Country Muker and Thwaite diary

Fyou haven’t been to see the annual flowering of Durham’s heather moorlands Ithis year, there’s still time to enjoy this magnificent floral spectacle. Heather is at Walks its best now, when miles of moorland turn purple – and it’s not just a stunning visual spectacle. If you’re lucky enough to visit on by Mark Reid a warm day when it’s not too windy you can smell the faint honey-scent of the flowers and hear the hum of thousands of bees collecting pollen and nectar. WA LK INFORMATION From a distance the sea of purple gives Distance: 5.5 km (3. 5 miles) the impression that only one plant species is Time: Allow 2 hours responsible, but at closer range it becomes Map: OS Explorer Sheet OL30 – clear that there are three different kinds of Dales Northern and Central ‘heather’. The dominant species is usually ling which has long spikes of tiny pink Parking: Pay and display car park at Muker flowers with pointed petals. The other two Refreshments: Muker and Thwaite species present, which are usually more Terrain: Stony tracks lead up across scattered, both have tubular, bell-shaped Muker Side, with a number of small flowers that are a deeper shade of purple. stream crossings and boggy ground in Bell heather is usually the earliest to flower places, before dropping down past and has tall spikes of flowers and leaves in Appletree Thwaite Farm to join the road clusters of three, whilst cross-leaved heath above Thwaite. After a short section of has flowers clustered at the shoot tips, road walking into Thwaite, field paths greyish-green leaves arranged in whorls of lead back to Muker down through the four and grows in wetter areas of moorland. valley, with numerous squeeze-stiles. Moorlands in the Pennines that are How to get there: From Richmond, follow managed for grouse shooting have a the A6108 towards Leyburn then branch patchwork of colour at this time of year, offalong B6270 towards Reeth – continue where strips have been burned over past winters to remove old heather and produce along this road up through to fresh new growth that grouse can feed on. reach Muker. In some patches blackened heather stems Please note: The climb up onto Muker that were burned last winter are visible, while Side is quite long and fairly steep. There in others there’s a tint of bright green where are several small streams to cross as well new shoots from the previous winter’s as boggy ground. Take care walking along Based on Ordnance Survey mapping burning are regenerating. Sometimes the the short road sections. © Crown copyright: AM26/09 burned patches host vigorous temporary growth of sorrel, the food plant of caterpillars of small copper butterflies that are on the POINTS OF INTEREST wing in late September. What’s in a name? The place-names of Upper Phil Gates Swaledale go back 1,200 years to when the The place-names of Upper Vikings came over from their settlements along the eastern seaboard of Ireland and Swaledale echo the voices of those found that the mountains and valleys of the Lake District and the western Vikings who settled in this valley Birdwatch reminded them of home, and so they stayed. Originally single farms, these settlements over a millennium ago. have, over the centuries, developed into small old air from polar regions circulating villages as farming and lead mining developed. around low pressure systems centred The place-names of Upper Swaledale echo barn), turn left through a gate in a wall (opposite on to reach a small wall-gate with Skeb Skeugh Cover Norway was the reason why our the voices of those Vikings who settled in this the small barn). After the gate, walk straight Beck (stream) on your left. After this wall-gate, Bank Holiday weekend was so chilly. valley over a millennium ago. As you follow on keeping close to the wall on your right, over cross the old stone bridge/footbridge to your Considering it felt more like October here, this walk, take your time to study the map and a small stream (Coal Sike) after which you join left across the stream and through a squeeze- it’s not hard to imagine what it must have see the multitude of unusual words that another grassy walled track which you follow stile in the wall just ahead, after which turn been like in far northern latitudes. So it abound in this area, most of which date back straight on to reach a gate across your path right alongside the wall on your right and perhaps wasn’t too surprising that there to those Norse settlers; muker (small cult- (walled track ends), with Appletree Thwaite through a small wall-gate in the field corner. was a sudden spate of reports of migrants ivated field), thwaite (clearing in woodland), Farm just across to your right. Head through After this wall-gate, head straight on across the heading for warmer southern latitudes after seat, side or sett (summer pasture), beck the gate and follow the track straight on along- field and through a large wall-gap to the right nesting on the Arctic tundra. (stream), fell (rounded hill), shunner (look-out side the wall on your right, passing Appletree of a stone barn then on across the next field to Curlew sandpipers were noted at ten point), gill (ravine), foss (waterfall) and also the Thwaite Farm across to your right, to reach reach a small wall-gate that leads onto a clear North-East locations, Teesmouth faring best best stream name in the whole of the Yorkshire another gate across the track where you also path which you follow straight on (with (up to 11 on the Tidal Pool by Greatham Dales – Skeb Skeugh Beck, the meaning of join the access track leading from the farm. Thwaite Beck on your right) to soon reach the Creek and eight on Saltholme reserve). In which I have yet to discover. Head through the gate and follow the track road beside Usha Gap Bridge. view of this influx, the pectoral sandpiper Please note: it is the Muker Show on the 7th straight on (away from the farm) heading down reported at Saltholme on Monday, was September. through another gate, then continue down Turn left along the road to soon reach perhaps more likely to have also been of along the track (Thwaite in the distance) then, Usha Gap Farm on your left (Caravans and Siberian rather than North American origin. THE WA LK just before the track bends left through 4Camping) where you turn left along Tundra-nesting seabirds featured in this From the Farmers Arms in the centre of another gate as you approach the wooded the driveway into the farmyard (signpost trend also. Monday produced a series of Muker (with your back to the pub) turn banks of CliffBeck, head offto the right to ‘Muker’). Follow this driveway bearing round reports of long-tailed skuas – four passing 1left along the main road through the Hartlepool Headland, three off Newbiggin, quickly reach a small wall-gate that leads over to the right and through a metal gate just to village to reach a stone-built road bridge across Northumberland and two off the Long Nab, a footbridge across CliffBeck (take care – no the right-hand side of Long Close House then Straw Beck on the edge of the village. Follow Burniston, on the coast. handrails) and up to re-join the track (the track carry straight on through the farmyard the road bending right over this bridge then Also heading for balmier Atlantic waters off fords the stream just upstream of this foot- passing some large barns on your left and West Africa on Monday was a Sabine's gull, left after it, a few paces beyond which branch bridge). Turn right along the track and follow through a metal gate that leads out onto a field. the most unusual and delightfully-marked of offto the right up along a rough track (sign- it to join the B6270 just down from the Butter- After the gate, head to the left up across the gull species recorded annually around Britain. post ‘Muker Common’). Follow this enclosed tubs Pass road turning (to Hawes). Head field to reach a small wall-gate to your right First spotted off Flamborough Head in late track rising up through a gate beside a barn straight on along this road (ignore the Butter- (just before a field gate) towards the top of afternoon, it passed two other East Yorkshire then continue on passing between two stone tubs Pass road turning to the left) and follow the field. Head through this wall-gate and points and finally Spurn during the next three barns on either side of the track, after which it down over a bridge across Thwaite Beck and follow the clear path straight on alongside hours. follow the track bearing down to the right into into Thwaite. the wall on your right heading across several However, the movement wasn’t confined the bottom of a small dip. At the bottom of this fields through a succession of squeeze-stiles to species newly departed from the Arctic. dip, follow the clear track bearing round to the As you emerge in the centre of Thwaite and wall-gates for 0.5 miles to reach a gateway Sooty shearwaters, which are southern right slanting up across the hillside (keep to (where the road sweeps round to the left), on the edge of Muker (beside a house on your the clear, enclosed track) rising up for 1 km all 3take the turning to the right passing the left). Head through the gate and walk along the ocean breeding birds, wander to our end of the world during their winter, occurring in UK the way to reach a gate across the track, with Kearton Country Hotel on your left then, lane for a few paces then, where the lane forks waters during mainly August-October. a junction of tracks just beyond (track levels where this road bends to the right (just after (Lilac Cottage in front of you) turn right down Numbers so far had been rather low, but out). Head through the gate and follow the Meadow View), take the footpath to the left along a narrow enclosed path that brings you Monday brought a distinct increase, including (level) enclosed track to the right heading (signpost ‘Pennine way, Keld, Muker’) through out on the patio in front of the Farmers Arms. 51 off Flamborough and 33 off the Farne across the hillside (Muker Side) for 500 metres a squeeze-stile then along an enclosed path Islands. to reach a fairly narrow bridge across Green- (ignore path to Angram) through two wall- Mark Reid The weather change halted the flow of seat Beck (set in a small ravine), a few paces gates leaving Thwaite behind. After these Author of The Inn Way guidebooks offbeat songbirds from northern and eastern beyond which turn right down along an two wall-gates, carry straight on (signpost innway. co.uk Europe I mentioned last week. Later arrivals enclosed grassy track. ‘Muker’) along the clear path alongside including icterine, barred and greenish Thwaite Beck on your right to reach a squeeze- Get more from the outdoors with warblers at Whitburn, South Tyneside, on the Follow this grassy enclosed track (boggy) stile in the wall across your path, after which Mark Reid. Navigation skills, autumn 24th. heading down the hillside for 400 metres follow the path straight on across fields walks, wild camping. Brian Unwin 2then, where the track bends sharp right through another two squeeze-stiles (grad- teamwalking.co.uk and levels out (around a small stone-built ually bearing away from Thwaite Beck) then northernecho.co.uk Seven Days 37