North Yorkshire Muker & Swaledale

on p ahead, it’s worth diverting to before you cross the river woodland towards Keld. But grassy trail climbs into shady past ruined farmsteads, a and drystone walls. Twisting quintessential cowhouses of Muker, between the dale’s as a flagstone path leads out with a fanfare of lush pasture an exceptional walk. It opens are at their most vibrant, it’s when Swaledale’s meadows outside the month of June, drystone workmanship. Even meadows, waterfalls and heady concoction of flower walk from Muker to Keld is a into half a day’s outing, the F metres S km 20 0 40 0 60 0 EAT ee 0 0

age UR60 Yorkshire Dales Distilling the philip thomas chosen by… 19 E u Distance: 7½ miles/12km u miles/12km 7½ Distance: 2 muker & swaledale north yorkshire 4

6 1 stiles and gates to riverbank. through meadows/squeeze track R of barn to pick up path and R again at postbox. Follow signposted ‘Gunnerside & Keld’ Store. Pass Public Hall, fork R, Fork R up lane before Village entrance on road over bridge. Gentle riverside tracks centuries of lead mining. the ravine is scarred by the ruin of Crackpot Hall, turn into Swinner Gill. Beyond river, where exposed paths across opposite bank of the past emerges as you rise Force. Swaledale’s industrial see the waterfalls of Kisdon excellent Farmers Arms. return you Muker, and the GR ADIENT PROFILE Turn L from car park Start A blossoming Hawthorn Time: 4 hours u 4 hours Time: 8

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Grade: Moderate Grade:

tom bailey tom Photo: to follow path up dale/beside 2 14 M bus 830 P Public & Park Lodge Campsite Landranger 98 & 91/92 Muker & ores in Muker. S Farmers Arms and Village R H Nearest town P squeeze stiles/gates) S be skipped. Force & rougher detours to ups & downs. tracks, with a few gentle well-signed paths and Is it for me? Mostly good, parking Muker long 6QG, grid ref stay car park (P&D), DL11 S Rout u pla t tiles tart/ Turn L along wall past barn ½ mile/0.9km ublic efr awes/ aps la eshments 2 (& several smaller nn OS n transport toilets R 16 e

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north east ✁ calcining kilns at Top. Bank quarries, and of course the abandoned mines and brooks flowing into the valley, all around; in the rust-red the latter 19th century, lies supported the village through the former iron industry, which Railway’. Other evidence of course of the former ‘Ironstone chance to stride out along the the moor, where there’s the before climbing steeply onto the dale’s winding stream church. This ramble follows into the fabric of the present church and a few stones built beyond a small turret near the for nuns, but little remains

metres final s B km 20 0 40 0 60 0 ank Top Farm on the 0 0 tretch of this walk. was, in fact, a priory R DENN C 20 osedale’s abbey HOS u Distance: 6½ miles/10.5km u miles/10.5km 6½ Distance: 2 EN BY... IS KE LSALL 4 rosedale abbey north yorkshire

6 soon rejoining the river to fence on to a stile. Keep going over a side stream, following a meeting a rough track. Go L successive fields, eventually another gate, carry on across remain by the river. Beyond to a junction and bear L to 2 1 joining the River Seven. at the field edge, shortly a gate on the R. Carry on footpath leaves through 300m before the marked through a caravan site for a tarmac drive. Follow it R walking beside a cottage to After 75m, leave L over a stile past the school and bear R. GR ADIENT PROFILE From the village centre, head Start Carry on past a footbridge ¾ mile/1.2km 8

Time: 4 hours u 4 hours Time: 10

Grade: Moderate Grade:

dennis kelsall dennis Photo: a house at Hill Cottages. a track that emerges past a couple a fields before joining in the top hedge. Continue up instead turn R to a stiled bridge reach a footbridge. Don’t cross, 14 Rout Landrangers 94 & 100 M from Pickering limited bus service Public all in Green ( 417475) or Graze on the T 417208); Abbey H R Nearest town Pickering P S moorland paths and tracks Is it for me? Field and S parking Considerate Y roadside parking in village, S u pla ear tiles tart/ E O efr ouse aps la 7 18 8 24959 ooms ( eshments R 12 nn OS n osedale Abbe I transport Very R T nn ( 16 e

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north east D ate walked time taken your rating 19 y 20

r © Country Walking February 2019

n : ru e h o t eb t n i k f i ar l St n on w i o wal 6 1 at i e th aps MAPS

W 2 In assoc OS m OS lfto.com/cwroutes E I OS 5 V behind barn and follow track track behind barn and follow track Follow gate. up to to gates several through Go L track. with gravel junction Go L then R village. into down finish. to route on outward

4 6½ miles/10.5km down path take fork, At

R to cross Ramps Holme cross R to R, riverbank Follow footbridge. some of outward re-walking L but this time swing route, before bridge, double back L bridge, before up onto higher path. Follow this Follow higher path. up onto track and R onto gate through to Hall. Return Crackpot above L main track 5 and re-join Point footbridge Cross gate. to down another 1¼ for track and follow dale. miles through 6

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north yorkshire north muker & swaledale 3 miles/4.7km then junction, Go L up to If you want to avoid the avoid to want If you 3½ miles/5.6km 2 miles/3.2km undulating a stony, Follow OS Explorer map OL30 u a broad track, which climbs the track, a broad fork Shortly, side of the valley. Hall. Crackpot to L up track follow signed ‘Swale Trail’ R – Trail’ signed ‘Swale follow river signed for ‘Keld’. Continue Continue ‘Keld’. signed for river path and follow gates, through river from L away as it veers gaps in walls. through curves the path Eventually, old cottages/barns uphill past with (marked of Hartlakes for signpost After dots). yellow along LH side path follow Keld, into gate ahead up to of wall woodland. 3 R swinging Way Pennine 4 5 rough terrain of Swinner Gill, of Swinner terrain rough from steps your retrace the Hall and re-join Crackpot pick L. Otherwise, main track (not on map) path up grassy behind the gap in wall through L ruins, which dips and curves of ravine then into stile, over this narrow Gill. Follow Swinner old mine up towards path head of gill, but at workings path through the trees to to the trees through path junction/signpost. at emerge Way ‘Pennine ahead for Stay junction, next At mile.’ 1/3 Keld narrow/ down detour turn R for Kisdon Force. to path steep on straight continue Otherwise, follow gate, After Keld. towards track to cross footbridge. footbridge. cross to track u 19 north east ✁

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W 6 In assoc OS m OS lfto.com/cwroutes E I OS V it to a stile. Continue downhill, downhill, Continue a stile. it to onto of stiles a couple crossing waymarks Follow a golf course. the ahead and then L around a stile over leaving clubhouse, Over a lane. onto trees below continue opposite, another stile the village, towards down behind final stile over crossing beside and Drop a cottage. a onto gate front through leave and a junction on to Walk lane. village. turn L back into 2

3 5½ miles/8.9km a cottage Approaching 3 miles/4.8km winds the L, track To to settle in a steady plod in a steady settle to of the hill the face across of the the course meet to the top. railway former 5 6 away past old workings along old workings past away the edge of moorland superb views offering plateau, and beyond. the valley across passing after Eventually, bear L a barrier, through fork. at (the calcining kilns lie a little follow further on), turn off L to the down straight trod a grass a fence Approaching hillside. go L beside the bottom, at Buy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop

north yorkshire north abbey rosedale 5 2½ miles/4km a waypost to forward Walk 1¾ miles/2.8km a chapel, takingGo L past OS Explorer map OL26 u

and swing L up a rising trod. L up a rising trod. and swing plateau a grassy on over Carry stream. a culverted and cross Climb on, shortly approaching of the escarpment. the face R and then shortly L Swing u 3 4 at the field edge to a bridge the field edge to at Seven. spanning the River to Climb the field beyond a stile Over track. a farm meet passing head upfield, opposite, gates. the L one of two through find a ladder climbing to Keep R corner. in the top stile the next L down to Craven Craven to L down the next the Through Garth Cottages. downhill continue farmyard,