Ramblers Routes Ramblers Routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Northern England Northern England 05/08/2014 16:44 03 Bowfell & Crinkle Crags, Cumbria 04 Richmond, North Yorkshire l Distance 12km/7½ miles l Time 6½hrs l Type Hill l Distance 6½ miles/10km l Time 3hrs l Type Town and country NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine autumn 2014 autumn magazine walk walk magazine autumn 2014 autumn magazine walk Plan your walk Plan your walk l Newcastle upon Tyne Workington l l Keswick Penrith l l CUMBRIA Middlesbrough M RICHMOND BOWFELL TRA Kendal IS NORTH YORKSHIRE TR l CK IL TO H York HY: P HY: HY: IS HY: l P P WHERE: Circular walk up WHERE: Circular walk along to Bowfell, returning via the River Swale in PHOTOGRA the stunning Crinkle Crags. Richmond, North Yorkshire. PHOTOGRA START/END: National Trust START/END: Richmond This is a long, hard, yet wonderful 2. Go R up a well-paved path. This Richmond is a lovely North 1. START From Richmond’s market car park at the Old Dungeon market place (NZ171008). circular walk that takes in Bowfell is the start of the climb up the Yorkshire market town, and place (NZ171008) – all cobbles and Ghyll Hotel (NY285061). TERRAIN: Paths, fields, and its breathtaking views. It’s also Band. You will gain height quickly Swaledale a wonderful place to Georgian town houses – follow TERRAIN: Well-worn stony and riverside tracks, with one of the best ridge walks in the on a well-developed paved path. walk. So spare a thought for the New Road steeply downhill to paths and high-level ridge some stiles. country, traversing the summits of Don’t forget to turn around and 16 conscientious objectors who Green Bridge above the River walking, with optional MAPS: OS Explorer 304; the Crinkle Crags. The five Crinkles enjoy the superb views down the were incarcerated in Richmond Swale. This is a strategic crossing scrambling. Don’t attempt in Landranger 92. are a fell-walker’s delight, with Langdale Valley! Pike of Blisco will Castle during the First World War. point, over which the brooding misty or very wet conditions. GETTING THERE: Mainline high buttresses, deep gullies and be on your R and the Langdale Pikes They were among the first men outline of Richmond Castle has MAPS: OS Explorer OL6; trains run to Darlington dramatic views. The walk also has on your L. After you go through a known to refuse to join up on glowered for almost 1,000 years. Landranger 89. (✆ 08457 484 950, www. some interesting and testing rock gateway, the path begins to moral grounds, when conscription GETTING THERE: Langdale nationalrail.co.uk), from scrambles (optional), including the level out but is still very distinct. was introduced in 1916. Castle 2. Cross the bridge and turn R to Rambler bus 516 goes from where there are regular famous Bad Step. The Crinkle Follow it up to the col between staff will point you to graffiti pick up the riverbank path. Keep Ambleside to the Old buses to Richmond Crags are not easy to navigate in the Crinkle Crags on your L and the drawn by the men on the walls of straight ahead, following the stony Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, along (✆ 0344 800 4411, the mist, so choose a fine day for summit of Bowfell on your R. The their cell. The 16 were then taken waterside path here, which stutters the Langdale Valley. The www.arrivabus.co.uk). this rewarding route, which Alfred view of the five majestic Crinkles, to France, court-martialled for across the limestone. If the river is in nearest mainline train EATING & DRINKING: Plenty Wainwright described as ‘a climb with their craggy summits and refusing orders and sentenced to spate, you can take the clear higher station is at Windermere of options in Richmond, deserving of high priority’. deep gullies, is hugely impressive. death. Their sentence was path, which drops down to the (✆ 0871 200 2233, www. including the Cobbles Cafe commuted at the last moment to riverbank after half a mile at a point travelinenortheast.info). (✆ 01748 826707, www. 1. START From the National Trust 3. When you reach the col at 10 years’ hard labour, but they where the Swale takes a sharp EATING & DRINKING: The Old thecobblescafe.moonfruit. car park at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Three Tarns, turn R towards suffered further psychological R-hand turn. There are sheltered, Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, Great com) on Trinity Church Hotel (NY285061), return to the Bowfell. Again, the path is clearly damage and were regarded by chicane-like rivulets along the way, Langdale (✆ 015394 37272, Square, which serves main road over the bridge and seen, but it begins to get very many as social outcasts. This, where the Swale busily nibbles and www.odg.co.uk). mouthwatering scones. turn R. The road takes a sharp rocky and care must be taken – though, is not intended to be a loosens the soil around the SLEEPING: New Dungeon Ghyll SLEEPING: As well as bend L but continue straight on, particularly in damp conditions. downbeat walk. It first strikes out riverbank trees, exposing gnarled, Hotel, Great Langdale (✆ 015394 numerous B&Bs and hotels through a gate and along a private along the River Swale, before toe-like roots. Look out for dippers 37213, www.dungeon-ghyll.co.uk). in Richmond, there are road to Stool End Farm. Follow the 4. En route up to the summit you’ll returning across higher ground flitting across the water’s surface. VISITOR INFORMATION: Natural Retreats’ Yorkshire signs through the farmyard. Take pass the Great Slab to your R, a with views down to Richmond, and The boughs of oak trees are often Dales luxury self-catering ▲ Ambleside TIC, Market Cross ▲ ▼ giant angled slab of flat rock that finishes with a visit to the castle. weighed down with jackdaws. ▼ the track briefly towards Oxendale. 51-52 walk44 ramblers routes NORTHERN.indd 1 51-52 walk44 ramblersroutesNORTHERN.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymap Ordnance Surveymap 4 6 3 START ping ©Crowncopyright2014OrdnanceSurveyMedia048/14 FINISH ping ©Crowncopyright2014OrdnanceSurveyMedia048/14 5 2 1 6 START 1 FINISH 5 4 7 Map not to scale. 2 Representation of 3 OS Landranger 8 MAP 89 1:50,000 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk Map not to scale. Representation of 9 OS Landranger MAP 92 1:50,000 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk Continued... To download this route and hundreds of others, Continued... To download this route and hundreds of others, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes (✆ 0844 225 0544, www. lodges (✆ 0844 384 3166, thehubofambleside.co.uk). of one of the best ridge walks in there’s a simple detour path: go www.naturalretreats.com/uk/ GUIDEBOOKS: A Pictorial 4. Follow the riverside path past views across and down into the the Lakes. Passing a rock tower on west from just below the summit yorkshire-dales) in the hills Guide to the Lakeland Fells: Round Howe bridge to Hudswell valley are steep and far-reaching. your L, the path ascends and takes of the highest Crinkle and take a above Richmond. The Southern Fells by Alfred Steps, where more than 300 many turns, but is easily followed grassy path south then southeast. VISITOR INFORMATION: Wainwright (£13.99, Frances steps zip almost vertically up the 5. The path descends steeply to to the summit of Shelter Crags. Richmond TIC, Queens Lincoln, ISBN 978 0711226586); limestone scars. There’s a handrail the Round Howe bridge. Cross the 8. The path takes a southeasterly Road (✆ 01748 850549, Short Walks in the Lake and a couple of brief level spots river to Reeth Road, turn R and 6. Passing two small tarns on your direction towards the fifth and last www.richmond.org/tic). District by Collins Maps to pause. At the top of the steps, take the second road L after the L, the path winds its way to the Crinkle. Descending southeast, you GUIDEBOOK: A Coast to Coast (£6.99, Ramblers Collins, walk ahead through two fields cemetery. Go through the gate, summit of the first Crinkle (Gunson find yourself on a large grassy Walk by Alfred Wainwright ISBN 978 0007555017). and turn L in the village of straight up the field and over a stile. Knott), shortly followed by the plateau. Take the well-worn path (£13.99, Frances Lincoln, LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: Hudswell for the George and second and third Crinkles (the here down the valley. ISBN 978 0711222363). Kendal Ramblers Dragon. This is Yorkshire’s first 6. Turn R along the lane, Westfields. summit of the third Crinkle lies LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: (✆ 01539 720544, www. community-owned pub, rescued From here, the adjoining brows of 70m east of the path). Follow the 9. Reaching the bottom, below Richmondshire Ramblers ralakedistrict.talktalk.net). (✆ 01748 822845, www. from closure in 2010. It has a Fijian Wensleydale to the south are clearly path south to the next and fourth Red Tarn, turn L. Take the paved ramblers.co.uk/groups). chef – Ellie Tuvotu – whose journey visible; eastwards is the Vale of Crinkle, the highest at 858m/2,816ft. path down through Browney Gill. from Fiji involved following her York. Closer by is Richmond Castle can be walked on. The rocky At the valley bottom, take the soldier husband, who was posted with its doleful history – not least summit of Bowfell is reached by 7. Continue south to a gully and footbridge over the Oxendale Beck 3. Pass through a gate and to the UK and the nearby Catterick that of the conscientious objectors.