Yorkshire Walks

The start of Gunnerside Gill

My usual walking companions were all otherwise engaged to-day, e.g. Jim is still sunning himself in the Greek islands, so I have had a very pleasant day walking on my own in Swaledale. It's just over an hour's drive from home to Gunnerside and I parked there at about 10 this morning. All the parking spaces in the little square were already taken so I parked a little way out of the village near the bridge. There was quite a bit of cloud about but plenty of sunny breaks too, in fact a great day for walking.

I took the path straight out of the village square up to a bridle way on a good track along Jingle Pot Edge. There's a good view back down Gunnerside Gill with the beck snaking it's way in the bottom and the patchwork of stone walls up the valley side. I followed the track to Botcher Gill, about 2 miles from Gunnerside. There is a pretty waterfall just below the track and I stopped for a drink and a sandwich. A very clean dark green land rover and trailer came along the track whilst I sat there admiring the view. The two young men in it were very smart with white shirts and dark ties. I thought that they were probably game keepers but they looked very well scrubbed. I followed the track down into the valley to the ruins of an old stone peat store - used to dry peat supplies when the whole valley was a hive of mining activity in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Waterfall at Botcher Gilll

Ruins of peat store near Blakethwaite smelt mill

I crossed the stream on a stone flag bridge and climbed a little way up the valley side to a green path upstream to the two ruined Blakethwaite dams which also date from the mining era. I sat on top of the upper dam to have my lunch and just admire the scenery for half an hour. The reservoir behind the dam is all silted up and overgrown with cotton grass.

After lunch I climbed a bit higher up the valley side onto a stone track passed a shooting hut heading back towards Gunnerside. I had just set off when I met another walker coming towards me. He looked about my age but a lot fitter, with a blue head band and red shorts. Like me he was ready for a chat after a solo walk. He came from Tesside and leads guided walks (I can put you in touch with him if you e-mail me). After about a mile the track leads into a vast desolate area of mining waste on which nothing has been able to grow. Here I turned off the track onto a greener path parallel to the valley until I was opposite Botcher Gill where I had stopped in the morning. As I looked at the view a convoy of 4x4's was snaking its way along the track I had walked. They all parked in a row beside the track and it was clear it was a shooting party - that's why the game keepers were so well turned out when I saw them this morning.

Stone flag bridge beside the old peat store

Lime kiln at Winterings Scar

I continued on my way past an old lime kiln until the path reached a steep tarmac lane that descended the hillside to the main road in Gunnerside. The whole route was about 9 miles and you can find a detailed description of it in a book by Stephen I. Robinson
(ISBN 1-898550-00-X)

Looking up Swaledale from Gunnerside

Autumn hedgerow at Gunnerside

Descending from Potting to Gunnerside