Visits to Clapham and Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales

We had a few days in Lancaster visiting Em and joining Bex, Sam and Esmee to move Emily's canal boat and visit the dales.
Our first trip was to Clapham village we reached by taking the Northern Line train to Leeds from Morecambe stopping at Lancaster and varies stations along the route including Clapham and Skipton. The station at Clapham is about a twenty minute walk from village but on a pavement alongside a quiet road. We left the road to take "The Green Track" alongside Clapham Beck to reach the centre of the village and a café, the Clapham Café and Bunkhouse.. The bunkhouse is open all of the year and its position makes it a great base to see the area. 

We decided to do a walk towards Ingleborough Cave along the Ingleborough Estate Nature trail. The entrance fee to the estate is one pound and leads to a well-made gravel track through old beech woodland alongside the beck. It was a beautiful autumn day with a clear sky and low chance of rain.

Autumn colours alongside the track

Helen by an old Yew tree straddling the bank.

Waterfall from the artificial lake

The path gets closer to the beck with a view of a waterfall at the southern end of a lake. There are splendid views through the woodland with many large beech trees and mixture of yew, holly, oak and birch. The path soon reaches the cave that you can tour, but we didn't and continued north-east along the track to Trow Gill, a narrow ravine leading after a short climb to Clapham Bottoms (about 330 m altitude).

Large Hawthorn trees near the entrance to the cave with lots of red berries, a sign of a hard winter to come. I hade noticed lots of large Hawthorns with berries on my Dartmoor walk.

The track to Trow Gill

View over to the Ingleborough Hills (Little Ingleborough, 637 m). The footpath to the peaks goes through the gate and then gently ascends.

We followed the track over rough ground towards Gaping Gill but turned on another footpath to follow the east side of the valley and then uphill to the "Long Lane" back towards Clapham village.

Path from the valley to "Long Lane".

We had a late afternoon tea at "Grace Organics" a small horticultural group on the edge of Clapham, Emily had volunteered here so it was good to see around and see what was growing in the greenhouses.
The following day we went by train to Skipton in Yorkshire, a little further on the same train line. We had been to Skipton some years ago and remembered the market in the high street and difficulty parking. Anyway, on this visit we had no such problems. Again the train station is away from the centre but only a ten minute walk. There are plenty of places to get coffee and food in the centre and it was not too busy as there was no market.
The weather was not brilliant with overcast conditions and a threat of rain. Our first visit was to the castle which is at the top of the high street. This is probably the most intact castle that we'd visited and you felt a real sense of what it must have been like although I struggled understanding how a garrison of 300 could have lived there during the three year siege during the civil war. The castle was  a loyalist stronghold but eventually Cromwell got his way and the roof was removed. After it's restoration in 1659, a Yew tree was planted in the forecourt to celebrate. Three hundred and sixty years later it still stands proud and healthy, reaching to the sky between the forecourt walls.

The steep North Wall of the castle viewed from the moat on the riverside walk.

Near the entrance to Skipton Castle Woods.

After returning to town for lunch we made our way to Skipton Castle Woods. We followed well marked routes, firstly on the river valley route passing beneath the castle walls, and then on the upper path extension through the beech woods to descend to the stream. We then ascended  the east side of the valley past some old coppiced lime trees returning to "Round Dam" and on high ground to the  car park and into town again. We liked the willow sculptures (there is a horse sculpture on the high level route) and the old mixed woodland of beech, oak, ash, lime, chestnut sycamore, aspen to name a few. This woodland during earlier times would have been a hive of activity providing timber, charcoal and woodland products for households and the estate in general. There were also quarries for the masons.

A small woodland stream on it's way past the "Round Dam"

We returned to Lancaster and the following day hired cycles to do a circular ride north along the canal to the locks at the end near Tewitfield and by minor roads back to the centre stopping on route for lunch. The roads were not busy but I'm afraid we got drenched in the afternoon rain. The area is good for cycling with cycle tracks in the city and minor roads with less traffic going into the Yorkshire Dales. We look forward  to exploring more on future visits. 

A walk across Dartmoor, the Two Moors Way...Ivybridge to Morchard Road

The "Two Moors Way" (MW) is a long-distance footpath from Ivybridge just north of Plymouth to Lynmouth on the north coast of Devon. The total length is 164 km but I decided to walk it in two sections from Ivybridge to Morchard Road (90 km) and then later from Lynmouth to Morchard Road. Although Morchard Road (a small village) is over halfway, it is convenient both for accommodation ("The Devonshire Dumpling" pub) and bus and rail connection. It has a good rail connection to Exeter with trains about every hour. I used OL28 OS Explorer and 191 Landranger maps (and compass) and also the Devon County Council Guide. The later is useful for general logistics and description on the moors. In lowland areas the guide refers you to way-markers that are generally good but a map is useful and essential on the moor itself. I had a small mountain tent with essential equipment that I used for three nights and the last night I stayed in the "The Devonshire Dumpling" before joining the Climate March in Exeter on the last day.

I got the regular bus from Dartington to Ivybridge (on MW ) and walked uphill on a farm track to enter  Harford Moor. 

One of the first way-marker stones I noticed on Harford Moor at the beginning of the walk. A " MW" with an arrow.

On the moor the route firstly follows an old tramway for a few kilometres and this gave reasonable views with the occasional fog bank rolling in. I stopped for lunch at an old clay pit at the side of the track and then continued to Crossways where the route leaves the tramway.

Tramway and Belted Galloway cattle in the distance. Lots of cattle and sheep on the moor.

Two Moors Stone at Crossways where the MW heads over open moorland.

Although the guide directs you to follow the path uphill, there are now two distinct paths uphill. The one to follow is the most northerly towards a marker stone on the brow of the hill. The other goes towards the clay workings. I found that because of the cattle and sheep on the moor, the footpaths are difficult to follow and a map and compass are the best options together with any land marks such a cairns, streams or burial mounds. On this occasion I used land marks and compass bearings to cross the hill and descend by a direct route to a clapper bridge over the river Avon.

The clapper bridge over the river Avon

Here I met a couple of hikers making their way off the moor to Buckfastliegh on the Abbott's Way. In fact these were the only long distance walkers I met on the route. I filtered some water and took another break here. Because of the numerous animals on the moor, I filtered and also added chlorine tablets to my water and always chose running water supplies.

The next bit of the path was tricky because although the MW skirts along the north side of the river to Huntingdon Cross, the path seems to get into bogs so I took to higher ground to regain the bankside path a little later on drier ground. The crossing of  Western Wella Brock as been made easy with a clapper bridge (dated 2018). 

Hickaton Hill; enclosed hut group shortly after Huntington Cross

After another hill I started the descent to the river Mardie and Chalk Ford. Before the descent I chose a spot to camp to give views to the coast, made dinner and had a good nights sleep waking to a heavy dew on the tent. It is never pleasant to pack a wet tent but the sun was slow to rise and I was soon on my way to a footbridge (and water refill) to skirt around Scorriton Down to Scorriton and then up a very steep cobbled lane to Holne. The tearoom doesn't open in the autumn or winter but there is a volunteer village shop open at 11 pm that enabled me to get supplies. From then on it was a great walk down to the Dart valley and along the river Dart in the hot sunshine.

Alongside the river Dart before the climb to Aish Tor.

From here it was a moderate climb to Leigh Tor and onto Dr Blackall's Drive, a wider path skirting the peaks and giving great view of the Dart valley in the sunshine. The path eventually gets to a road crossing at Bel Tor Corner although I found the way-markers confusing at the end, in fact I ignored the last one and kept NE to the road. The path then goes across open moor again but there are many tracks so I headed N to NE keeping the cottages to my right to meet the road to Ponsworthy. Before the main part of the village the MW follows a path with the stream to the right (more water supply) and on to the road to Widecombe. I had already visited Widecombe and didn't need supplies so I stayed on the main MW to gain higher ground across Hamel Down. I didn't see a sign marking the MW off road after Dockwell but made my best guess heading north and then north east onto the Down. I think the actual path is bordered by gorse bushes and is a gentle uphill until the last section onto the main Down close to Hamel Down Beacon. Even though it was a sunny afternoon, the moorland did look bleak with the burial mounds and cairns the only real landmarks. 

View from Hamel Down

Grimspound , apparently one of the best preserved Bronze Age settlements on Dartmoor. Also used as a sheep pen ??

I decided to camp on lower ground after Hockney Tor but before Chagford Common and made another dew laden start crossing to Chagford Common towards Fernworthy.  After climbing to the Common, the obvious northerly path is a footpath on the OS map but not marked as the MW route which was marked a little to the west. It is best to stick with the obvious path north that meets the MW route further on. My best advice is to head north through the Common until you can see the corner fence line. If you go off route the going can get tough with marsh and uneven ground.

View north over Chagford Common ...just tramp north!

The route then took to low ground but still with some steep Devon hills going through Teignworthy and Teigncombe. I took the deviation to Chagford for supplies and a real coffee and rejoined at Rushford bridge (only adding a couple of kilometres to the route). 

The next stage was along the river Teign through the grounds of Castle Drogo by "The Hunters Path" and then into Drewsteignton for lunch at the "Drewe Arms".

Hunters Path around Castle Drogo

The weather was still brilliant and it was an easy walk to the boundary of the park and then on a long stretch of single track road through small hamlets and villages to reach another farm road to Newbury. On route I passed a memorial stone to Joe Turner who was one of the founders of the MW.

Memorial stone to Joe Turner

Soon I reached an amazing holloway on route to Helmoors Down and an idyllic camping spot on common land in a clearing along the holloway. I was able to prepare dinner as the sun shone though from the west and breakfast in the sun in the morning.

My last night of camping as the sun dries my gear.

The last section from West Wotton farm to Morchard Road I didn't enjoy so much as it was mainly through farmland with the MW often going between electric fences and hedge boundaries with odd deviations around farm buildings that made you feel distinctly unwelcome. At one point I needed a compass to get through a dense herd of dairy cows so cramped in I couldn't see a field boundary. I also noticed in this section piles of Ash tree trunks that presumably had to be felled because of ash dieback.

After a night at Morchard Road, I almost caught the bus to Exeter but it didn't stop at the pub as expected so I got the train from the nearby station and joined family in Exeter on the school march on climate change.

Overall I was lucky with the good weather particularly on the higher moor and the gradients are very modest. In the valleys the route is well marked and easy to follow. I found the moor itself rather stark and although some people describe it as "wild" I'm afraid I take the opposite view and think of it as a denunded landscape spoiled by human activity.  It now certainly appears overgrazed with all the cattle, sheep and I wish the park management would ease the commercial pressures and allow some of the moor to go back to nature; it will take a long time!

Our Camper Van Tour in Scotland

Sometime ago we decided to try a tour before we cut back on vehicle journeys. We liked the idea of the freedom we found with our old VW camper, so we hired a modern VW Transporter “pop-top” fitted with a sink, gas, electric and portable toilet. The local companies were all fully booked for August but we found a company “MooVans” located just off the M5 near Weston-Super-Mare and on our route north.

We hadn’t planned a detailed route more than to visit Emily near Carnforth, go up to the west coast of Scotland to get as far as we could and then return across Scotland to the east coast and visit Helen’s brother’s family near Tain (50 miles north of Inverness) and then south to see Iain and Elaine near Bathgate. From there we aimed to return to see Ems and then camp at my nephews wedding near Retford in Nottinghamshire and return home, all in about twenty five days.

We started on 25 th July to pick-up the camper “The Bull” a red and white van and headed  north on very busy roads to Tuxford to visit my brother and sisters and see family before the wedding we were attending later in August. We then went on to Carnforth and met Ems the next morning. We camped at a woodland spot near Bolton-le-Sands in wet weather but managing to get around and a walk along the estuary in sight of Morecombe Bay. The weather didn’t improve on our drive north around Glasgow and the southern shore of Loch Lomond in the Trossachs (a regional park in Scotland). We camped at “Lomond Woods” in Ballock which is close to the boat terminal and eating places for our evening meal. The following day we continued north through Glen Coe and found ourselves on the North Coast 500 scenic route that begins and ends in Inverness in the Highlands. We saw a lot of RV’s and tourists in the towns and campsites following the 500 route.

Ben Lomond from our coffee stop progressing northwards along the loch.

 At the end of Glen Coe, the weather was improving so we stopped at “An Torr” National Trust area for one night and walked to Signal Rock (Tom A’Ghrianain, Hill of the Sun). This is a pleasant park, especially as we were able to sit in the sunshine by the banks of the river. We did a short cycle ride to a local pub, Clachaig Inn, by taking a track north adjacent to the main road through Glen Coe and crossing the river Coe to a minor road to the village.

River Coe in Glen Coe taken on our cycle ride to Clachaig Inn

We continued to Fort William (there is a large car park on the left as you enter the town) for shopping and of course coffee. After that we followed the A82/87 north visiting Eilean Donan Castle and then a wild camping spot with several RVs that overlooked Loch Carron. We could see the loch but the distant mountains kept disappearing in low cloud.

View from our camp spot above Loch Carron as the clouds lift.

 At last the weather improved the next day as we stopped for refreshments at the garage shop come breakfast diner in Kinlochewe and met several motor cyclists. There isn’t a lot in the village but the Eighe Visitors Centre is nearby and a good chance to try some walks in the dry.  Here we watched Bramblings in the garden and walked the “Buzzard Path” gaining height and views of the mountains to the south-west and the glen below.

Bramblings feeding at the visitors centre.

For lunch we found a pleasant spot on a beach aside Loch Maree a short distance from the car park (possible camping spot).

Lunch spot along the banks of Loch Maree; spot Helen on the beach.

 Then we went on to Gairloch and Poolewe and a campsite near Inverewe Gardens (now belonging to the National Trust). We visited the Bridge Cottage café (Tarta de Santiago was very nice) and cycled along a narrow road towards Inverasdale and by accident came across a beach site “Firemore Camping” where they allow camping (no facilities, N57.83007,W5.68051). The next day we visited the gardens as spectacular as we recalled from previous visits and then drove to the beach campsite to spend a couple of days on the machair with sunshine and slight breeze to keep the midges away. In fact this was the only time we managed to eat outdoors on the entire holiday! We also cycled further along the minor road to the end of the peninsular to see a gunnery station set on the cliff tops. Lock Ewe was a base for the Home Fleet and assembly point for the Artic convoys during the last war. The cliffs gave some great views of the Loch and the Isle of Ewe that we could see opposite our camping spot. We also got good views of the Loch as we went north towards Ullapool stopping at the Elphin tea rooms with tables outside and splendid views to the Suilven (Pillar Mountain, 731 m), a distinctive profile rising from the moorland bog.

View from the camper of the beach at "Firemore" looking towards the sea. Great beach walks and cycle rides in the area with only gentle hills.

Pleasant camping on the beach, our best site of the holiday.

The Suilven from the tea rooms.

We camped at the Broomfield campsite in Ullapool very close to the harbour and in walking distance of the town and a pleasant walk in the evening sunshine along the shoreline. The better weather continued as we drove north on the A835/837 to get near Lochinver and then a narrow twisting single-track road to Clachtoll where we had hoped to camp near the beach. However, the campsite was full…full, may be because it was on the tourist information list.  We then decided to return to the main road by the same route as it was much longer to continue around the peninsular. I don’t know why but this single-track road was very busy; with limited passing-places it was not pleasant driving.

Moving on we stopped for lunch and a walk at a car park off the A837 on the Little Assynt Estate. The Leiter Easaidh path is an all ability suitable for wheel chairs with plenty of resting places and toilets with shelters nearby. They even allowed overnight stops in their car parks.

On our walk near Assynt estate with lochan in foreground with boat (boats can be hired) and eco-toilet.

We continued on but with the bad weather and prediction of rain to come we decided to start south crossing Scotland to the east side by the A838 and overnighting on the shores of Loch Merkland next to a timber wagon. The next day we went to Dunrobin Castle near Golspie but weren't impressed as we saw no mention of the Sutherlands role in the Highland Clearances, a major act of vandalism in the 18 th and 19 th centuries.

After family visits we took the A9 south stopping at villages on route including Carrbridge and lunch at the "Sugar Bowl" in Kingussie eventually overnighting at the National Trust place at Killiecrankie, "Soldiers Leap".

Dunrobin Castle from the gardens.

The packhorse bridge dating from 18th century with the River Dulnain in spate. The water levels later led to the bridge being shown on national television in the evening.

"Soldiers Leap" on the river Garry at Killiecrankie

After seeing Iain and Elain and then Emily, we went across the Pennines and Yorkshire Dales to the Midlands. The route was very pleasant driving but again in the rain. We stopped at Bedale and camped at a nice site on the river Ure at Sleningford Water Mill and walked into North Stainley village by a riverside footpath but the pub was closed. 

After the wedding (we did get sunshine on the actual wedding day), we returned home this time avoiding the motorways and traffic jams and going by the old Fosse Way, roads we routinely used forty years ago! We camped at Glastonbury in the rain but by now we were getting use to the summer weather.

A day visit to Malham Cove in Yorkshire

On a recent visit to see Emily in Lancaster, we took the opportunity to go over to Settle and Malham in the Yorkshire Dales, about an hours drive from Lancaster or a beautiful days cycle ride (it is on the Dales Highway, Dales Cycleway and also the Pennine Way). Near to Malham is Malham Cove set in a limestone hillside and also a high level tarn within walking distance of the village. I'd known of the tarn since I joined the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) in the late 70's as they had a field station (now a Field Studies Centre) used to study the chemistry and ecology of the tarn. I've never been to Malham but Emily had as part of her walk on the Pennine Way. The plan was to call in at Settle and then drive the short distance to Malham village and then walk to the cove and limestone pavement before heading further north to the tarn, returning to the pavement and then on a different route to descend back to the village for a meal. We were lucky to have a calm and brilliant summer's day for the walk with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery.

The region around Malham is limestone rock and the cove was carved by a 80 m height waterfall  from glacial melt, about 12,000 years ago, wearing a crescent in the limestone leaving a limestone pavement at the top of the waterfall. The waterfall as long since disappeared and only falls in exceptional weather, e.g. in December 2015 it did flow for a while.

Malham Cove with a drystone wall in the foreground. This was taken after descending from the limestone pavement on the way back to Malham village. The pavement is at the top of the near vertical section of the wall. The massive rises further behind the pavement.

We did get a glimpse of the cove as we approached the village but on our walking route, didn't see the limestone face until close to the top with a better view of the whole face as we walked back to the village.

The path through the woods to Janet's Foss

We took the footpath going north-east on a river-side path to woodland and Janet's Foss (Janet's Waterfall) passing a field barn and old rusty swaft-turner, much like the ones we used when I was a youngster.  

Janet's Foss in the dappled shade on our way to the limestone pavement.

The path then left the woodland into open grassland with sheep grazing on the hillside and a ice-cream van at a road bridge. We continued through the pasture, gaining height to walk at the rim of the cove, about 320 m elevation. 

Approaching the limestone wall from the east side we got good views across the cove. The descent path was clear see in the distance.

Helen and Emily on the limestone pavement formed by the erosive action of water on limestone. The fissures make a micro-environment for many plants. The limestone to the north of the plateau continues to rise to a peak of just over 400 m.

Some "Mother of Thyme" in the upland 

We explored the fissured slabs, stepping easily from slab to slab to reach the cliff edge giving views of the crescent rock face and down the river valley to Malham village. After this we made our way to the tarn through Ing Scar (a scar is a ravine), a dried river bed. This started flat and grassy but soon became a narrow rocky path that ascended steeply to a stile and then turned abruptly right to pass towards the tarn.

A view backwards (southerly) though Ing Scar

Helen on the windy path to reach flatter ground.

The tarn itself was a bit of a surprise for me as we didn't get a view until we were almost on it and also I imagined it at a lower elevation and not quite so large. The Field Studies Centre was clear to see on the other side of the tarn.

The cress choked stream outflow from the tarn.

A view across the tarn to the Study Centre, a pleasant spot to rest before the return down hill. 

We returned to the limestone pavement, crossing it from the east to find the path down to the base of the cliff. Here we could see a stream that we followed to see the source, the bottom of the cliff. Apparently this stream is not the one we saw disappear near the outlet from the tarn but is from a different source but passing through the limestone in the same way. I also noticed it was a soft-water, brown in colour from the organic acids from peat. 

There were some climbers on the face; they are allowed to ascend certain routes away from the nesting Peregrine Falcons. We had spotted some Peregrines when we were at the ledge and could still seem them near the cliff top.

The stream emerging from beneath the cliff

The return to the village was straight forward on a well made path following the stream to get a meal by the river side and short drive back.

Kew Gardens, a weekend visit in May 2019

One of the things we've be thinking of doing since our return from Namibia is to visit Kew Gardens in London. Somehow over the intervening years it was delayed or forgotten about until this year. What better time to go than in Spring with the azaleas and rhododendrons and also the art works of Dale Chihuly that are incorporated through the gardens and add an extra dimension to the landscape at this time.

We went to London by train passing through Exeter to Reading and there changing train to get to Richmond which is a stones-throw from Kew Gardens and easily reached by bus or tube. We stayed at the Dukes Head Inn, about a twenty minute walk from the train station and less into the centre of Richmond by the Vineyard Passage to George Street and then to Kew by the number 65 bus that goes to the main Victoria Gate of the gardens in the direction of Ealing Broadway (about ten minutes ride).

On arrival in Richmond we did have time to eat and explore the main centre and a fair on Richmond Green nearby. We also took a walk along the waterfront where you can hire cycles to follow the riverside path towards Hampton Court, or take a boat trip on the Thames; there are several options advertised on the wharfe. It is also a popular spot to eat outside with a fine view across the river.

A view of the wharfe and Richmond Bridge over the River Thames.  A moment watching the boat men doing hull repairs ready for the summer season.

In the morning after a full English Breakfast (very pleasant hosts and accomodation) we left the Inn and made our way to Victoria gate for opening at ten o'clock and although there was a queue, it soon dissipated when the gates opened. I think it does speed things up if you already have a ticket via the internet. Our first sight was a little unreal as we spotted one of the Chihuly exhibits, a blue-spiked globe in the distance.

The artwork "Sapphire Star" set in a wooded meadow seen on entering through Victoria Gate inthe gardens.

Looking across the lake to the Palm House and one of the glass sculptures, "Summer Sun" standing on the lake edge. 

We chose to take a walking route, first towards "The Orangery" passing "The Great Broad Walk Gardens"and "The Beehive". We spent some time in the Palm House an amazing Victorian structure (built in 1840's but completely rebuilt in 1980's).
The main herbaceous border was spectacular with waves of plants in bloom. I was so taken with the different displays, that I forgot to take photos of the main section. Some of the plants we recognised, but others were new to us giving us some ideas for our new garden at home. Although we'd seen the border on TV (e.g. "Gardens World") it was quite an experience to see the scale of the planting in person. There are lots of smaller paths around the "Beehive" worth exploring to get different views of the garden.

"The Beehive" designed by artist Wolfgang Buttress in 2015 now housed at Kew in the wildflower meadow with the tulip beds in front.

 

Part of the orchid display in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, this giant Sloth made of  bromelaids celebrates the animals of Columbia 

One of the features of Kew is that most of the plants including the trees are labelled. In every direction you look there are different trees of various ages. One that caught my eye was the "Lucombe Oak" a hybrid of Turkey and Cork oak found in 1762 by William Lucombe, the tree in Kew being a clone of the original.

A Lucombe Oak protected in the garden, one of the many large trees in the gardens

We took lunch in the Orangery and then meandered around the gardens making our way to the river and back by the Rhododendron Dell and the main lake. Lots of evidence of the Canadian geese as we approached the river!

View down the lake on our return from the river.

Rhododendron Dell with lots of colour and some scents with the azaleas.

Neodymium Reeds and Turquoise Marlins near King William's Temple.

There are lots of sculpture exhibits as you walk around the gardens. As they aren't located on the garden map, each come as a surprise; I expect we missed some!

We've just planted our solo Wisteria at home, nothing on this scale though!

We covered most of the garden in a full day with stops for refreshments and drinks. The weather was sunny and very pleasant and of course this makes a difference anywhere. I haven't shown all the glass sculptures but they are all remarkable and worth seeing as they compliment the gardens and sometimes make a focus. How they transported them from America is hard to imagine!

The plants are amazing in diversity and the glass houses allow quite different environments to grow from arid, alpine to tropical jungles, and I think having this all in one place brings home to you the rich diversity and complexity of life including all the different trees that have adapted to situations around the world, something to be highly valued.

We spent the evening and next morning around Richmond at the river for lunch and then home by the same rail route without delays.