Yorkshire Walks

Wheeldale Beck at the start of our walk

Here we turned left off the road through a pedestrian gate on to a forest track at map ref. SE800963. We followed this track down hill into a small valley where the track crossed between two small lakes.

This morning we drove to the ford across Wheeldale Beck at map ref. SE 802970. We started walking at about 10 am south along the road by one edge of Cropton Forest for about 700m.

Entering Cropton Forest from the road

Small lake in Cropton Forest

A pond in the Cropton Forest

Today however my friend Jim wanted to try a different route so we took the track to the south. After a few hundred metres it turned westwards through a huge area of clear felling which meant that I did not recognise any of this part of the forest.

We continued through the forest along the wide stony tracks for over a kilometre to a junction at map ref. SE 812961. Here we would normally have taken the track to the north east and followed it through various twists and turns to Wardle Green.

A glimpse of the hills over the tree tops

A snowy corner in the shade of the trees

There was a jumble of animal tracks which gradually separated out into a fox walking (not running) along the left of the path and a rabbit walking (not running) along the right of the path.

We continued along this track to the edge of the forest at map ref. SE 821959. Part of the track was in the shade of the trees and was still covered in snow from the heavy fall a few days ago.

A forest road quite muddy after the recent felling operation

From the way the tracks were overlaid in the jumbled part I think the fox came along some time later than the rabbit.

Fox tracks in the snow - all four feet placed in a single straight line

Rabbit tracks in the snow - 2 back feet with the front 2 walking ahead

Squirrels' dining table

Ruined farm at Wardle Green

The path to Wardle Green

Finger post on the moor near Simon Howe

From the edge of the forest we made our way down the hill through the gaps in the trees to our usual track at map ref. SE 821962. We turned right onto the track and then left after about 250m to reach the ruined farm at Wardle Green. Here we sat on a ruined wall for an early lunch break.

Dry stone wall forming a shelter for sheep on the exposed moor

Simon Howe looking west

Wheeldale Lodge, a former youth hostel

We exchanged a few pleasantries and then set off down the slope to Wheeldale Beck near Wheeldale Lodge which used to be a youth hostel. How is it that the YHA couldn't run a successful hostel in a lovely location like this teeming with walkers all year round?

After our break we followed the path out across the moor in a generally northerly direction to the cairn at Simon Howe. When we got there a couple, who had passed us whilst we were having our lunch, were seated on the rocks having their lunch.

Stepping stones over Wheeldale Beck

The climb up from Wheeldale Beck to the Roman Road

The information board where the Roman Road meets the modern road suggests that the road may not be Roman!

We crossed the stepping stones over Wheeldale Beck and climbed the path up the valley side to the Roman Road above.

The climb up from Wheeldale Beck to the Roman Road

The climb up from Wheeldale Beck to the Roman Road

Then we returned to the car a couple of hundred metres down the road at the ford across Wheeldale Beck.

We walked beside the Roman Road back to the modern road at map ref. SE 803972.

Wheeldale Road (Roman Road?) or Wade's Causeway

Wheeldale Road (Roman Road?) or Wade's Causeway

As we approached the town I got a call on my mobile asking me to pick up my grand daughter from the nursery as she was not very well. So we had to skip the cafe stop, but I think Jim enjoyed our emergency dash home (he was driving) and by the following morning my grand daughter was fine and full of beans as usual.

The whole route had been about 10 km and had taken us three and a half hours to walk including our lunch stop. On the way back we planned to stop in a cafe in Helmsley for our usual coffee.

Returning to the car at the ford across Wheeldale Beck