THERE is much easy accessible walking around the dramatic setting of Ribblehead.
A short walk in to Ribblehead Quarry can be followed by a slightly longer, but still barely five miles past the viaduct to Blea Moor Tunnel.
Start the day by taking in the short walk past the train station in to the Quarry at Ribblehead. From the station inn walk up the road a few metres, under the bridge and turn immediately left. Walk along the lane for 200m and the quarry is through a gate on the right hand side.
This old limestone quarry is now part of the Ingleborough Nature Reserve and is being left to develop as nature intended. It is part of an excellent re-wilding project. Walk around at your leisure and listen to the history at the stone bench in the heart of the quarry. Test how water over the millennia has seeped through the limestone rock creating the caves and landscape we know today. It is a fascinating place.
Return to the Station Inn (maybe for a coffee!) before taking the main path towards the viaduct at Ribblehead, it should take little more than five minutes to reach. It is worth reading up on the viaduct as it is probably the most iconic site in the Dales, both visually and for its historic interest. The bare facts are that the viaduct is 104ft long, has 24 large stone arches and was built between 1870 and 1875. Of human interest are the remains of the ‘navvie’ camps and construction railway near the track, it was a major undertaking where sadly hundreds of people died either on the construction or through disease in the temporary camps.
Don't cross under the viaduct but carry on alongside the east side of the Settle to Carlisle railway. The imposing bulk of Whernside is to your left, at 2,415 feet the highest mountain in Yorkshire. One mile on from the viaduct is Blea Moor station, busy in the past but disused now. The excellent path carries on alongside the railway for a further mile, crossing and re crossing the river of Little Dale Beck till it arrives at a bridge over the railway. This is the furthest point of the walk today but the path carries on uphill to climb Whernside.
The bridge over the railway is an excellent spot to look in to the start of the Blea Moor Tunnel, one-and-a-half miles linking through to Dentdale. It is another example of a fantastic Victorian engineering project, built 500 feet under the moors and accessed by seven ‘mining’ shafts from the land above.
Having waited for a train to emerge from the tunnel retrace your steps to Blea Moor sidings. Just beyond the sidings there is a tunnel under the railway to your right and a track which leads to the west.
Follow the lane past Winterscales Farm to a second farm at Ivescar, keeping to the steep slopes of Whernside on your right. From here turn left down the farm track for 500 metres before turning left and returning towards the viaduct and your car (or pub).
This little detour adds variety to the walk and a different perspective of the viaduct completing some very pleasant hours discovering the area.
* Fact Box:
Distance: Roughly five miles
Height to Climb: 125m (410 feet).
Start: SD 766793. There is plenty of parking near the T junction of the road to the east of the Station Inn.
Difficulty: Easy. The route is all on well made tracks and easy to follow.
Refreshments: The Station Inn at Ribblehead serves food and hot and cold drinks and seems always to be open!
Be Prepared: The route description and sketch map only provide a guide to the walk. You must take out and be able to read a map (O/S Explorer OL2) and in cloudy/misty conditions a compass.
You must also wear the correct clothing and footwear for the outdoors. Whilst every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers head out at their own risk.
* Jonathan Smith runs Where2walk, a walking company based in the Yorkshire Dales:
He has published two books on walks in the Dales, The Yorkshire 3 Peaks and The Dales 30 mountains. Available direct from the Where2walk website.
Book a Navigation Training day (Beginners or Intermediates). All dates and information on the website. Next available date July 18.
Leisurely guided walks up Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. Next dates are July 7/8/9.
Jonathan’s popular website, Where2walk.co.uk also features hundreds of walks across Yorkshire and beyond, from easy strolls to harder climbs.
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