Birkdale Wtake-Away Food in Newcastle Reminded Me of the Old Saying That Tarn “You’Re Never More Than Ten Feet Away by from a Rat in a City”
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6 The Northern Echo Thursday, September 10, 2009 7DAYS northernecho.co.uk COUNTRY DIARY WALKS ATCHING rats feeding in broad daylight on discarded Birkdale Wtake-away food in Newcastle reminded me of the old saying that Tarn “you’re never more than ten feet away By from a rat in a city”. There’s no doubt that rats have always been second Mark Reid only to humans as successful urban animals and our modern fast-food POINTS ON INTEREST society, with all the waste that it WALEDALE is, in my generates, provides them with a very opinion, England’s most easy living. Couple that with their high beautiful valley. From its level of intelligence, an adaptable life source high on the fells style and a phenomenal rate of S of High Seat, moorland reproduction and it’s likely that in streams cascade down through many of Britain’s cities the old saying small ravines to swell the waters of isn’t much of an exaggeration. Birkdale Beck, which soon meet Summer and autumn are peak the waters of Great Sleddale Beck breeding periods for rats and at any that rises on the flanks of Great one time almost a third of the females Shunner Fell. This confluence of in a population will be pregnant. Within becks creates the Swale, England’s a month of mating they’ll give birth to fastest flowing river. The river now around seven young and within three rushes towards Keld where it months the females amongst these will tumbles over a series of be capable of producing their own spectacular waterfalls before families and can then give birth at sweeping round the ‘island’ hill of roughly monthly intervals. Rural rats Kisdon, hemmed in by towering tend to produce only about five litters slopes and limestone crags. At a year but in the relative warmth of the Muker, the valley broadens slightly city, with an inexhaustible supply of with flat riverside pastures criss- food in garbage, urban rats can breed crossed by an intricate web of all year round. drystone walls and dotted with Rat populations peak in autumn and barns; this is the classic Yorkshire © Crown Copyright 2005. then they tend to be seen more often Dales landscape. On either side, the All Rights Reserved. in daylight, sometimes using urban steep slopes sweep up to the Licence: 100011978 flower beds as thoroughfares. With a moorland heights that are touched little practice it’s not difficult to pick out by wild sternness, the preserve of their regulate routes through the hardy Swaledale sheep and red shrubbery, where the constant patter grouse. This walk explores these of their feet creates smooth-surfaced upper reaches, passing the tracks across the soil. But rats are confluence of Birkdale Beck and fundamentally nocturnal animals and Great Sleddale Beck where the its only when darkness falls that most Swale is born. come to the surface from the cellars and sewers where they spend their From High Bridge, also known as Ravenseat in the valley ahead) to reach a stile over a section of daylight hours, emerging to search for Hoggarth Bridge, our route heads soon join the unfenced moorland fencing set in a wall. Cross the stile WALKFACTS food. For more on these supremely up into the remote valley of road leading to Ravenseat. then carry straight on across the Whitsun Dale with its hamlet of adaptable mammals visit field keeping close to the wall on Distance: 6.5 km (4 miles) http://cabinetofcuriosities- Ravenseat. Amazingly such a Turn left along the unfenced remote place did not escape the your right (indistinct path in Time: Allow 2 hours greenfingers.blogspot.com/2009/09/ 2road and follow it rising up for places) for 350 metres to reach a rats.html attention of the civil servants at Map: OS Explorer OL30 – always 900 metres to reach Hill Top Farm clear track. Turn right down along Phil Gates Whitehall during the First World beside the road on your left (at the take a map with you. War who requested that the local this track to reach a fork on the top of the rise). Walk past Hill Top Start/Parking: Riverside parking farmers grew corn to help the war track overlooking the infant River Farm along the road for 150 metres area just beyond (to the west of) effort – by November they reported to reach a track to your right that Swale (with a bridge and Stone back that they were still waiting for House Farm just to your right). High Bridge (Hoggarth Bridge), BIRDWATCH leads into a small quarry (gate). Do Upper Swaledale – NY 871 014. it to ripen. From Whitsun Dale, we not follow this track but turn right Turn left at this fork along a grassy HEN the North American hooded head across heather moorland to immediately after this track along track and follow this to soon reach Refreshments: Pub at nearby Keld. merganser shows up in Britain reach Birkdale Tarn, a surprisingly an indistinct grassy track that a gate in a wall. Head through the No facilities en route. Wthe location is either a remote large expanse of water that lies leads up along the left-hand side of gate and follow the grassy track Terrain: Rough field paths (boggy) Scottish water expanse – or some grotty high on a shelf of moorland this small quarry (Hill Top straight on (River Swale to your lead up into Whitsun Dale to join pool in an industrial setting in our region. surrounded by the high fells of Quarry). As you reach the end of right) to reach Firs Farm. Follow an unenclosed moorland road, So far there are just three accepted Great Shunner Fell to the south, the quarry, the grassy track which is followed to reach Hill Top records. The earliest was on North Uist in High Seat to the west and Nine the track passing to the right-hand disappears – carry straight on Farm. Our route then heads across the Outer Hebrides (autumn 2000) and Standards Rigg to the north-west. side of the farm then, as you (heading west) up the small bank emerge in the yard in front of the open moorland (no path) across the most recent on Unst, the most The level of this tarn was raised to (heather moorland – no path) then provide water for the local lead farmhouse, head through the gate heather and rough, boggy ground northerly Shetland Isle (spring 2006). In continue in a westerly direction mines. in the fence just ahead to your to reach Birkdale Tarn from where between, one spent much of March across the heather moorland for right, after which head through the our route turns south quite steeply 2002 in one of Northumberland’s less 300 metres to reach Birkdale Tarn. THE WA LK down to join the main valley road scenic settings – a small mining Walk to the left-hand side of the left-hand gate passing to the left of Take the footpath directly in Birk Dale. A path then heads subsidence flash near Newbiggin, within tarn (along its southern shoreline) the barn then head straight on sight of the Lynemouth Aluminium 1opposite the riverside parking across the field to up to reach a down through this valley across in a westerly direction, over a small rough pastures, fields and riverside Smelter. area just to the west of High Bridge gate in a wall across your path. stream issuing from the tarn then passing several farms back to High Now there’s another in the region and through a squeeze-stile in a wall After the gate, walk straight on (signpost), after which bear slightly along a slightly raised artificial Bridge. while it started out in one of East alongside the Swale on your right right across the field and up to dam (grassy/stone flags) to reach Cleveland’s wilder corners – Scaling Dam to soon reach a stone-built bridge How to get there: Follow the B6270 reach a wall-stile in the right-hand the end of the tarn (with some spoil Reservoir – on August 25, it switched heaps/ruinous buildings just across the river (dated 1840). through Swaledale to reach Keld quickly to industrial Teesmouth. Since corner of the field opposite just to where you continue along the the left of a large tree. After the ahead). As you reach the end of the September 1 it has been mainly on a tarn (NY 850 017), turn left B6270 towards Kirkby Stephen to flooded channel beside the relatively wall-stile, head straight on across Cross the bridge, after which (heading south) away from the tarn 4turn left alongside the river on reach High Bridge across the River recently created Calor Gas Pool off the the field alongside the wall on your Swale (the first bridge across the (towards Great Sled Dale with your left to soon reach a gate in a A178 just north of Port Clarfence. right, passing to the right of a large Swale along the B6270 beyond Keld. barn to reach a wall-stile across Great Shunner Fell rising up in the wall (river on your left). Head Still there on Tuesday, it poses the The parking area is just beyond the your path, after which carry distance) across the heather through the gate and continue same problem for birders as the Terek moorland. You soon reach the brow bridge). straight on alongside the wall on straight on along the riverside path sandpiper there in the 2008 summer. of a steep bank – carry straight on The pool can be viewed only from a very your right then, where this wall then, as you approach the end of Open Access: Open Access Lane turns away, head along the rough, heading down this bank (take care from Hill top Farm to Birkdale narrow strip of A178 verge uncomfortably – rough ground as you near the the field, head straight on through close to heavy traffic.