THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2017 The Northern Echo 35 Walks what’son Walks Dentdale and the Occupation Road used to supplement their meagre the steps up to reach a small gate Walk information farming income by knitting woollen that leads into farmyards of the clothing. They were so quick at Tofts. Walk straight on across the Distance: 9.75 km (6.1 miles) knitting that they became known gravel yard and through the gate Time: 3 hours as the terrible knitters, as their ahead, where you re-join the farm fingers moved so quickly. track. Follow this clear farm track Maps: OS Explorer Sheet OL2. The track that heads up Flinter straight on heading down the Parking: Pay & Display car park Gill is a wonderful old track, with hillside for 350 metres to reach the Refreshments: Pubs, cafes and an abundance of flowers and a next farm of Bower Bank (alpacas). shops at Dent. delightful stream. Here you will Walk along the track passing in front of the farmhouse, then How to get there: From Sedbergh find the Dancing Flags, where the continue along this track down in the western Yorkshire Dales, stream has exposed a flat bed of for 250 metres to join a road. Turn head south-east along a minor road limestone blocks that was once used right along the road (take care) and to reach the village of Dent. by the weavers of Dent to soak the follow it on for 550 metres to reach Terrain:From Dent, a rough stony woven fabric, thus making it shrink its play area. Carry straight on slopes of Calf Top in front of you. a road junction in the hamlet of track less up through Flinter Gill to create a thicker fabric. It is called along the road (signpost ‘Flinter Gawthrop. before heading west along the the dancing flags because they used Occupation Road (track), which to lay out the fabric and then walk Gill’ and ‘Unsuitable for Motors’), and follow the road up passing Turn right along the road (take is exposed to the elements. After across it; I do not recommend you 3care) and follow the road gently Walk straight on along the a short stretch of road walking, do this, as the limestone blocks are between the white-washed cottages 4road towards ‘Dent’ through and Zion Chapel (meditation rising up for 400 metres then take the remainder of the walk follows slippery. Further up alongside the the path to the left through a gate the hamlet, bending slightly left centre) to reach the end of the paths and tracks across rough track is the Wishing Tree, where (signpost ‘Underwood’). After the heading downhill where you take road at the last house (Ghyll Head). pastureland, farmland and it is said your wish will come true gate, follow the grassy path bearing the path to the left (125 metres after Carry straight on along the stony riversides, with three farmyards to if you walk clockwise through the slightly to the right heading across the road junction) along a track track ahead (Flinter Gill), passing pass through. tree three times. Climbing up, we the rough field, passing just to towards Mill Bank Farm (‘Barth the ‘Dancing Flags’ on your left soon emerge from the trees to find the left of the low knoll with its Bridge’). Walk along the track (caution: rock is slippery) and Points of interest a viewfinder up to our right, from limestone outcrops, down to reach then, after a few paces, bear right through a gate. After the gate, where there is a superb panorama a gate in the far bottom corner of to reach a gate just to the right of continue along the clear stony across Dentdale towards the Lake the field (waymarker). After the the barn (and old caravan). After ENTDALE is simply District, Howgill Fells and the high track rising up through woodland gate, walk straight on across the the gate, walk straight on passing beautiful, a deep valley fells around Whernside. We soon (passing the ‘Wishing Tree’), with ‘saddle’ of boggy land, keeping to the right of a collapsed shed of lush green fields and join the Occupation Road, or the the ravine of Flinter Gill on your fairly close to the fence on your left, to join a wooded stream on your scattered farmsteads ‘Occy’, although it is marked as left, for 300 metres to reach a gate to reach the foot of the steep slopes left - follow this stream heading Dsurrounded by soaring Green Lane on the map. This route across the track, with the old High ahead, where you join a clear wide downhill, through two small gates, fells. It lies in the quiet western dates back centuries when it was an Ground farmstead to your right path. Follow this path to the right and down to reach a gate in a Dales with only minor roads important drovers route across the (short detour to see the old farming heading along the bottom of the wall. After the wall-gate, carry on leading into it, which makes it a hills. When the common land was implements). After the gate, steep slope (superb views) for 450 alongside the fence on your left secluded place. The ‘capital’ of enclosed in the late 18th Century (or continue up along the stony track metres before contouring round to then bear right (away from the Dentdale is the lovely village of ‘occupied’), this route was enclosed passing a lime kiln and on for 400 the left (following the curve of the stream) alongside the wall. After Dent, with its cobblestone lanes by walls. The views from this old metres to reach another gate at the slope) to reach a gate across your 50 metres, cross the stile over onto and whitewashed houses. At its track track are simply stunning. We top of the woodland (track begins to path. Head through the gate and the left-hand side of the wall/hedge heart stands St Andrew’s Church, follow this route westwards towards level off), with a viewing point just follow the enclosed track straight then follow this wall/hedge (wall/ which can trace its history back to the imposing bulk of Calf Top, with up to your right (worth the detour). on down for 150 metres to reach hedge on your right) across the Norman times. Inside is a wealth its sheer slopes rising high above. After this gate, carry on along the the farmyard of Combe House (set field to reach a gate that leads onto of interest, including a checker- We then join an old track that leads track alongside the wall on your left below the magnificent huge bowl a road. Turn left along the road pattern tiled floor made from round the northern edge of these rising up for 325 metres to reach of Combe Scar). Follow the track to reach Barth Bridge across the the famous Dent Marble. This hills into the huge corrie of Combe a bench beside a gate, just beyond bearing down to the right passing River Dee. Just before you cross is a black-grey hard limestone Scar, where you pass the old farms which you come to a T-junction to the right-hand side of the the river, take the path to the right that has been quarried locally of Combe House, Tofts and Bower with the enclosed ‘Occupation farmhouse, then continue along the down steps onto the riverside path for centuries and is particularly Bank. This is a lovely route, with Road’ track (signpost). track heading downhill, following (Dales Way). Follow the clear path rich in crinoid fossils, so when great views. the marked path to the left that across fields, with the river to it is cut and polished it creates avoids the cattle grid, to re-join your left, for 750 metres to join a stunning patterns, and was most Turn right along the enclosed the track just beyond the cattle road. Turn right along the road for popular for fireplace surrounds. The walk 2track (signpost ‘Keldishaw’) and grid. After the cattle grid, continue 75 metres (take care) then, at the In the centre of Dent stands a follow this enclosed stony track along the farm track winding bollards, take the clear path to the large granite boulder, a memorial From the National Park car park heading across the hillside for downhill for 150 metres then, just left back onto the riverside. Follow to Adam Sedgwick, one of the 1on the edge of Dent (with your 800 metres to reach a small ford before you reach a bridge across this clear riverside path straight founders of modern geology back to the car park and facing the across High Lathe Gill, where a stream before the next farm on for 800 metres to reach Church who was born at Dent in 1785. He ‘National School 1845’), cross the you continue along the enclosed (Tofts), follow the waymarked path Bridge, where you turn right along became Woodwardian Professor of road and take the road opposite to track swinging round to the right to the left (off the track) that leads the road back up into Dent. Geology at Cambridge University. the left (Dragon Croft) and follow then carry straight on gradually down to reach a small footbridge Dent was also once famous for its this road up to soon open out onto dropping down for a further 1.4 Mark Reid over the stream set in the wooded walkingweekenders.co.uk ‘terrible knitters’, as local people the village green to your left, with km to join a road, with the soaring gully.