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Home , Bolton Abbey, Bolton Abbey (village)

LEISURE TIME BOLTON

Walk on the WILDSIDE BEFORE ENJOYING THE BEACH AT , JO VAUGHAN WALKS

❖ WHARFDALE’S STUNNING HILLS

HE CLUB’S Strid Wood site at across numerous local beauty spots, you Bolton Abbey is one of the best could walk for days and never have to redo T located on the network. With a route. In fact, the Bolton Abbey Estate plenty of paths available to both able- alone, which covers 30,000 acres in total, bodied and disabled caravanners along the has over 80 miles of moorland, woodland General information river Wharf and, for the former at least, and riverside footpaths. Nearest Club site: Strid Wood Just a half hour's walk from the site is the Caravan Club Site, Bolton Abbey, 12th-century . After BD23 6AN. Tel 01756 710433. examining the ruins there's a beautiful Open: 17 March to 2 Jan Distance: 6.2 miles beach that's accessible either via a bridge or Terrain: Rough fields, good paths by the famous stepping stones across the Number of stiles: 4 river. But even nearer to the site is the Essential equipment: Ordnance Survey Strid, which is a narrow gorge full of hissing Explorer 297 – Lower & water and powerful undercurrents. Washburn Valley Despite its narrow width, however, the Level of difficulty: Moderate to water is 30ft deep, so when clambering strenuous at times upon the flanking rocks take care as this is Refreshments: Bolton Abbey, Cavendish Pavilion one section of the watercourse you don't Toilets: Bolton Abbey, Sand Holm want to take a dip in.

38 THE CARAVAN CLUB MAGAZINE www.caravanclub.co.uk DIRECTIONS ordinary gate (sp footpath Barden Bridge and Storiths). Local attractions ■ Leave the campsite's entrance and Pass through a kissing gate at the Bolton Abbey, Skipton, North BD23 6EX. Tel 01756 718009 or see boltonabbey.com. Cost: £5 per vehicle continue to the main road. Turn right for bottom of some stone steps and 1 10 to visit the estate. Pre-booked guided tour of Bolton Abbey a short distance, past a bus stop, but very continue across the bridge and its gate (or Village £2.50 per person. Open: 9am to dusk. Disabled access: soon turn left to cross the road. Follow the across the stepping stones if you prefer). From the Strid to Sand Holme car park, and from the village car direction of a footpath marker (sp Broad Ignore the steps on your right and continue park to the Abbey. Park 1 mile) by passing up some stone steps straight ahead on the gravel pathway, but ■ & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, Bolton Abbey and through a wooden gate. very soon, where it comes to a T-junction, Station, Bolton Abbey, Skipton BD23 6AF. Tel 01756 710614, or Keep following the dry stone wall to your continue straight ahead across the grass, see pogo.org.uk/railway. Cost: £5 to £6 for adults, £3 for right up the hill. When you get to the top, keeping to the left of some oak trees. children, £16 for families. Disabled facilities. 2 ■ , The Bailey, Skipton BD23 1AW. Tel 01756 cross another gated stone step stile and turn Cross the stile and continue along 792442 or see skiptoncastle.co.uk. Cost: £5.20 for adults, £2.70 right at the public footpath sign, following 11 the footpath. Keep ahead again at for children (5-17 years) and £4.60 for the over 60s and another dry stone wall on your right. the path's crossroads, slightly bearing to students. Family tickets available. Disabled access: wheelchair Continue along this wall until you get to the left, and continue following the river. access to grounds, tea-room and shop, but not to the castle. 3a broken-down gate (the grasses here are Look out for the dead log which has had quite tall). Veer around to the left, still hundreds of pennies pushed into its bark. can just continue up the green track ahead if following the trodden path, leaving the wall At a tarmac lane, turn left for a very short preferred). There are lots of little beaches behind you. Continue to where another dry distance, walking across the shallow ford along here which are perfect for a quiet stone wall veers off to the right and continue or using the nearby footbridge. picnic. If you've taken the purple route, turn to walk to the left side of two lone trees until Immediately after this, turn left following right at the main path to continue to the reaching a stile at a slatted wooden fence the signpost to Cavendish Pavilion and Strid, following the green arrows. (this looks like a gate from a distance). Posforth Bridge. Pass through the gate or At the Strid, you may wish to head Cross this stile and continue ahead over the stile and continue. Pass through 13 down onto the rocks to have a look, 4through the ferns. Turn left just before a the wooden gate and then turn left across but then return to the main path. Very soon gate following the public footpath sign. the bridge to Cavendish Pavilion. keep to the left, leaving the river behind (sp Tourist Having walked alongside a wall, veer left Turn right following the signs to Strid Barden and Strid Car Park), but soon turn information following the direction of another footpath 12 Nature Trails. Continue past the gate right following 'Strid Car Park and Barden', Skipton Tourist sign (sp Halton East 1mile). and the information board. We first want to still following the green arrow. As the path Information Continue up this small path, which follow the purple trail and then the green branches, keep left, and then keep left again Centre, 35 Coach 5heads to the right side of a rocky, grassy trail all the way to the Strid, so continue (sp Strid Car Park). Continue along the Street, Skipton, mound, until you get to a wall. Find the gate down the main route for a very short main track, now following a yellow arrow, that breaks its length (this should be to your distance and then turn right following a and head through the trunk arch before BD23 1LQ. Tel 01756 792809 right near the brow of the hill). Pass through blue-purple arrow towards the river (you turning left into the campsite. it and then bear right to follow the main grassy path that takes you to the top of the highest hill (Middle Hare Head). BOLTON ABBEY WALK:6.2 miles Follow the bridleway down the other 6side, keeping a wall to your right some of BARDENBARDEN TOWERTOWER P Cony Laund Pasture the way. Where the path leads to a gate, next Warren Bull Coppy Plantation to a bridleway sign and just before some Wood buildings to your left, pass through the gate and follow the sign's direction straight Old Oak Seat Low ahead. Cross a gravel track and continue Barden Laithe Scale ahead, following the bridleway to a gate in P Strid Park the approaching wall, crossing the track Barden Beck Cottage Plantation Bridge again as you go. Sheepfolds Broad Park Cross through the gate and then veer Bride Eller Carr START 7left to cross the next field diagonally, Hill Strid Wood following the direction of the bridleway Posforth B sign. Pass through a gate and into woodland. 6 Bridge 16 Veer to the right, following the bridleway Hollin Beck 0 sign. Continue along the main footpath all the way through the woods, and then pass Middle Hare Head Wooden through a wooden gate. Little Hare Bolton Abbey Bridge Head Rack Riddings Estate Country Park Continue through a field and pass Laithe 8through the left of the two gates. P Continue almost straight ahead, along the Sand Holme Brow line of the wire fence. Follow the bridleway BOLTON ABBEY sign through another gate, then take the Westy Bank Cavendish bridleway to the left down a gravel track. Wood Memorial Bolton Abbey is now in front of you. Very carefully turn left to walk alongside REMAINSREMAINS OFOF BOLTONBOLTON PRIORYPRIORY 9the busy road, sticking to the narrow Laverock MODELMODEL Laithe Waterfall RAILWAYRAILWAY pavement. When you get to a kissing gate, Bridge turn right to pass through it and follow the signs to Bolton Abbey Village. But almost Bolton P Raven Abbey Gill immediately turn left through another

MARCH 2006 THE CARAVAN CLUB MAGAZINE 39