Home > Walking in the Dales > A lovely walk up Addlebrough in Wensleydale in the glorious Yorkshire Dales

29/06/21

A lovely walk up Addlebrough in Wensleydale in the glorious Yorkshire Dales

Share
Walking up Addlebrough in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales

On another gorgeous day a little group of us parked in the car park at Thornton Rust and set off to reach the top of Addlebrough in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, one in our party had never walked that way so extra special for her.

Addlebrough is one of those tantalising landmarks in the dales that nearly makes you want to experience what might be on the top of its seemingly flat plateau. A lovely walk with stunning views and a couple of little surprises on the way for us. There are instructions below for a six mile walk or a ten mile plus walk.

If you look on the map you can follow the route we took from the car park at the start of the walk. Officially there is no path up onto the heights of Addlebrough so once onto Open Access land and through the next gate, it is quite a way across the moor, you will see a finger post directing you to a ladder stile. Take this path and soon you’re really on the route to take you to the summit. Pause at the next post, a convenient stone here to perch on, and then deep breath and off you go. It isn’t the hardest of hills to climb so don’t be too daunted. Once at the top take note of the ladder stile a few yards in front of you on the left and then you can explore. Find the cairn, photo opportunity of course, if you’re lucky you may even find in the ground what looked like a trig point which is no longer but we weren’t sure, then over to the west to sit and gaze upon Semer Water for a well earned rest. Do not try to descend at this point as there are crags below you.

Now retrace your steps back to where you emerged at the top by the ladder stile. Over here and be surprised with the little obelisk with convenient seat, definitely another photo opportunity, then make your way down keeping the wall on your left, south, after a while walk diagonally across the field and you’ll come across sheep tracks to follow and more surprisingly stones which seem to have been set out in large rectangles. Going on further there are lots and lots of stones, must have been some mining going on here many moons ago, and another very unusual obelisk comes into view. Here there is a cut in the hill where we found a seat! Looks ancient but the inscription on it was dated 2006, so not at all sure. Again a great place to pause and find the peace this land offers. Now keep going south to meet up with the main path you initially left before turning right at the finger post to climb Addlebrough. Make your way along here and it will bring you out just north of Carpley Green.

Turn right, north, onto the single track road and proceed to the sheepfold, marked on the map, and the next footpath marker by a large metal gate. Into here and follow the path leading on to a track to Cubeck. Here you have a choice, you can either walk along the road back to Thornton Rust and your vehicle which would make a walk of six miles or you can continue to the left, down hill to Worton and a longer walk of about ten miles.

If taking the longer route, walk through Worton in the direction of Askrigg, once over the metal bridge take the footpath on the right. Follow this path, sometimes along the disused railway line, sometimes by the River Ure, past Lady Hill and you will come to a track crossing your path north and south. Turn right and follow to the metal footbridge over the River Ure and a car park, marked on the map by the A684. Here we are onto the main road, please be careful as it can be busy and there is no footway. Do not take the footpath to Seafa Farm but the next one to Hawthorn. Follow this path, making your way back to Thornton Rust and the car park.

We have a couple of beautiful cottages in Thornton Rust, West Cottage to sleep four and The Bield to sleep six plus up to two well behaved dogs. Have a look for availability on our website or call me, Nadine, or my daughter Joanne, on 01969 663559 for friendly help and advice and to book over the telephone.



TAGS
Country Hideaways

Written By Nadine Bell

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. We use necessary cookies to make sure that our website works. We’d also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. By clicking “Allow All”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
These cookies are required for basic functionalities such as accessing secure areas of the website, remembering previous actions and facilitating the proper display of the website. Necessary cookies are often exempt from requiring user consent as they do not collect personal data and are crucial for the website to perform its core functions.
A “preferences” cookie is used to remember user preferences and settings on a website. These cookies enhance the user experience by allowing the website to remember choices such as language preferences, font size, layout customization, and other similar settings. Preference cookies are not strictly necessary for the basic functioning of the website but contribute to a more personalised and convenient browsing experience for users.
A “statistics” cookie typically refers to cookies that are used to collect anonymous data about how visitors interact with a website. These cookies help website owners understand how users navigate their site, which pages are most frequently visited, how long users spend on each page, and similar metrics. The data collected by statistics cookies is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it does not contain personally identifiable information (PII).
Marketing cookies are used to track user behaviour across websites, allowing advertisers to deliver targeted advertisements based on the user’s interests and preferences. These cookies collect data such as browsing history and interactions with ads to create user profiles. While essential for effective online advertising, obtaining user consent is crucial to comply with privacy regulations.