6 The Northern Echo Thursday, July 29, 2010 7DAYS northernecho.co.uk COUNTRY DIARY WALKS Tthis time of year the countryside is full of juvenile Abirds and mammals are busy Great Shunner learning basic survival skills and some – like baby hedgehogs – often find By their way into gardens. One turned up in our flower border last week, dozing Mark Reid in the afternoon sunshine. Young hedgehogs become independent about six weeks after Fell they’re born and at that stage members of the litter all go their POINTS OF INTEREST separate ways. They are always HEREare 42 mountains welcome visitors to gardens because and fells in the of their well-known appetite for slugs, Yorkshire Dales with a but in summer there is a wide variety of height of 600 metres or other food available to them, including T more, and a relative WALKFACTS tiny froglets that are just emerging onto height of over 20 metres. Here is dry land from garden ponds. These the fifth of the ‘northern and Distance: 16 km (10 can be a fatal attraction for hedgehogs central’ Yorkshire Dales – Great miles) and many fall into ponds and drown, so if you have a garden pond it’s Shunner Fell (716m). Time: 5 hours important to make sure there is an Maps: OS Explorer easy exit for hedgehogs, either via a This is a ‘there and back’ walk, Sheet OL30 – always shallow slope at one end or via a rough as to navigate back from the take a map with you piece of wood that acts as a ramp. summit to Hardraw via a Start/Parking: On- If they avoid natural hazards, like different route across Open street parking badgers and foxes, and don’t fall victim Access land is far too throughout Hardraw to drowning accidents or become road challenging physically and (honesty box) casualties, hedgehogs can live for navigationally for me to around seven years, during which time describe in my walks column Refreshments: Pub they tend to wander during the and cafe at Hardraw. summer months. They most often visit (believe me, I tried it!). Despite No facilities en route gardens with wild, overgrown corners covering the same ground, the return walk offers far-reaching Terrain: From and wide hedges, where they can Hardraw a clear track move along the hedgerow bottom views and a different perspective that makes it feel climbs up onto the unseen. The best time to see them is at shoulder of Great dusk when they become active, like a different walk. Shunner Fell to reach shuffling noisily through the undergrowth. Sometimes they’ll Hearne Top from Great Shunner Fell is the third where a boggy, grassy produce a second litter in late summer, highest mountain in the which will continue feeding in gardens path (flagged for long Yorkshire Dales, the highpoint stretches) gradually right up until the first frosts, when on a vast bulk of high moorland they’re forced to hibernate. A long, climbs up for 4.5 km mild autumn is crucial for the survival that separates the upper to reach the summit of these late-born infants – if they don’t reaches of Swaledale, (716 metres). Great build up enough body fat, they won’t Wensleydale and Cotterdale. Shunner Fell is survive through the winter. The long and gradual ascent of exposed to the Phil Gates this mountain crosses miles of elements with few lonely moorland following the landmarks, although well-worn Pennine Way, which the path is clear for BIRDWATCH has been paved with flagstones most of the way – care for much of the way. But the must be taken in poor ARLIER this month there was real highlight of this climb are weather. The path mention on the Teesmouth Bird heads up across peat EClub website that coloured rings the far-reaching views south to bogs and featureless Ingleborough and Whernside on the legs of some little egrets seen moorland. locally indicated they were recently and west to the peaks of fledged youngsters from a Norfolk Lakeland; the name ‘shunner’ How to get there: colony. comes from the old Viking word Hardraw lies along a As distinguished North birder Dave ‘sjonar’ which means look-out minor road just to the Britton, who supplied the information, hill. After reaching the north of Hawes in Upper Wensleydale. commented, it is fascinating that soon windbreak on the summit, you after gaining flight ability, they flew certainly get a feeling of being Caution: This is a almost 200 miles northwards. Could on top of the world, or the strenuous walk to and this, I wonder, be a more widespread Pennines at least. With this in from the summit of tendency, explaining perhaps the mind, this walk should only be Great Shunner Fell, remarkable expansion of this species' with rough terrain attempted on a clear day to European range from its original and boggy moorland Mediterranean haunts over the past appreciate the views. in places, although half century (including the colonisation the path on the of Britain since the mid-1990s)? Next week’s walk will also start Based on Ordnance Survey ground is clear for If these small white herons suffered and finish at Hardraw, so why almost all the way. setbacks during last winter's freeze-up, not make a weekend of it? mapping © Crown copyright: AM26/09 This high moorland is they're certainly showing early signs of Hardraw has a great pub, cafe exposed to the bounce-back. This week one has been and campsite, with plenty of elements, with few at pools at both Houghton Gate and B&Bs in nearby Hawes. landmarks – keep to the former Lambton Cokeworks site in the path at all times. the Bournmoor/Shiney Row area west THE WA LK Map, compass and of Sunderland, and two at Shibdon hill-walking gear Pond, Blaydon. I don't think the From the Green Dragon at 1 Hardraw (with your back to on climbing steadily up across along the path) for 4.5 km essential. Do not species has visited any of these sites climbing steadily up to attempt this walk in before. the pub) turn right along the the ‘shoulder’ of land then, poor visibility or bad Meanwhile, reports indicate at least road, over the bridge across after 1.25 km, the track levels eventually reach the stone-built weather. eight – possibly more – at Teesmouth Hardraw Beck and head out of out for a short distance before it ‘windbreak’ on the summit of and in Northumberland, four were at Hardraw – immediately after winds quite steeply up to reach Great Shunner Fell (SD 849 973). Low Newton by the Sea, on Sunday, a the last houses turn right along another ladder stile beside a day after two were at both Budle Bay a stony track (signpost Pennine gate in a wall across the track at From the summit and Longhirst Flash, near Ashington, Way, Thwaite, Public Bridleway, Hearne Top (SD 847 932). 3windbreak, turn around and and one at Alnmouth. Some sightings Cotterdale). Follow the walled re-trace your steps back along probably involved the same birds stony track up out of the Head through this gate and moving around but there’s still a the path you walked up village. The track soon climbs 2continue along the (Pennine Way) for 4.5 km strong sense of this one-time rarity stony/grassy track as it gently becoming more widespread. quite steeply up then bends gradually descending (with long Meanwhile, sea-watching is round to the left after which the curves round to the left to flat sections) to eventually get quickly reach a path junction gathering pace, with almost daily track levels out slightly passing back to the path junction just after about 75 metres where you sightings of sooty shearwaters, on the a plantation on your left – before the wall at Hearne Top continue along this walled track turn offthis track to the right northern leg of their incredible annual where you head left to quickly odysseys which start in the southern climbing gently up for 900 along a wide grassy path reach the ladder stile beside the oceans where they breed. Rarer metres to reach a large ladder (signpost Pennine Way, Cory’s and Balearic Shearwaters have stile beside a gate across the Thwaite). Follow this wide, gate (SD 847 932). Head through occurred also and there have been the gate and re-trace your steps track (at the end of the walled grassy path climbing gradually ■ While every effort is made to ensure counts of up to 280 Manx shearwaters. back down along the track for 3 track). After the gate, follow the up across wild open moorland that walks are accessible and are Finally the immature king eider from stony track swinging round and (boggy in places and marked km back into Hardraw. rights of way, The Northern Echo the Arctic that was off Filey from at up to the left (signpost Pennine with large cairns), with some cannot guarantee that fields, paths or least the 9th, left on Sunday, spooked Mark Reid pubs will be open. If you are walking in by a canoeist. Almost certainly the Way) climbing up across the long flat sections, keeping to the open grassy moorland (ignore clear path all the way (stone- Author of The Inn Way the countryside, please remember the same bird turned up on north Norfolk's Country Code. coast on Tuesday. Brian Unwin footpath to Cotterdale). Follow flagged path for much of the guidebooks wwwnorthernecho.co.uk/leisure/walks this clear stony track straight way as you progress further innway.