CUMBRIA SOUTH YORKSHIRE 15 GABLE GIRDLE 16 CUSWORTH PARK W N NORTH EAST NORTH uDistance: 7 miles/11km uTime: 3½-4 hours uGrade: Challenging S E WEST NORTH uDistance: 7¾ miles/ 12.5km uTime: 2¾ hours uGrade: Moderate Great Gable looms PLAN YOUR WALK PLAN YOUR WALK over Burnthwaite. FEATURE SEE ON PAGE 34 PHOTO: PHOTO: CAROLBURKINSHAW JAMES DEBOO JAMES ROUTE ROUTE Start/parking Free Start/parking Cusworth parking at Wasdale Head Cusworth Hall, Hall Museum car park, Village Green; grid ref park and pond. Back Lane, Cusworth, DN5 NY186084, CA20 1EX 7TU, grid ref SE544039 Is it for me? This Is it for me? Mainly level CHOSEN BY… reach the summit – but once is a serious mountain CHOSEN BY… motte and bailey castle at on good tracks/paths – JAMES DEBOO you reach Windy Gap and walk, with nearly 2600ft CAROL Langthwaite, and then walk parkland, Trans-Pennine Great Gable is begin the descent to Sty Head, (800m) of ascent, narrow BURKINSHAW along the shoreline of two Trail, former Roman road one of Lakeland’s with its glittering tarn, you paths, gentle scrambling Set high on a ornamental lakes overlooked and fields quintessential fells: proof won’t feel you’ve missed out. and a crossing of loose limestone ridge, Cusworth Hall by their former Woodlands Stiles None scree which may unsettle of the affection with which those without a head for offers an expansive panorama country house. A stretch of the PLANNING it’s held may be found on Start heights. It’s not as across open parkland and the Roman Ermine Street, known Nearest town Doncaster the summit, where a 70kg 1Bridleway leads NE from exposed as Striding Edge wider Don Valley. Country seat locally as Roman Ridge, Refreshments Cusworth bronze plaque commemorates car park, signposted ‘Sty Head but if you can do this you to the Battie-Wrightson family returns you to Cusworth. Hall former stable and members of the Fell and Rock 2 miles’. At Burnthwaite keep can do that for over 200 years, nowadays coach house (rear of hall), Stiles None Climbing Club who died in the L, following ‘Path’ signs, then the hall, owned and managed Start plus Highwayman pub at Woodland just off route First World War. A climber’s through gate go R. Follow by Doncaster Council, is home From ‘tearoom’ signpost at PLANNING 1 Public toilets Cusworth mountain, Gable, as it’s track – known as Moses’ Nearest town Gosforth to the town’s social history rear of car park, fork R in 10m, Hall former stable and known, is criss-crossed with Trod – between walls to Refreshments museum (admission free). stay ahead at crossroads, and coach house (rear of hall) paths leading to rock pitches, kissing gate. Cross footbridge Wasdale Head Inn From the hall you descend swing L to walk in front of Public transport including the infamous over Gable Beck then keep R, Public toilets through Cusworth Park to the Cusworth Hall. Maintain None to start, but bus 41 Nape’s Needle. For those of following Lingmell Beck for None on route serpentine lakes. Leaving the direction, signed ‘Shrubbery Doncaster-Scawsby (First) Public transport serves nearby Kempton us without the skills to tackle 300m. Cross a stream then None to start estate grounds, you connect Walk’, and branch first R Park Road in Cusworth, these climbs, the climbers fork L before sheepfold. Maps OS Explorer OL4, up with a section of the descending to park’s trio and Bentley rail station paths nevertheless offer Traverse hillside to gate in OL6; Landranger 89; Trans-Pennine Trail along a of lakes. Go R at junction is close to route intimate and breathtaking wall then continue 1km to Harvey Superwalker disused railway line. At a fork to loop around Upper Lake Maps OS Explorer 279; access to Gable’s many Sty Head. A rocky section Lake District West in the trail you depart the rail and continue along shoreline Landranger 111 aspects. This route may not fording a stream S of Lower ➥ track, to first pass the site of a of Middle Lake. ➥ GRADIENT PROFILE GRADIENT PROFILE 1200 600 800 400 400 200 metres metres 0 0 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 ✁ NORTH WEST NORTH NORTH EAST NORTH SOUTH YORKSHIRE FEBRUARY 2021 CUMBRIA FEBRUARY 2021 16 CUSWORTH PARK 15 GABLE GIRDLE uOS Explorer map 279 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop uOS Explorer map OL4 & OL6 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop ¾ mile/1.2km 2At far end of Middle Lake (information board), turn 5 R to soon pass house. Bear 4 4 L at junction and curve R to intersection/marker post. Walk R beside hedge to signpost for Cusworth Cycle Trail. Divert L along trail, sports ground R, 3 to walk below A638. When 3 DATE WALKED DATE trail merges on R go under WALKED DATE another road bridge, and later cross minor road. 2½ miles/4km MEDIA 003/21 ORDNANCE SURVEY. 2021 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN MEDIA 003/21 ORDNANCE SURVEY. 2021 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN 2 3Turn L along next road (before railway line), and take first R, signed Woodlands. Maintain direction at roundabout to soon join track TIME TAKEN alongside housing. Track bends 6 TIME TAKEN first R away from residences and then L near site of motte and bailey castle. 1 START START 1 2 3¾ miles/6km 4Pass below A638, and in 15m branch R to hug fishing Kern Knotts gives a taste 3 miles/4.8km scree soon finds a path lake through Woodlands Park. of what’s to come. 3Cross summit path following a stream. Cross the Turn R at end of first lake, and onto signed Roman Ridge. Plantation to field corner/ and traverse N 500m to stream twice, first R–L then then L beside second pool Follow surfaced track over marker post. Path on OS map 2¼ miles/3.7km Beck Head, the path easier L–R, then as the gully widens towards former country house. B6422 to meet road at heads diagonally L across field Cresting the pass go underfoot but with an airy approaching Styhead Tarn look YOUR RATING YOUR YOUR RATING YOUR 2 Nearing far side of this strip entrance to school. Walk R – indistinct – but well-worn L then L again onto narrow drop down towards Wast for a grassy path traversing of water keep ahead at two along Wensleydale Road, take route tracks field perimeter L to path traversing below Kern Water. Bear R at cairn-topped R to Sty Head. Rejoin Moses consecutive crossroads, signed second R and then go L to Back Lane. Walk L along lane Knotts – this is the Climbers’ rock to Gable’s NW ridge, Trod and retrace the outward Roman Ridge. Ignore path A635. Cross into Marvell Road, to start point car park. Traverse. Small sections with views down Ennerdale. route to Wasdale Head. L to next T-junction. In quick bear L at shops and L again in of scree here give a taste Climb the ridge for 60m succession, turn L between front of garages. Branch first R of a more substantial scree vertically then go L, E, © Country Walking February 2021 February Walking © Country VIEW THE WALK ON 2021 February Walking © Country VIEW THE WALK ON boulders, bear R at triangular onto Kempton Park Road, and OS MAPS ONLINE: traverse to come. Path climbs on a 650m rocky traverse OS MAPS ONLINE: gently across occasional rocky below Gable Crag to cairn junction and keep forwards in 20m divert R onto footpath lfto.com/cwroutes lfto.com/cwroutes at crossroads to walk with between houses. obstacles for 1km to Great at Windy Gap. allotments and small pond L. IN ASSOCIATION WITH Napes. Ignore paths climbing IN ASSOCIATION WITH 6¾ miles/10.85km – and continue to across a 4 miles/6.3km 4½ miles/7.24km 6Leaving housing, continue scree slope to Gable’s SW 4Head R (SE) down Aaron 5At large junction turn L through narrow Long ridge. Slack, a chute where loose ✁.