstacle, the main railway line to Carlisle. However
before we reached this I spotted some watercress growing in a pathside
stream. Dad and I helped ourselves to a generous bunch to improve our
cheese sandwiches, but Ian was not convinced we had the correct plant
and declined. We soon reached the level crossing and gingerly crossed
the high speed rail line. The rain had now begun to get
heavier
so we found some shelter and sated our hunger with cheese and fresh
watercress sandwiches. A pleasant afternoons walk led us to our
B&B
for the night at the Jolly Anglers pub in Burneside. After a shower and
change of clothes we filled up with Wainwright walking food from the
fish and chip shop next door. As this was our last night and we were
staying in a pub we made the most of it and enjoyed the refreshments
until closing time and a little bit after as we were indeed residents.Day 7 Saturday 14th August Burneside to Bowness
We woke early and made our way down to the bar for a delicious cooked breakfast. We were on our way by 8:45 and were pleased to find the weather had improved a little.
Our route
followed the river Kent
upstream to Staveley where we crossed the Windermere railway branch
line. Our route now began to gain height as we passed along country
lanes and through woods and fields. We spotted several buzzards
circling high above . We became both sad as our weeklong
outing
as a family was drawing to a close and excited to reach our final
destination. Eventually the lakeland mountains began to form the
horizon as we began to make our descent towards Bowness. We made note
of the seat sited just above Bowness for the use of those who had
walked the Dales way. When we reached the road near Bowness pier it was
a shock to the system to be surrounded by bustling crowds
after
the solitude of our last weeks walking, We made our way to the shingle
at the lakes edge and dipped our boots to conclude the walk.
