6 The Northern Echo Thursday, July 1, 2010 7DAYS northernecho.co.uk COUNTRY DIARY WALKS VERY year, in late June, the green landscape of summer is enlivened Swinner Gill Ewith patches of red, when poppies come into bloom. Travellers along the road from Houghton-le-Spring to By Seaham, or visitors to the Northumbrian coast near Warkworth, will recently have Mark Reid seen whole fields ablaze with thousands and of scarlet poppies Black Hill Like many plants, poppies produce seeds that can remain dormant in the soil for decades. They require light for POINTS OF INTEREST germination, so only burst into life after ROMthe beautiful hay they’ve been brought to the surface by meadows to the WALKFACTS the passing of a plough. Poppies windswept moorland belong to a group of arable weeds that edge high above Distance: 13.25 km (8.25 includes corn chamomile, corn cockle, F miles) Swaledale, this walk corn flower, corn marigold, bugloss and encapsulates the Yorkshire Dales. Time: 4 – 5 hours henbit whose flowering depends on The Muker hay meadows are Maps: OS Explorer Sheet regular soil disturbance, so they have amongst the finest upland OL30 always been a feature of agricultural meadows in England, with scores Start/Parking: Car park landscapes since farming first began. In of flowers, grasses and plants in at Muker Victorian times all these species were Refreshments: Pub and very common, but the development of each field. Cut later than normal efficient seed cleaning technologies for to allow seeding, the great cafe at Muker. No cereal crop seed production and the swathes of wild flowers are one of facilities en route advent of effective modern herbicides the highlights of early summer in Terrain: Field paths and have removed them from fields so the Yorkshire Dales, but be quick then a stony track lead efficiently that many are now rare. as they are cut in early July. up through Swaledale to Poppy’s vast seed output has been its Please walk in single file along reach the foot of Swinner salvation. Poppies survive seed burial the flagged path across these Gill, where the track for long periods and are often revived meadows, and do not pick any of steepens up to reach the temporarily when new roads are cut the flowers – they look much ruins of Crackpot Hall. A through former agricultural land, or better in these fields than dying in narrow path then heads when grassland that was long ago a vase on your mantelpiece. into the confines of planted with wheat and barley is freshly Swinner Gill, with a long ploughed. For some arable wild flowers, A track leads up through and fairly steep climb up like the annual corn buttercup, soil Swaledale to reach the foot of the along a rough path to the disturbance comes too late because in dramatic ravine of Swinner Gill head of the ravine. A this species the seed cannot survive clear high-level track prolonged burial, so it’s now an and the crumbling remains of an endangered species. old lead mine smelt mill. All then heads along the In recent years farmers have been around here, but particularly in edge of the moorland all provided with financial incentives to Swinner Gill, are the remains of the way round before allow weeds to survive in field lead mines, which can be traced dropping down to join a headlands, where the insects that visit back to Roman times, although road at Ivelet Heads. This for pollen and nectar and the seeds that they were at their peak during the road and then a track the flowers produce act as vital links in 1800s. Mining subsidence caused leads back to the food chain that supports birds like the collapse of Crackpot Hall high Rampshome Bridge. yellowhammers and partridges. up on the hillside back in the How to get there: Muker Phil Gates 1950s. The view from this ruined lies along the B6270 in farm is arguably the finest in the Upper Swaledale. whole of the Dales. Swinner Gill Open Access: The section BIRDWATCH is a wild and dramatic place with from the head of Swinner E’RE into that slack mid- old lead mining buildings and Gill to Ivelet Heads summer period in which – tumbling waterfalls set in a deep follows a track across Wgenerally speaking – bird news Open Access Land. See ravine. An exciting path climbs dwindles, with spring migration very up alongside this stream to join a local signs for much in the past and autumn migration shooters’ track at its head. This is information or visit still to come. then followed along the moorland openaccess.gov. uk This year, however, the situation edge, with magnificent views Grid References: Grid doesn't quite fit that stereotype, with the across Swaledale, a wonderful References have been past fortnight marked by wader activity high-level walk indeed. given across the Open that could have involved late northward- Access Land. For Based on Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown bound migrants or birds taking example, the Grid advantage of the fine weather to start THE WA LK copyright:AM26/09 With your back to the Farmers Reference for returning south early after no longer Rampsholme Bridge is being involved in nesting. 1Arms, turn left along the road Spotted redshank and green and then take the lane up to the left SD 911 986 wood sandpipers turned up at various after a short distance passing the Caution: The path up wetlands around the region plus the Literary Institute. At the top of through Swinner Gill is odd Temminck's stint and Curlew the short bank the lane opens out narrow in places with steep drops to the side of Sandpiper. Black-tailed godwits have into a small square – follow the Lead Mines, beyond which follow the path; the path is also then continue along the road for 300 been particularly numerous, with over path ahead passing to the right of the narrow, rough and rocky path metres to reach a fork in the road at 50-plus at Humberside's Blacktoft rough underfoot with the cottage and then the old Post climbing quite steeply up through Calvert Houses (with a house in the Sands reserve; as they were some easy scrambling. Do Office, with its small postbox the ravine of Swinner Gill middle of the road junction). Follow presumably Icelandic birds, it is (signpost Gunnerside and Keld), not explore the old lead tempting to speculate that they may mines. The track across alongside the stream on your the right-hand road (passing behind through a squeeze-stile and out right (several small waterfalls) for the farmhouse) and follow it straight have been disrupted by that onto fields. Follow the clear paved Black Hill high above unpronounceable volcano’s eruptions. 600 metres to reach a sheepfold at on for a further 1.25 km to reach a path across a succession of fields Swaledale is exposed to However, there’s more certainty about the head of the ravine. Just before junction of tracks at the end of the until you reach the River Swale in the elements. Walk in the recent flurry of quail reports across single file across the this sheepfold, cross the stream to road. Head straight on along the the North-East. The warm weather has front of you. Turn right to quickly your right to join a clear shooters’ right-hand track and follow this reach Rampsholme Bridge Muker hay meadows. OS presumably led to these tiny summer- map essential. track just beyond the stream (NY down, passing above Rampsholme visiting game birds pressing further (footbridge) across the Swale. 918 013). Bridge, just after which turn left north than usual. Maybe it has also led back on yourself along the clear path Cross the footbridge and up yourself slightly along a clear to more people being out walking on Turn right along this shooters’ (just before the track levels out) back evenings and hearing their distinctive 2the steps ahead to quickly track that leads up to reach the 4track and follow it straight on, to reach Rampsholme Bridge. Cross three-note calls, often likened to "wet- reach a T-junction of paths where ruins of Crackpot Hall. the bridge then turn right and re- my-lips", sounding from farmland crops. you head left (signpost Keld) up with Swinner Gill falling away to your right, then bending round to trace your steps back across the hay Dragonflies are currently prominent, more steps then on to soon join a As you reach the ruins of meadows (flagged path) into Muker. which may have influenced a coinciding clear, stony track. Head straight 3Crackpot Hall, head up to the the left after 0.5 km. Continue mini-flood of hobby sightings as these on (to the left) along this track left alongside the wall on your along this high-level track small, elegant summer-visiting falcons heading along the edge of the Mark Reid and follow it heading up through right to quickly join a clear stony Author of The Inn Way series hunt large flying insects and the likes of Swaledale along the valley floor, track just above the ruins (at the moorland (Ivelet Moor), with swifts, swallows and martins. Single innway. co.uk with the river on your left. After foot of the spoil heaps). Turn Swaledale sweeping steeply away birds reported over the Teesmouth to your right, for a further 2.25 km 1.5 km the track gently climbs up right along this track and follow it Navigation Skills courses in the marshes and Newton Pool on the (ignore track branching offto the slightly above the river, then climbing up passing a barn and Yorkshire Dales Northumberland coast at the weekend left after 1.25 km) before bending were doing just that and no doubt that drops down to reach a ford and then continue up along the track, Gain a national award; step out with gradually round to the left again was the purpose of three together over footbridge across the side-stream which soon levels out and leads to confidence; explore further.