6 The Northern Echo Thursday, February 4, 2010 7DAYS northernecho.co.uk COUNTRY DIARY WALKS ESPITE the arrival of yet another cold snap, lengthening days are Horse Dbeginning to deliver tentative Head signs of approaching spring. Catkins of alder trees are beginning By to lengthen, a sure sign that they’ll Based on Ordnance Survey soon be shedding pollen. If you cut an Mark Reid mapping © Crown copyright: alder twig and keep it in a vase in a AM26/09 warm room you can hasten this POINTS OF INTEREST process and with a few days its HERE are 42 mountains, catkins will produce a cloud of pollen fells and hills in the when you give them a gentle tap. Dales with a Under natural conditions the pollen, height of 600 metres of carried on the wind, must reach tiny T more, and a relative height cone-shaped female flowers which are of over 20 metres. Every fortnight less than half an inch long so, to (weather permitting) over the next maximise success, wind pollinated two years I am going to chart a walk trees like alder tend to flower very early to the top of each and every one of in the season, long before leaves can them; this will take my until unfurl and hinder pollen transfer. Hazel, Christmas 2011 to complete. Some of poplar and walnut trees all reproduce the mountains are well-known and in the same way, carrying catkins and well-trodden, such as Ingleborough female flowers on bare twigs early in (724m) and Great Shunner Fell the year. (716m), whilst others are hardly ever The other trees that are showing walked such as Water Crag (668m) signs of growth now are willows, and Moor (643m). whose bud scales are loosening to The highest is Whernside (736m) reveal a glimpse of silky-haired catkins and the lowest is Brownber Head inside which, sometime in March, will (600m), which is also probably the produce their golden stamens and most inaccessible. So, in no green stigmas. Unlike most other trees, particular order, here is the first of which carry flowers of both sexes, the 42 mountains, fells and hills in willow trees tend to be either all male the – Horse Head or all female and since individual trees (605m), a vast moorland ridge of each sex can be separated by between Littondale and substantial distances this makes . pollination an even more precarious event. But, by delaying pollen This walk starts at Yockenthwaite WALKFACTS production until late March these trees in Langstrothdale, as the upper reaches of the are Distance: 10 km (6.25 miles) can use the first insects that emerge in Time: 3 – 4 hours known. There is a timeless beauty gate) and walk alongside the wall on bottom of the field to quickly reach a spring – queen bees, butterflies like Maps: OS Explorer Sheet OL30 – here where little seems to have your left gently rising up across the gate in the corner, after which bear left peacocks, commas and small always take a map on your walk. tortoiseshells and various flies – to act changed since the Viking settlers broad moorland ridge for 400 metres down along the riverside path (signpost came here over a thousand years Start/Parking: Limited roadside to reach the top of Horse Head (trig ) – ignore the track as go-betweens. To tempt them to visit, parking available on the grass willow catkins need to produce nectar, ago. The place names echo the point just over the wall to your left). ascending up to the right. Follow this voices of those Norse settlers; verge between Yockenthwaite From the trig point, continue riverside path alongside the Wharfe on a cost they wind-pollinated trees don’t bridge (with its red post box) and need to pay for their pollination Yockenthwaite means Eogan’s straight on alongside the wall on your left for 200 metres to reach a clearing, means Raisgill Farm, grid reference SD your left heading across the top of gateway in a wall across your path services. 905 788. Please park Phil Gates meeting of the streams, Deepdale the moorland ridge for a further 200 (river on your left). Head through the means the deep valley and considerately. metres to reach a small gate in a gateway and follow the clear riverside Langstrothdale means the long Refreshments: No facilities en wall across your path. Head through path heading down through BIRDWATCH valley that is marshy and route. George Inn at this gate and continue straight on Langstrothdale for 1.4 km to reach the overgrown. From Raisgill Farm, a close by. alongside the wall on your left riverside house of New House (path LOCKS of wintering gulls are long climb ensues up onto the broad Terrain: A grassy and then stony across the top of the moorland ridge becomes a track as you approach this always worth scanning through moorland ridge of Horse Head path climbs steadily up from for 1 km (Little Fell) to reach a stile house). Carry straight on along the Fcarefully as birders at the South Raisgill Farm all the way to the between Langstrothdale and over a fence/wall across your path, riverside track (ignore the footbridge) Gare proved with the discovery of a Littondale. The views from the top top of the moorland ridge of after which continue straight on for 500 metres to reach the road beside small and dainty trans-Atlantic rarity. of Horse Head are superb, with the Horse Head, with some steep alongside the wall for a further 300 Deepdale Bridge. The adult Bonaparte’s Gull spent Yorkshire Three Peaks clearly sections and rough ground. A metres (very gradually descending Turn left across the bridge, around 90 minutes on the seaward visible. A wonderful high-level walk wall is then followed along the along the top of the broad ridge) to 5immediately after which head right side of the breakwater last Friday now takes you along the top of this top of this broad moorland ridge, reach a tumbledown wall across along the farm lane up towards the afternoon before it flew off towards ridge to join the footpath that links passing Horse Head trig point your path. Head through this hamlet of Deepdale (signpost Dales Seaton Snook to vanish from the local with Beckermonds, (605 metres) all the way to Eller tumbledown wall and carry straight Way, Yockenthwaite). Where the land scene. which you follow back down into Carr Moss from where a path on alongside the wall for 150 metres bends round to the left as you approach The species, which breeds from Langstrothdale. The final section of leads quite steeply down a rough to reach a ladder stile over the wall the houses of Deepdale, head offthe southern Canada to Alaska and this walk is a delightful riverside and boggy hillside to to your left (footpath between lane to the right through a small wall- frequents coasts and the Great Lakes path alongside the playful Wharfe Beckermonds. A riverside path Halton Gill and Beckermonds – SD gate (signpost), after which head in winter, has only twice been recorded with its many small waterfalls. then leads down through the 874 785). straight on across the small field then locally, at Teesmouth between August- valley back to Yockenthwaite. bear slightly left to quickly reach a October 1977 and at Saltburn in THE WA LK How to get there: Yockenthwaite Do not cross this ladder stile but footbridge across Deepdale Gill. After November 2006. From Yockenthwaite Bridge lies in Langstrothdale (upper 3turn right (right-angle from the the footbridge, bear left up the bank to There also seems to have been a 1 across the River Wharfe (with reaches of ) on the wall) along a grassy path heading join the wall along the top of the field light influx of other rarer gulls. Last your back to the bridge), turn left minor road between Gayle (near across the moorland ridge away (signpost) where you carry straight on week’s Iceland Gull remained at Blyth along the unfenced road and follow ) and Buckden. from the wall back towards alongside this wall on your left (do not but others were found at Cowpen it gently rising up for 500 metres, Open Access Land: The section Langstrothdale. After just over 100 head through the gate in the wall) and Bewley, Hetton Lyons Country Park with the river just down to your left between Horse Head and Eller metres you reach a small section of follow this wall round to reach a small and at Sunderland. A Glaucous Gull at first then bearing away from the Carr Moss heads across Open stone wall/windbreak, just beyond wall-gate (National Trust sign). After remained at Saltburn and another was river to reach Raisgill Farm. Just Access Land. openaccess.gov. uk which the gradient steepens – carry the gate, head straight on gently at Marske. before your reach Raisgill Farm and Caution: This is a strenuous straight on along the rough path dropping down across two fields and through a gate just beside the river on Uncommon geese continued to be a cattle grid across the road, turn walk up onto the broad moorland heading down for a further 150 your right, after which head straight on an attraction in Northumberland. Up to right along a bridleway (signpost ridge between Langstrothdale metres to reach a small cairn where along the wide grassy path (river just 16 Tundra Bean Geese gathered Halton Gill and No Vehicles sign) and Littondale, climbing to a you follow the clear path bending to your right) to soon reach and follow the path up the small, height of 605 metres on Horse sharp left slanting down across the around Grindon Lough and five were Yockenthwaite stone circle. From the found on the coast at Low Newton. The low limestone outcrop just ahead, Head. This ridge is exposed to the steep hillside then curving round to immediately above which (parallel stone circle, carry straight on along the ten regular Greenland White-fronts elements, with boggy or wet the right before heading straight with Raisgill Farm across to your wide grassy path across fields (and remained at Grindon and four others ground in places. The ascent and down the rough, grassy hillside left) turn sharp right (signpost (heading towards the hamlet of through gates) – the path becomes a frequented Woodhorn, near Ashington. descent to and from this ridge is Halton Gill via Horse Head) along a Beckermonds at the bottom of the track that leads into Yockenthwaite. As A Bittern remained at Coatham long and quite steep in places. grassy path. Follow this path valley by the bottom corner of the you reach the houses, follow the track Marsh and another showed OS map and hill-walking gear steadily up for about 100 metres forest and the confluence of the bending round and down to the right essential. occasionally at East Chevington where then, where it levels out on a narrow Wharfe and Green Field Beck). back to reach Yockenthwaite Bridge a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier regularly hunted. shelf of land, follow the path Follow the narrow grassy path across the River Wharfe. One down, The only adult cock Hen Harrier was at bending sharply round to the left straight on steadily down the left- forty-one fells to go! Haltwhistle. then straight on for a short distance a while, the path levels out and hand side of the middle of the rough The Black-throated Thrush had a then, where the ground steepens, leads straight on, with the ravine of hillside (with the tumbledown wall Mark Reid third week at Newholm and, judging head offto the left (by the solitary Hagg Beck to your left, all the way and then the forest about 100 metres Author of The Inn Way guidebooks from various websites, must surely be hawthorn tree) along a slightly to reach a small ford across a side- across to your left) then, about two- innway. co.uk this winter’s most photographed British sunken path. Follow this sunken stream near the head of Hagg Beck thirds of the way down the hillside, rarity. path snaking up the hillside, with (at the foot of the steep slope of the you join the head of a gully/stream Despite the return of snow and ice, the valley of Hagg Beck falling away moorland ridge of Horse Head in where you follow the path down See photos of this walk at there were some signs of spring. A few to your left, for about 250 metres to front of you). Cross this stream and along the left-hand side of this gully http://yorkshiredales600s.blogspot.com Blackbirds and Mistle Thrushes were reach the head of a shallow dry follow the clear stony path ahead all the way to reach a gate in a wall singing and Ravens were in full display gully on your left (that feeds into winding steeply up at first then at the bottom of the hillside just at upland breeding sites I checked last Hagg Beck) where you continue straightening out and climbing above the confluence of the River weekend. Despite four feet of snow on steadily up across the moorland ■ While every effort is made to ensure along the grassy path climbing up Wharfe and Green Field Beck that walks are accessible and are one crag which they share uneasily ridge for 1km to reach a gate in a the hillside to soon reach the top of (bottom corner of the forest just to rights of way, The Northern Echo with a pair of Peregrine, Raven display another dry, shallow gully. The wall across your path at the top of your left, and Beckermonds just cannot guarantee that fields, paths or was constantly interrupted by an gradient now eases and you Horse Head (SD 889 776) across the river ahead). pubs will be open. If you are walking in aggressive cock falcon determined to continue straight on climbing the countryside, please remember the keep them off their end of the cliff. steadily up along the clear, grassy As you reach the gate in the wall Do not head through this gate Country Code. Ian Kerr path, with the ravine of Hagg Beck 2 at the top of the moorland pass, 4but turn right (signpost wwwnorthernecho.co.uk/leisure/walks falling away down to your left. After turn right (do not head through the Deepdale, Dales Way) along the