Ramblers Routes Ramblers Routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Northern England Northern England 16/05/2016 17:19 03 Grimwith Reservoir and Trollers Gill, N Yorkshire 04 Uppermill, Oldham l Distance 13.5km/8½ miles l Time 4½-5hrs l Type Moor and valley l Distance 21km/13 miles l Time 5hrs l Type Canal, village and moor NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine summer 2016 summer magazine walk walk magazine summer 2016 summer magazine walk Plan your walk Plan your walk Lancaster l GRIMWITH LANCASHIRE RESERVOIR Lancaster UPPERMILL l YORKSHIRE Manchester l Leeds l l Stockport l Liverpool WHERE Circular walk from WHERE Circular walk in the Grimwith Reservoir, N Yorkshire. Saddleworth area, between START/END Reservoir car park the villages of Uppermill (free, SE063640). and Marsden in the southern PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY PHOTOGRAPHY: PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY PHOTOGRAPHY: TERRAIN Moorland tracks, Pennines. This bracing walk offers superb forming an eye-catching horizon. Britain’s longest canal tunnel, the canal at lock 21W and turn R to woodland and riverside paths, START/END Saddleworth views where the Yorkshire Dales Beyond a gate, continue along Standedge Tunnel, burrows 600ft follow the towpath towards tarred lanes. Very challenging Museum, High Street, and Nidderdale AONB meet. the wall to reach a minor road below the Pennine hills. It runs for Diggle, the River Tame running underfoot in Trollers Gill. Do Uppermill. Grimwith Reservoir, Yorkshire’s at a bend. three miles between Diggle and alongside. The canal was opened not attempt after persistent TERRAIN Moorland, tarmac largest, is renowned for its birdlife Marsden. Rather than squeeze in 1811, the shortest of three heavy rains, as Trollers Gill will and gravel paths. There are – and its breezes. From here, the 2. Turn L to a path R for through in a boat, you might trans-Pennine routes. Officially be impassable. stiles, gates and roads to moorland route strikes out for Skyreholme in 50m. A short paved prefer to hike over the top, up abandoned in 1944, it seemed MAPS OS Explorer OL2; negotiate. Wharfedale, tucked away to the section precedes a tussocky way and over Standedge Moor – as a doomed to become nothing more Landranger 98, 99 & 104. MAPS OS Explorer OL21 and south. The approach is via Trollers through old mineral workings. local 19th-century poet, Ammon than a choked ditch until a group GETTING THERE Grimwith OL1; Landranger 110. Gill, cleaved deep into the In 500m, bear R down the track Wrigley, wrote: ‘The wild gypsy of visionaries rallied volunteers Reservoir is reached via a GETTING THERE 184 bus limestone. A glorious stretch of to a point immediately above the moor, with heather, cloudberry, and funds. It finally re-opened to signposted ‘Yorkshire Water’ stops in Uppermill on its the Dales Way strings through nearby R bend curling between bracken and rolling miles of brown navigation in 2001. The towpath service road (with public access route between Manchester woodlands beside the River limestone knolls. An access moorgrass’. The start and end continues to climb up beside locks, to the car park) 5 miles/8km and Huddersfield (www. Wharfe to reach Appletreewick signboard marks the way L, up a point, Uppermill, is a pretty former passing the Limekiln Cafe with east of Grassington, along the tfgm.com). Regular trains to village with its diverting pubs. wide, grassy path which swings L, mill town, brimming with tea canal-side seating. At lock 25, you B6265. Nearest bus service is Marsden from Manchester The route then rises across hay shortly descending via a kissing shops and boutiques. From here, can choose to walk on either side to Burnsall Bridge (2km from Victoria and Huddersfield. meadows before an easy return gate into Skyreholme Beck. Cross follow the Huddersfield Narrow of the canal. Adjacent to lock 31, Appletreewick at point 5) on Parking in car park outside to the reservoir. it and turn downstream, soon Canal for 1½ miles, along one there’s another café, and a third in the 74 bus (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat) the museum. climbing a ladderstile into the of its most picturesque stretches, an old mill next to the canal at the or 874 (Sun), linking Ilkley and EATING & DRINKING 1. START Follow a tarred lane, deepening ravine of Trollers Gill. dotted with cafés, before the summit, 645ft above sea level, the Grassington (✆ 0871 200 2233, Limekiln Cafe (✆ 01457 which rises behind the toilet block It is increasingly rough underfoot, waterway disappears into the highest canal in Britain. www.traveline.info). 871051); Grandpa Greene’s and past houses. This roughens crossing the (usually dry) beck hill at Diggle. EATING & DRINKING Tearoom (✆ 07790 092581, www. before a gate leads onto a several times. Once clear of the 2. At the tunnel mouth, cross the at Parcevall Hall Gardens grandpagreenes.co.uk); moorland road. Continue to the chasm, the path progresses down 1. START From the museum at car park and turn R onto road. (seasonal, ✆ 01756 720630); Woolyknit café (✆ 01457 main road and cross diagonally the sharp valley, over stiles/gates Uppermill (currently closed for Turn R again over railway then Craven Arms Inn, Appletreewick 877984, www.woolyknit. into the wide walled track, with and past a barn to a lane near the refurbishment, due to re-open turn L at Diggle Hotel. Follow the ✆ com) are all on or near the ▲ ( 01756 720270, ▲ the knobbly ridge of Simon’s Seat waymarks for Oldham Way/ entrance to Parcevall Hall. later this year), head onto the P49-50_WALK51_RR_NORTv1.R1.indd 1 P49-50_WALK51_RR_NORTv1.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymap Ordnance Surveymap START Continued... Continued... 1 4 FINISH towpath between Uppermill 3 www.craven-cruckbarn.co.uk); and Diggle. In Marsden, the New Inn, Appletreewick there’s the Railway Inn and ✆ ping ©Crown copyright 2016 Ordnance Survey. Media037/16 ping ©Crowncopyright2016OrdnanceSurvey. ( 01756 720252, www.the- ping ©Crown copyright 2016 Ordnance Survey. Media037/16 ping ©Crowncopyright2016OrdnanceSurvey. Watersedge Café. new-inn-appletreewick.com). 6 SLEEPING The Waggon Inn, SLEEPING B&B at the New Inn, Uppermill (✆ 01457 879106, as before; Howgill Lodge B&B, www.thewaggoninn.co.uk). Barden (✆ 01756 720655, www. VISITOR INFORMATION howgill-lodge.co.uk); Masons 2 Standedge Tunnel Visitor Campsite, Appletreewick Centre, Waters Road, Marsden. (✆ 01756 720275; www. GUIDEBOOK Waterways Guide masonscampsite.co.uk). 5: North West & the Pennines VISITOR INFORMATION (Nicholson, £16.99, ISBN 978 Grassington National Park 3 0007281657). 2 Centre (✆ 01756 751690, LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP www.yorkshiredales.org.uk). Oldham Ramblers (www. GUIDEBOOKS Wharfedale & oldhamramblers.org.uk). Nidderdale by Andrew Bibby 5 (£8.99, Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978 0711225534); Walks Pennine Bridleway along this track in the Yorkshire Dales by Jack as it climbs uphill. Head on uphill, Keighley (£9.99 [currently ignoring paths to L and R, until you START £3.99 online from Cicerone], 1 FINISH 4 reach a gate beside the A62. Pass ISBN 978 1852844813). through this to walk beside Brun LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP Clough Reservoir, which feeds the Harrogate (✆ 01423 866987, canal. There are impressive views To download this route and hundreds of others, www.harrogateramblers. To download this route and hundreds of others, behind you down the Tame Valley. visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes org.uk). visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes Cross the small car park and follow footpath, reaching a National Trust information board about Marsden (closed winter) and a visitor centre. Turn R, walk along pavement until 3. Turn R; bend L then go R at the A wooded ramble beside the little handgate onto the grassy Moor. Stay on the path, with views From outside the café (not winter), a path to L uphill just beyond small junction by the telephone box. Wharfe ensues. In 1.5km look moorland track. In 100m, drift of Redbrook Reservoir and, in the daily passenger boat trips run into wind turbine. Follow path behind As you pass terraced houses in for the walled footpath (R) for slightly L off this, commencing distance, air-shaft chimneys and the tunnel and fortnightly ones go farms and continue across moor, Skyreholme hamlet in 500m, look Appletreewick, rising beside a contour walk between this and spoil heaps marking the tunnel all the way through. parallel to A62, once one of three for the tarred Lumb Mill Way (L). Mason’s camping and caravan site the deep valley to your left. After route. At a metal signpost, turn L turnpike routes across the moor. Enter this, slip L down the nearby to reach the village lane. Turn R 800m, look ahead for a tall to follow path to Marsden, fording 4. From the café car park, follow You cross the route of the canal – stepped path for Howgill Lane to the Craven Arms Inn. ladderstile over a wall,130m above shallow stream. Keep on well- grassy path to opening in stone and train – tunnel, next to the two and over the footbridge. Turn R a copse. Beyond this, pass R of a trodden path, Marsden appearing wall furthest from café. Cross small vast air-shaft chimneys seen from on a good path parallel to the 5. Pick up the rough track by the remnant wall end, then through in the distance. Approaching a road and continue parallel to a distance earlier. At minor road, beck. Beyond the first broken wall pub, signed Dibbles Bridge. This an open gateway to find another minor road, the path dips in and another road along a new path turn R to join A62, turn L for about (below trees in 450m) edge up left rises steadily to reach a barn, then ladderstile. Walk ahead, then out of a small gully, and is steep not yet on OS maps.