Wednesday 14 November 2012

Wensleydale -Carperby, Woodall and Aysgarth

Bolton Castle from Ponderledge Scar
If you look at a satellite picture of Wensleydale, or any image showing the terrain, it won’t take long to work out this dale the widest and gentlest of all of them. It is the only one named after a village, rather than the river running through it. I’ve walked along the banks of the delightful River Ure between Wensley and Ayesgarth several times. Uredale? It has a ring to it, but would you eat Uredale cheese?

The stretch of the river as you approach Ayesgarth is full of rough and tumble,and waterfalls. The falls at Ayesgarth itself are popular and easily accessible to most, and definitely worth as visit. Apparently Robin Hood liked them and visited on his way to Sherwood Forest, so they must be good!   (He started at Dover, then Hadrian's Wall, then Ayesgarth.  Perhaps he would have got there quicker if he'd taken a more direct route.)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX_x81c8EiE

Our walk was a nice relaxing 6 ½ miles, taking in some of the wonderful Dales countryside. Lovely.
The Lane from Carperby

Ponderledge Scar ahead.  The cows are just three quarter sized, and not scary at all. 

Oxclose Road, looking up the dale

Eller Beck Waterfall.  Me n Peter had a "heated discussion" about the scrap metal at the bottom.  Turns out he was right.  Humph!  
Addlebrough.  Maybe we'll go and have a look see sometime. 

Lady Hill.  The pond below, inclusive of ducks, isn't on the map.  Methinks we've had an awful lot of rain this year. 

Penhill and Harland Hill.  Need to try out a new walk I have for up there. 

Ayesgarth Upper Falls.  Did you check out the Robin Hood link?.  He fought Little John here.  

Autumn colours near Bear Park

<<<<<This made us laugh.  Stile but no fence.  We had no trouble working out our way across the field though.  Can you see the next one?

Fields near Bear Park.



















I have to admit nicking a load of Peter's photographs, because he takes better pictures than me.  And here's the route.


6 1/2 miles and 700 ft of up.  

7 comments:

  1. Lovely scenery. What's the deal with the steelwork at the bottom of the falls?

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    1. There appears to be some sort of old water valve there (seen in the photo), but there was also a gearbox. Peter said old car, I said water power. Peter said old car, I said water power. He was right, when we looked over from the top of the waterfall, I could see the what was the left of the wheels. :-)

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  2. Lovely stuff again, Tracey!

    To be honest, I'd probably eat Uredale cheese. Well, it's cheese, innit? (I loves cheese, me).

    And I've been over those styles myself. I think, somewhere, I might have a photo of my Mum crossing one of them!

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  3. You've got to admit though it's a great film. Especially the Sean Connery moment.

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  4. I just loved the Oxclose road past the old mining area. it's one of those tracks you wish would go on for miles. I did the same walk as you last year.

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  5. Hi there - the steelwork is actually a hydropower turbine - which (I believe) supplied power to the garage at Woodhall. The other metalwork in the beck probably is from a car, but washed out of the dam above Disher Force, which was built out of rubble (including old cars!) during the 1970's
    All the best,
    miles

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    1. Thanks Miles. Thanks Miles. I told Peter, I wasn't wrong after all. :-)

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