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Summary: This walk beginning in Dacre Banks is a challenging 10 mile circuit that covers some of the Nidderdale Way. From Dacre Banks the walk tracks west to the hamlet of Heyshaw before climbing onto moor at High Hood Gap. It then drops down into the village of Bewerley and then into Pateley Bridge before climbing again via Panorama Walk to Blazefield. From the hamlet of Blazefield the walk takes a route east on a number of tracks to Brimham Rocks before turning south back to Dacre Banks via Summerbridge. The walk is a challenging one for map readers because there are many places where paths go off in all directions particularly on the approach to Brimham Rocks, a difficult proposition on a foggy or misty day as it was when I did it. Thank heavens for my recently acquired map and compass skills! |
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Start: |
Dacre Banks |
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Start (OS ref): |
SE196619 |
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Map (1:25,000):
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OS Explorer 298 Nidderdale |
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Parking: |
Dacre Banks car park |
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Distance: |
12 miles (19.3 km) |
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Time: |
5 hours |
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Difficulty: |
Hard |
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Climbing: |
608 metres |
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Hazards: |
Road crossings, navigation required |
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Refreshments:
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Dacre Banks, Pateley Bridge |
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Route Map:
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The Story of the Walk:
As I set off from home the weather was overcast and misty but at least it as dry. The weather forecast had forecast this start to the day with sunny spells later. This is what I was hoping for as I drove from Leeds to my starting point at Dacre Banks. I arrived in Dacre Banks at 10.30am it was still misty with little visibility. I changed into my walking gear trusting that the forecasters were right and walked off in dank but dry conditions from my starting point in a westerly direction to Heyshaw. The climbing to Heyshaw was moderate over pasture fields but from the village it got much steeper as I climbed up to the telephone mast at Guise Cliff. I was on moorland now and a sign warned me to keep to the paths (see picture). from here I walked to the trig point at High Crag (point B on the map) and then made my way over the moor to Yorke's Folly (see picture) All that remains of the folly are two impressive towers that once supported an arch. The folly can be seen from Pateley Bridge. Ominously it was getting darker with the weather closing in, not clearing as promised. Any rain was still holding off though as I headed towards Strikes Wood.
From Strikes Wood I headed to the village of Bewerley. I was getting a little tired now and ready for a break. I decided on Bewerley as my break point and just as I did the rain came. It began with a drizzle and fortunately I found a bench in the village that was sheltered by trees. I sat and enjoyed sandwiches, pop and a flask of lovely Knorr tomato and red pepper soup. After my refreshments I set off in steady drizzle to Pateley Bridge. Once in Pateley Bridge I would go to the cafe and have a hot cup of tea hoping for the rain to go. Alas the cafe was closed and the rain continued so much so that by the time I had climbed out of the village via Panorama Walk (point C on the map) the rain was steadily falling. The walk out of Pateley Bridge via Panorama Walk is steep so at least I was warm but also getting wet. At Blazefield it was getting even heavier and I was forced to put my wet weather over trousers on. What do the weather forecasters know? As I walked on to White Houses and into the woodland just west of Brimham Rocks it was driving rain. I scampered into the woods and sought out a large holly tree to shelter under for 15 minutes.
The rain eventually calmed as I crouched down in my shelter and I decided it was time to leave. During my search for a suitable tree I had crossed several paths and as visibility was now virtually down to a few yards I had no landmarks to orienteer by. I knew roughly where I was but there were paths going in every direction so it was a case of using the compass and trying to make my course to Brimham Rocks blindly. I knew I had to stick to an east course and did so as much as I could despite the obstacles like walls and hedges. After a while I saw rocks in the mist and this was followed by voices. I headed towards them and I then knew I had reached my goal, Brimham Rocks (point D). This highly popular tourist attraction draws thousands of visitors every year but there were not many today, just a few young groups with guides. It was so misty the rocks could hardly be made out until I was almost on them (see pictures) but I still enjoyed a nice walk around until it was time to go and I then made my walk back to the car via Summerbridge. This was a great walk and enjoyable but it would have been far more enjoyable if I had been able to see things and see where I was going! |
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