Day Three: 2nd June 2009.
Weather: Sunshine at first but clouding over later, but bright and dry
Buckden to Ribblehead Station Hotel: 14.4 miles on SatMap Active 10 GPS
We had a good breakfast at the West Winds Tea Rooms B&B, and although the bedroom was small and the step to the bathroom was a little treacherous in the dark, we had a good stay. We walked out into fine sunshine and made our way through the small village and down to the river. Today’s route left Wharfedale and the valley narrowed into Langstrothdale, but it was still the River Wharfe we walked along. We passed the small village of Hubberholme, the last stop for any refreshments today, but we had a packed lunch made up at the B&B which was a bit heavy for me in the sunshine. The church here looks like they ran out of money and just bunged a roof on it – a very squat building similar in style to the one at Linton. The bridge over the river by the pub is old and like most of the bridges here it arches gracefully high over the river in this case a single span. The river gets smaller the higher up the valley we travelled, but the scenery remained as lovely as ever.
Down past the village green at Buckden
The church at Hubberholme
The route climbs steadily by the Wharfe
The heavily wooded valley sides provided plenty of cover for much birdlife and they were all singing away quite happily. On the other side of the river was a muscled bull with a whole family of young and old - I’m glad they were on the other side of the river as they were quite aggressive trotting up and down the fence. The yellow meadows continue along with many field barns – apparently there are around 4,500 of them in the Yorkshire National Park area, with a lot of them requiring some attention. The valley sides also close in a little bit but it is a gentle gradient, uphill for most of the way today. The first interest of the day was the stone circle (of limestone blocks) at Yockenthwaite, not spectacular but the entrance is in direct line with the nick of the skyline when you look out of it to the SE. Maybe it was built to capture one of the solstices as the sun rises above the hills and shine into a burial mound?
The Wharfe is a trickle in places
A small bridge just before Yockenthwaite
The stone circle
Glorious scenery
Cotton wool clouds
Beckermonds is just around the corner
Plenty of barns for livestock and hay
The trout were leaping to catch the flies today beneath wooded canopies where no fisherman could lurk in the shadows. The fields to the south of the path had some interesting lumps and bumps in them, possibly old field systems and settlements, but they were too far up the hillside to get a good look. The path wound along by the river, crossing and re-crossing the small road and passing by a lovely NT property at Cowside House, again located right next to the river. I think it has seen its share of the occasional flash flood running past the front door. As we reached Beckermonds and turned north up the road the landscape changes and moorland scenery begins to dominate. We walked up the road to the crest of a hill leaving Langstrothdale behind us and looking forward to the curved valley of Oughtershaw. There was nothing but cotton wool clouds in the skies that provided some interesting pictures – a bit Salvadore Dali-esque if you know what I mean. Another distinct change in the landscape, up to the gritstone topped hills of peaty moorland. The small hamlet of Oughtershaw doesn’t have anything to offer save an old chapel that is being converted, and shortly after here the route veers off on a farm track up to Swarthgill Farm (there is a B&B at Nethergill Farm), and then onwards across rough pasture. Past the small hamlet of Oughtershaw we gently gained elevation passing several farms along the way, with the distant Cam Houses a good target, and Ingleborough coming into sight. Even in the sunshine it looks bleak up here and when we got to walking across the lower slopes, I was glad it had been hot and dry for a while or this would have been a real bog trot. There are many side streams coming down off the moors and I can’t imagine how soggy this must be in the wet.
Looking back down on Beckermonds
Cam Houses is distant around the bend
Changing landscape as we approach the boggy section
Looking back down the valley to Oughtershaw beyond Cam Houses
The joining of the ways
There are no meadows up in this area – just sheep grazing and reeds, but a huge plantation of pine forest further up the valley, and clouding over in time to meet the PW. At Cam Houses, we tried to get some water from the farmhouse but nobody answered the door – there are a couple of new houses and a real film set of a farmhouse – very rickety and atmospheric. There was a tap in the farmyard but I was a bit wary of using it – I’ve since bought a filter bottle so I won’t ever have this problem again. They used to do B&B here but didn’t this year – maybe they are taking a break for a while. But a shed with some refreshments and an honesty box would have been a very welcome sight. The path on from Cam Houses clips the edge of the plantation and follows a lifeless dim and dark path through the woods for a short distance. From here it was up to the watershed and a meeting of the Dales Way and the Pennine Way. Marked by a neat small stone cairn and the first views of Pen-Y-Ghent and further around the path the third peak, Whernside. The path here is wide and well made with gravel and we could also see the Pennine Way snaking away in the distance, but you still couldn’t drag me up screaming to do this yet.
Down off the moor and on the way to Ribblehead
Ingleborough glowing in the evening light
The station at Ribblehead
A healthy glow beyond the viaduct
From here we could see the stop for the night at The Station Hotel next to the Ribblehead Viaduct – but…the last 1 ½ miles were all uphill and along the road. Funnily enough it never seemed to get nearer, but even now the gradient was easy and we got to the pub in good time. After a few pints and a meal we walked around the viaduct at sunset as the day melted away. I never knew there were around 6000 people living in a shanty town up on Blea Moor when they built this railway and viaducts – lots of history around here and a scheduled monument as well. Whilst stood on the platform at Ribblehead Station looking at Ingleborough dark against a pink tinged sky – even a passing train couldn’t break the spell – as peaceful as you could wish. As I checked in at the bar I couldn’t resist another pint of Black Sheep to wet the whistle. Mrs RP suffered with her back a bit today, so I suggested that she cuts the long day short tomorrow at Dent – she harrumphed a bit – but we’ll see.
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