north yorkshire north yorkshire 19 muker & swaledale 20 rosedale abbey NORTH EAST NORTH uDistance: 7½ miles/12km uTime: 4 hours uGrade: Moderate EAST NORTH uDistance: 6½ miles/10.5km uTime: 4 hours uGrade: Moderate e a blossoming Hawthorn plau N Yo R walK plau N Yo R walK see UR in upper swaledale. EAT F age 60 on p Photo: Photo: dennis kelsall tom bailey tom RoutE RoutE s tart/parking Muker long s tart/parking Considerate stay car park (P&D), DL11 bank Top Farm on the roadside parking in village, 6QG, grid ref sD910978 final stretch of this walk. yo18 8rA, grid ref Is it for me? Mostly good, se724959 well-signed paths and Is it for me? Field and chosen by… see the waterfalls of Kisdon tracks, with a few gentle CHOSEN BY... Start moorland paths and tracks philip thomas Force. Swaledale’s industrial ups & downs. two steeper, DENNis KELSALL 1From the village centre, head stiles 12 Distilling the past emerges as you rise rougher detours to kisdon Rosedale’s abbey past the school and bear R. Yorkshire Dales across opposite bank of the Force & swinner Gill can was, in fact, a priory After 75m, leave L over a stile plaNNiNg be skipped. into half a day’s outing, the river, where exposed paths for nuns, but little remains walking beside a cottage to Nearest town Pickering stiles 2 (& several smaller refreshments the Coach walk from Muker to Keld is a turn into Swinner Gill. Beyond beyond a small turret near the a tarmac drive. Follow it R squeeze stiles/gates) house inn (tel: 01751 heady concoction of flower the ruin of Crackpot Hall, church and a few stones built through a caravan site for 417208); Abbey stores meadows, waterfalls and the ravine is scarred by plaNNiNg into the fabric of the present 300m before the marked tearooms (tel: 01751 drystone workmanship. Even centuries of lead mining. Nearest town church. This ramble follows footpath leaves through 417475) or Graze on the outside the month of June, Gentle riverside tracks hawes/richmond the dale’s winding stream a gate on the R. Carry on Green (tel: 01751 417468), when Swaledale’s meadows return you Muker, and the refreshments the before climbing steeply onto at the field edge, shortly all in rosedale Abbey Farmers Arms and Village Public transport Very joining the River Seven. are at their most vibrant, it’s excellent Farmers Arms. s tores in Muker. keld Lodge the moor, where there’s the limited bus service an exceptional walk. It opens & Park Lodge Campsite chance to stride out along the from Pickering with a fanfare of lush pasture Start Public toilets course of the former ‘Ironstone ¾ mile/1.2km maps OS explorer oL26; as a flagstone path leads out 1Turn L from car park Muker & keld Railway’. Other evidence of 2Carry on past a footbridge Landrangers 94 & 100 of Muker, between the dale’s entrance on road over bridge. Public transport summer the former iron industry, which to a junction and bear L to quintessential cowhouses Fork R up lane before Village bus 830 hawes-richmond supported the village through remain by the river. Beyond maps OS explorer oL30; and drystone walls. Twisting Store. Pass Public Hall, fork R, Landranger 98 & 91/92 the latter 19th century, lies another gate, carry on across reach a footbridge. Don’t cross, past ruined farmsteads, a signposted ‘Gunnerside & Keld’ all around; in the rust-red successive fields, eventually instead turn R to a stiled bridge grassy trail climbs into shady and R again at postbox. Follow brooks flowing into the valley, meeting a rough track. Go L in the top hedge. Continue up woodland towards Keld. But track R of barn to pick up path ½ mile/0.9km abandoned mines and over a side stream, following a a couple a fields before joining before you cross the river through meadows/squeeze 2Turn L along wall past barn quarries, and of course the fence on to a stile. Keep going a track that emerges past ahead, it’s worth diverting to stiles and gates to riverbank. to follow path up dale/beside ➥ calcining kilns at Bank Top. soon rejoining the river to a house at Hill Cottages. ➥ GRADIENT PROFILE GRADIENT PROFILE 600 600 400 400 200 200 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 EAST NORTH EAST NORTH north yorkshire FebRUaRy 2019 north yorkshire FebRUaRy 2019 20 rosedale abbey 19 muker & swaledale uOS Explorer map OL26 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop uOS Explorer map OL30 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop river signed for ‘Keld’. Continue 3 through gates, and follow path 4 as it veers L away from river through gaps in walls. 5 Eventually, the path curves 4 e Survey. Media 001/19 e Survey. e Survey. Media 001/19 e Survey. C C 5 uphill past old cottages/barns of Hartlakes (marked with 3 rdnan yellow dots). After signpost for rdnan o o 19 Keld, follow path along LH side 19 of wall ahead up to gate into 2 d te walked d te walked yright 20 yright 20 woodland. T a a P P o o C C ar St 2 miles/3.2km 3Follow a stony, undulating ©Crown ©Crown 1 ©Crown path through the trees to emerge at junction/signpost. Stay ahead for ‘Pennine Way Keld 1/3 mile.’ At next junction, turn R for detour down narrow/ 6 steep path to Kisdon Force. time taken Otherwise, continue straight on 2 time taken towards Keld. After gate, follow 6 Pennine Way swinging R down 1¾ miles/2.8km to settle in a steady plod it to a stile. Continue downhill, track to cross footbridge. 3Go L past a chapel, taking across the face of the hill crossing a couple of stiles onto the next L down to Craven to meet the course of the a golf course. Follow waymarks 3 miles/4.7km Garth Cottages. Through the former railway the top. ahead and then L around the 4Go L up to junction, then farmyard, continue downhill clubhouse, leaving over a stile follow signed ‘Swale Trail’ R – 1 StarT at the field edge to a bridge 3 miles/4.8km below trees onto a lane. Over a broad track, which climbs the spanning the River Seven. 5To the L, the track winds another stile opposite, continue side of the valley. Shortly, fork Climb the field beyond to away past old workings along down towards the village, L up track to Crackpot Hall. before bridge, double back L behind barn and follow track meet a farm track. Over a stile the edge of the moorland crossing over final stile behind up onto higher path. Follow this up to gate. Follow track yo yo opposite, head upfield, passing plateau, offering superb views a cottage. Drop beside and 3½ miles/5.6km through gate and R onto track through several gates to UR UR through the L one of two gates. across the valley and beyond. leave through front gate onto a 5If you want to avoid the above Crackpot Hall. Return to junction with gravel track. Go L R R ating Keep climbing to find a ladder Eventually, after passing lane. Walk on to a junction and ating rough terrain of Swinner Gill, Point 5 and re-join main track L down into village. Go L then R stile in the top R corner. through a barrier, bear L turn L back into village. retrace your steps from down to gate. Cross footbridge on outward route to finish. at fork. Crackpot Hall and re-join the and follow track for another 1¼ 2½ miles/4km main track L. Otherwise, pick miles through dale. © Country © Country ViEw thE walK oN © Country ViEw thE walK oN 4Walk forward to a waypost 5½ miles/8.9km OS MAPS oNliNE: up grassy path (not on map) OS MAPS oNliNE: and swing L up a rising trod. 6Approaching a cottage lfto.com/cwroutes through gap in wall behind the 6½ miles/10.5km lfto.com/cwroutes w w Carry on over a grassy plateau (the calcining kilns lie a little alking F ruins, which dips and curves L 6At fork, take path down alking F and cross a culverted stream. further on), turn off L to follow IN ASSOCIATION WITH over stile, then into ravine of R to cross Ramps Holme IN ASSOCIATION WITH ebruary 2019 Climb on, shortly approaching a grass trod straight down the ebruary 2019 Swinner Gill. Follow this narrow footbridge. Follow riverbank R, the face of the escarpment. hillside. Approaching a fence path up towards old mine re-walking some of outward Swing R and then shortly L at the bottom, go L beside OS Maps workings at head of gill, but route, but this time swing L OS Maps ✁.