Ramblers Routes Ramblers Routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Northern England Northern England 08/08/2013 15:46 03 Birks Tarn, North Yorkshire 04 Watendlath, Cumbria l Distance 16km/10 miles l Time 5½hrs l Type Country and moor l Distance 16km/10 miles l Time 6hrs l Type Hill NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine autumn 2013 autumn magazine walk walk magazine autumn 2013 autumn magazine walk Plan your walk Plan your walk l Carlisle Ripon BIRKS TARN l l Keswick Penrith l NORTH YORKSHIRE P TRO L ES WATENDLATH AR OAT CUMBRIA B Leeds A Windermere N l O l l Huddersfield Kendal HY: NEIL C HY: HY: FI HY: l P P WHERE: Circular walk from WHERE: Circular walk from Halton Gill in North Yorkshire. Watendlath via Ullscarf and PHOTOGRA START/END: Halton Gill Rosthwaite in Cumbria. PHOTOGRA (SD881765). START/END: Watendlath NT Tarns are a rare breed throughout 1. START Walk along the ‘No ‘Watendlath is delightful and its walk; it’s not one of the Lakes’ TERRAIN: Undulating, with car park (NY276164). the Yorkshire Dales. Apart from Through Road’ through Halton Gill qualities unique… a tiny cluster of most popular fells, so you may one long steady climb at the TERRAIN: Hilltop and Malham Tarn and Semer Water, (SD881765). Just after the lane white cottages and stone barns well have it to yourself on this start and a moderately steep moorland paths, which can such watery worlds seldom bends L at the edge of the hamlet, set at odd angles without pattern, splendidly scenic walk. descent, and some generally be boggy in places. Avoid feature on any itinerary. So turn R up the gated hill track, a tarn, a stream and a bridge, quiet lanes. It’s likely to get doing in poor visibility. Birks Tarn is something of a prohibited to motor traffic ‘except all deeply inured amongst 1. START From the car park at very boggy in places along MAPS: OS Explorer OL4; treat. Modest in size, it nestles for access’. This rough old surrounding fells and hidden from Watendlath (NY276164), which is the ridge, so it’s not Landranger 90. on the ridge of Birks Fell, moorland road immediately starts outside gaze: here are all the owned by the National Trust, recommended after GETTING THERE: No public separating Upper Wharfedale up the flank of Horse Head Fell, attributes of a perfect picture, a follow the bridleway signed for prolonged wet weather. transport to the start. and Littondale and offering an goes through two more gates and scene to enrapture artist and ‘Armboth and Wythburn’ that MAPS: OS Explorer OL30; Borrowdale Rambler bus 78 astounding panorama north along climbs easily above Halton Gill photographers.’ Wainwright sums heads east uphill. As you climb, Landranger 98. from Keswick to Seatoller the endless line of the Pennines Beck, crossing this before reaching up the charms of Watendlath there are fine views back over GETTING THERE: No public goes via Rosthwaite (where and east to Buckden Pike and the double gateway onto the wide beautifully. The hamlet is found Watendlath Tarn and the hamlet. transport available to the the walk could be started). Great Whernside. The west is ridge at Horse Head Gate. Already at the end of a narrow road, The path bears R (south), initially start. The nearest mainline There are mainline train graced by the marvellous skyline a magnificent series of views which wends its way up from alongside a wall, then southeast train station is in Settle. connections in Penrith and of Pen-y-ghent and Ingleborough has opened out along the flat- Borrowdale beside Watendlath across the moorland, where it is Halton Gill is about 13 miles buses from Penrith to and, on clear days, the distant bottomed Littondale and west Beck. Not far from the turn off for somewhat indistinct with just the northwest of Grassington, Keswick (✆ 0871 200 2233, profile of the Lake District’s along the various becks that the Borrowdale road, you’ll pass odd cairn here and there. Just off the B6160 along narrow www.traveline.info). mountains. Rough walking, nibble at the eastern flanks of one of the most photographed make sure you keep well above lanes through Litton. Turn EATING & DRINKING: Café which can get very boggy, Plover Hill and Pen-y-ghent, with bridges in the Lake District, Bleatarn Gill on your R. Once off at the sign for ‘Litton at Watendlath; Langstrath brings you to the tranquil Ingleborough’s distinctive peak Ashness Bridge, which provides a Blea Tarn comes into view the and Arncliffe’ a mile north Country Inn, Stonethwaite shoreline of the remote tarn. completing a luscious horizon. picturesque foreground to the navigation is easier, as you of Kilnsey. There’s a small, (✆ 017687 77239, www. The return is up Littondale, a view of distant Skiddaw. A bit continue heading southeast up free car park at the edge thelangstrath.com); secluded delight peppered by 2. Turn R through the gate, further on is Surprise View, towards the ridge, keeping the of the hamlet. Scafell Hotel, Rosthwaite pockets of woodland and with commencing an undulating another fine viewpoint (it’s worth tarn over to your R. EATING & DRINKING: The (✆ 017687 77208, www. the River Skirfare fringed with wall-side ramble that toys with the stopping at the car park for a Queens Arms, Litton scafell.co.uk). There are lots rich haymeadows glowing 600m contour for the next 5km/3 look). 726m/2,382ft Ullscarf is the 2. When you reach the fence, go (✆ 01756 770096, www. more places in Keswick. ▲ ▲ ▼ miles. The path is sparse and can highest point reached on this through the gate and turn R, ▼ beneath limestone crags and cliffs. 53-54 walk40 RR Northern.indd 1 53-54 walk40 RRNorthern_rev1.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymap Ordnance Surveymap Continued... START Continued... 1 FINISH SLEEPING: Langstrath Country queensarmslitton.co.uk); Inn and Scafell Hotel (as The Falcon Inn, Arncliffe Map not to scale. 2 Representation of before); Lodore Falls Hotel, ✆ ping ©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 ( 01756 770205, OS Landranger ping ©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Borrowdale (✆ 017687 77285, www.thefalconinn.com). MAP 98 1:50,000 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk www.lodorefallshotel.co.uk); SLEEPING: B&B is available at Thorneythwaite Farm B&B, 5 both the pubs listed above. Borrowdale (✆ 017687 77237, Otherwise try: Warren House START 3 www.thorneythwaitefarm.co. B&B, Hawkswick 1 FINISH uk). For self-catering, visit 2 (✆ 01756 770375, www.heartofthelakes.co.uk. www.warren-house.net); or VISITOR INFORMATION: Park Bottom B&B, Litton Keswick TIC, Moot Hall, (✆ 01756 770235, www. Market Square (✆ 017687 parkbottom.co.uk). There’s 72645, www.golakes.co.uk). plenty more accommodation GUIDEBOOKS: Lakeland in Kettlewell (www. 4 Fellranger – The Central kettlewellvillage.co.uk). Fells by Mark Richards VISITOR INFORMATION: 3 (£12.95, Cicerone, ISBN Grassington TIC, Hebden 978 1852845407); 50 Walks in Road (✆ 01756 751690, the Lake District by Bill Birkett www.yorkshiredales.org.uk). et al (£9.99, AA Publishing, GUIDEBOOKS: Ramblers’ ISBN 978 0749555955). Short Walks in the Yorkshire 5 LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUPS Dales (£5.99, Collins, ISBN Lake District Ramblers 4 978 0007359431); Yorkshire (✆ 01539 723705, www. Dales Top 10 Walks to Pubs To download this route and hundreds of others, ralakedistrict.talktalk.net). Map not to scale. Representation of by Neil Coates (£4.99, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes OS Landranger Northern Eye Books, MAP 90 1:50,000 ISBN 978 1908632104). following the fence-line uphill. www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk 3. At the far side of the tarn is a pronounced sunken track through LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: Approaching Standing Crag, low, tumbled wall. Turn R beside the wall and down to a wooded Craven Ramblers you’ll need to detour around to this and trace it above the depths corner. Stay with it beyond the (✆ 0113 2776110, www. the L to avoid the rocks and ascend of Wharfedale, with superb views gate, over a footbridge and along To download this route and hundreds of others, ramblersyorkshire.org). the steep grassy flanks. Continue visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes to Buckden Pike and Great the walled track above the beside the fence, heading Whernside, rising above the farmhouse, before passing toytown-sized villages far below. through a farmyard to reach Litton southwest. Then at the fence be very boggy, so persevere or cairns to guide you. It’s quite a signposted junction for and the Queens Arms inn. corner, carry on southwards diverge across nearby peat hags to steep descent via Lining Crag and Rosthwaite. 4. At the more pronounced following old iron fence posts avoid the marshiest bits. When the down beside Greenup Gill until crossing of walls in 800m, turn R 5. Turn R on the lane and walk to Ullscarf, marked by a cairn. wall peters out, a fence takes over. you reach the valley bottom. 5. Continue on the bridleway on the well-used bridleway. This through the village, continuing Though not the finest of summits, Simply keep this to your R and Greenup Gill joins the Langstrath signed for Watendlath. The slips through the wall, then this route along the floor of its situation in the centre of continue south-southeast along Beck to become the Stonethwaite glorious views back from this path continues beside it before angling Littondale for a further 3½km/2 the Lakeland hills makes it a the wide flat ridge, enjoying the Beck (the route of the Cumbria of Borrowdale and Cumbria’s away as a paved path to reach a miles to reach Halton Gill.