Circular Walk from Carperby

What a fantastic walk from Carperby in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales the other day. The weather was truly perfect and it just so happened the route we’d chosen allowed us to see Wensleydale in all it’s glory. As my mum would have said ‘You can see the sea on both coasts!’ Just amazingly breathtaking, a good to be out walking in the dales’ day, as clear as clear could be. A walk of about five miles, mostly easy going apart from literally a few yards of a rocky scramble, once you got going up it was fine. I thought perhaps I would have needed a hitch up onto the first step but managed and then just kept on all fours.

Although a shortish walk please do wear appropriate clothing and footwear, plan your route beforehand and take GPS, map, compass and always take drinks and snacks. Ours was a morning walk so we called for lunch at The Wheatsheaf in Carperby on our return.

Do come and stay in one of our beautiful Country Hideaways holiday cottages and enjoy this wonderful walk. Call me, Nadine, or my daughter Joanne, on 01969 663559 to book over the telephone and for friendly help and advice or, of course, do book online if you prefer.

You can park in front of the Village Hall, honesty box for parking, or park where you can if full, no restrictions but always park thoughtfully. We were walking in a clockwise direction, so make your way up the village in a westerly direction and take the little road on the right of the cross. Continue past the houses and soon you will see a footpath sign and stile. Through here and continue on through the field. Once at the track, turn right, then left after the sports field along the fence side to the wall, turn left through a little gate then right through the stile. Continue on following the path, through stiles and gates, down through the hazel wood, coming out eventually on a grassy plateau with unusual bumps and dips caused by lead mining in the past at The Straights. Here, the stream Eller Beck runs through an area of grassland that has built up on lead mining spoil and a variety of different plant communities can be seen here such as thrift, Pyrenean scurvygrass and spring sandwort can be seen on the lead mining spoil close to the beck, meadowsweet can be seen in the wetter marshy areas and devil’s-bit scabious and harebell can be seen in some of the drier areas.

In the 1930s this area was a holiday camp. It is possible that people would have arrived by train and walked the short distance to the camp, where they would have found wooden chalets, a shop and a dance hall (called Liberty Hall) erected on pillars and connected by a series of wooden walkways. Some of the huts had verandas and gardens, and the camp even boasted its own swimming pool – the stopped-up beck! When they got thirsty, the occupants would drink from a refreshing spring handily (and somewhat alarmingly) located near the lead works. The camp was only a short-lived venture – although we do know that during WWII refugees were housed there. The last of the huts burned down in 1953 and shortly afterwards the site was demolished, landscaped and eventually taken over as a nature reserve and looked after by the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Again continue along the path which leads onto the permissive footpath, well walked as before and eventually a pretty little waterfall will come into view with relics from the old mine workings still visible. Be careful here up the rocky part, once at the top take a moment to savour the view which is spectacular to say the least.

We paused for snacks etc and took our time to enjoy what was before us. You can explore this area if you go through the gate and straight ahead there is a little reservoir and further evidence of the past. Once ready for off again, walk to the track and walk in an easterly direction along Oxclose Road, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Follow the track here, an interesting place with more evidence of mine workings. It was quite grassy as we passed through, but sometimes it’s rather like I imagine the moon scape to be. Keep on along the track and pick up the footpath signs again. At Oxclose Gate turn right and follow the way, past interesting slabs of stone and soon after here do not take the track down to Carperby but continue along on the same level below Ponderledge Scar until you arrive at the next track down to the village. Continue on down here until you come into Carperby again, turn right at the main road and you’re soon back to your vehicle.

Hear from you quite soon!