A LONG walk on excellent tracks and great views in all directions. Between Redmire in Wensleydale and Reeth in Swaledale lie an area of grouse moors, steeped in history and perfect for walker, cyclist, horse rider or even a powered wheel chair.
As I was approaching from the south I decided to start at the cattle grid two miles north of Redmire. For those coming from the north there is some good parking closer to Grinton. The start of the walk is by continuing uphill from the cattle grid through the moors. It is where some of the original series of All Creatures Great and Small was filmed.
Follow the road for one-and-a-half miles over the high point and thereafter with views towards Fremington Edge and the moors over Reeth. A path to the left from the road joins a wide track heading west in to the moors.
The track continues west on a level track for one mile to a shooting hut at a stream junction. These huts are used primarily for shooters during the grouse season but it was quiet when I passed.
The moors here are managed for grouse and helps explain some of the burnt areas of peat which you will see. The area is burnt to provide new shoots for the young grouse. After the hut the track bends sharp right for half a mile before left again at a junction of paths to climb the short but quite steep slopes of High Harker Hill. Just before the high point a fait path on your right leads to two separate cairns, a fine viewing point for the mid area of Swaledale. Return across the moor the few metres to join the track.
From High Harter Hill the track starts to drop and soon zig zags through spoil heaps and the industrial remains of what in the 19th century was a flourishing lead mines industry. The old lead mines dominate the landscape around Swaledale, even today, and are best seen at Gunnerside Gill which lie on the opposite side of the dale.
After passing a second shooting hut on your right at a stream continue for a further mile and past the high point of Green Hill Ends. Soon after a path (still a bridleway) leaves the main track to in essence ‘cut the corner’.
Those not on foot may continue along the track. The path (half a mile long) skirts the hillside before crossing a stream with an attractive waterfall (it had rained after I went, probably dry for the rest of the summer!) and entering some barren land without heather or gorse. Almost immediately meet a wide track heading east.
Turn left on to the track and with some particularly uninviting peatlands on each side climb to the watershed at a gate marking the re-crossing back from Swaledale to Wensleydale. The track starts to drop, soon quite steeply as it enters the little known Apedale. From here it is a two-and-a-half mile walk down Apedale and after a short climb return to the road and your car.
Apedale is a pleasant place and makes a change from the sometime bleak nature of the higher moors. A fine shooting hut/bothy at Dent Houses can be seen on your right, the third on this walk, just before the final climb to the road.
* Fact Box:
Distance: Roughly 10.5 miles
Height to Climb: 320m (1,050 feet)
Start: SE 042940. There is parking just to the north of the cattle grid. Alternatively more parking is available next to the road on the Swaledale side.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard. The tracks make for fast walking but it is high moorland and the weather can be inclement.
Refreshments: There are pubs in Redmire, Grinton and Reeth.
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 OL30) and in cloudy/misty conditions a compass (essential on this walk). 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 near Settle (Beginners or Intermediates). All dates and information on the website. Next available date September 24.
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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