THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017 The Northern Echo 35 Walks what’son Walks Hawes, Yorburgh and Burtersett across Wensleydale unfolds with Walk information the rounded hills of Lovely Seat and Great Shunner Fell rise up on over the moor along a clear Distance: 8 km (5 miles) across the broad valley. narrow path for 400 metres, over Time: 3 hours another stream then on through Maps: OS Explorer OL30 - always a squeeze-stile in a wall across take a map on your walk The walk your path. After this wall-stile, continue straight on along the Parking: Car parks throughout clear narrow path then, when Hawes From the centre of Hawes, walk 1up through the Market Place, Upper Wensleydale comes into Refreshments: Pubs, shops and passing the Fountain Hotel on your view, follow the path down over tea rooms at Hawes; village hall at right then, immediately before the a tumbledown wall then bear left Burtersett (honesty box). public toilets on your left, take the steeply down across the hillside Toilets: Hawes enclosed footpath to the left that to reach a stile in the bottom left How to get there: Hawes lies along leads up steps to emerge onto the corner of the field at the bottom the A684 in Upper Wensleydale main car park. Walk across the car end of the plantation. Follow the park (or follow the path around its path straight on down through a Terrain: Field and moorland paths, perimeter on the left-hand side) to series of wall-gates to reach the stony tracks and rough ground in reach a small gate that leads out road at Burtersett. places. Steep climb in places up onto a field on the opposite side of onto the flanks of Yorburgh and the car park. Follow the clear path back down to Burtersett. Turn left along the road and straight on to reach a gate in the Caution: This is a fairly strenuous 5follow this bending down to the top right-hand corner of the field right (passing the small village walk up onto the flanks of that leads onto Gayle Lane (road) Yorburgh, with rough moorland green on your right) into the just to the right of Wensleydale ‘heart’ of the village then take in places, a number of stream Creamery. Turn left along the road bank) to another wall stile, after left and Wether Fell on your right) the footpath to the left in between crossings, several stiles and and follow the pavement into Gayle. which head straight up the hillside down to a gateway in the stone wall the houses (immediately after the some steep sections. Exposed to Follow the main road to the left to a stile over the wall ahead of you across your path near to a small Wesleyan Methodist Church on the elements. Map and compass towards ‘Kettlewell’ over the bridge just to the right of the waterfall/ ruined shed. Head through the gate your left – signpost on railings essential. above Gayle Beck, after which rocky outcrop. After this stile, head and follow the track to the left for ‘Hawes, Gayle’). Head on along the turn left along the road towards straight up with the stream on your a few paces then take the grassy flagged yard to quickly reach a ‘Bainbridge’, then after the old left (ignore track and ford to the path that branches off to the left gate, after which head across the farmhouse on the right (datestone Points of interest left) passing more small waterfalls (leaving the sunken grassy track to field along the flagged path through 1695) take the path immediately then, where the hillside levels out bend sharply up to the right) then a wall-gate ahead, after which to the right (signpost ‘Burtersett, slightly, cross over the stream to curves round to the right to quickly HE huge moorland follow the clear path down to the Marsett’). the left then continue up across the reach a fork in the grassy path ridge of Wether Fell and right through a wall-gate. After this hillside to reach a gate in the stone where you follow the narrow path Yorburgh looms high wall-gate, turn down to the right to wall at the top of the field (about straight on down into a shallow over the upper reaches of Walk up to quickly reach a small join a very clear flagged path which T 100 metres to the left of the small ‘hollow’ (boggy) before climbing Wensleydale, separating 2wooden gate ahead, after which you follow to the left across several clump of trees). After this gate, up to reach a small gate in a wall. Wensleydale from neighbouring head up bearing to the left across fields for 750 metres to reach a lane. follow the path heading to the left After the gate, carry straight Raydale. The views from the flanks the field through a wall gate in the Cross over the lane and head along steeply up the hillside to join an old on along the clear path heading of Yorburgh, with its distinctive top left corner of the field. Head the path opposite to the left and wall which you follow up for a while over the ‘shoulder’ of Wether Fell flat-topped profile, down the length through this gate then head to the follow this flagged path down to then, where the hillside begins to (grassy moorland) on to reach the of Wensleydale are superb, and a left along the path over a wall stile, quickly reach the main road on the level out, cross over this wall and walled track of Cam High Road particular highlight is joining the and then continue on along the path outskirts of Hawes. Turn left and head up the next field to reach the (Roman Road). Turn left along Cam arrow-straight Roman Road that ahead gradually heading up across top left-hand corner of the field and High Road and follow this stony follow the main road back into the crosses these hills. The hills and the gently rising field to reach a a wall stile. Cross over this wall track gently dropping down for 1 town centre. moorland around Yorburgh and wall gap towards the top far corner then a clear path leads to the left km (just over 10-minutes walking) Wether Fell are hidden from the (just to the left of a gate). After across the grassy moorland to reach then, where the track levels out outside world, a landscape of boggy Mark Reid this gap, head straight up the field a gate in the wall on your left (just slightly, take the footpath to the left moorland and old grassy tracks. Walking Weekends 2017 (signpost ‘Marsett’) passing to the below a low promontory of land) through a squeeze-stile beside a After a short section walking left of the stone barn towards the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, – head through the wall gap to the gate (signpost ‘Burtersett’). Lake District & Snowdonia down along the Roman Road that top left corner of this field (ignore right of this gate. once connected the Roman fort ladder stile to the left) and through walkingweekenders.co.uk at Bainbridge with Ribchester, a squeeze stile in the top left-hand Follow the clear path straight on Unique corporate activity days, another path leads back across field corner. After this stile, head After the wall gap, head to the 4across the moor, down through navigation skills and team building moorland to reach the brow of a straight on to a wall stile ahead 3right to quickly join a grassy a squeeze-stile just to the left of a experiences in the great outdoors. steep bank above Burtersett and a then follow the path as it slants track, which you follow to the right gate and over streams (either side teamwalking.co.uk ‘wow’ moment as a wonderful view steeply up to the right (wooded (passing between Yorburgh on your of this wall) then continue straight Birdwatch By Ian Kerr ORE summer visitors turning up to reclaim regular nest including Blackhall Rocks, was blowing and small groups of areas with males immediately have arrived as well as sites. Rainton Meadows and Seaton meadow pipits were coming in starting to sing. Wheatears seem M the first signs of migrants Pond. In distinctive white and Some of our rarest breeding from the south east. They were to have been much slower with passing through the region on ducks, garganey, have also arrived silver grey breeding plumage, moving low over the wave-tops in only a few more individuals their way to breeding grounds in these birds will become more an attempt to avoid the worst of from wintering areas in Africa. reported. Scandinavia and other parts of plentiful during April and May, the wind and most were dropping Two were at Shibdon Pond at northern Europe. pausing at waterside localities into cover in the dunes and fields, New rarities include a cattle Blaydon and two others were egret which quickly moved Durham’s first osprey, pictured, providing abundant insect food to no doubt grateful for a chance northwards at Arcot Pond near fuel their onward migration. to rest. During the course of an on from Thornton-le-Dale and of spring was at Derwent Cramlington. At best, a handful of Reservoir last weekend and One of our commonest upland hour I counted around 50, all in a firecrest singing at Thirsk pairs usually breed in the region small groups, but that paled into Racecourse. another was seen over the A19 at so these individuals may just be species, meadow pipits, has also been on the move in large insignificance with an arrival Thirsk on Tuesday.