Yorkshire Dales

[Rog Tallbloke]

This weekend Kath and I caught a bus up to Grassington friday early evening and walked up onto Grassinton moor where we camped the night.

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Early saturday morning we passed through the hamlet of Conistone.

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And Past Kilnsey Crag with it's awesome overhang.

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Earlybird cimbers were already up the main wall towards the roof.

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After a pleasant climb up from Littondale we reached Malham tarn.

A little trodden path rewarded us with a fine view of Pen Y Ghent.

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Down in Settle we caught the evening train to Ribblehead.

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Sunday morning we wandered along the side of Whernside, looking back to the Ribblehead viaduct.

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"The limestone paving" on the moor made interesting walking, with rare alpine flowers sheltering in the 'grikes' between the limestone 'clints'

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A lonesome windswept hawthorn tree on above Twistleton Scars.

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We descended the Doe valley past Beezley's falls.

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And finished our walk at Ingleton.

[Martin Rye]

Great spot to camp Rog and great place to walk.

[Chris Townsend]

Great pictures. They brought back many memories. Many years ago I lived on the edge of the Dales and spent much time walking there. I haven't been there for a long time.

[Rog Tallbloke]

Thanks guys, It was a really pleasant weekend. Full of variety but not too strenuous. The weather was perfect, with cool breezes and plenty of sunshine.

Chris, where did you live?

[Rod Lawlor]

Rog,

A lot of that looks like farm/grazing land. What's the protocol with crossing private land? And is/are the Dales privately or publicly held, generally speaking?

Rod

[Rog Tallbloke]

Hi Rod,
Most of the Dales is privately owned land, with pockets of National Trust property. The whole area is covered by a National Park.

In England and Wales generally, there are thousands of public footpaths, bridleways (horses allowed) and RUPP's (roads used as public footpaths. There is also a 'right to roam' though exactly what this means is lost on me, I've always walked where I wanted to. ;-)

As far as wild camping is concerned, anywhere above the top field boundary is fair game, and in practice, if you are up on sheep pasture out of the valley and out of sight, you probably won't get shouted at for making an overnight stop. Having said that, I try to buttonhole shepherds for permission when I see them.

In the north of England, it's all reasonably relaxed. Down south you can get quite a lot of "get orf my land" types. Wales is dodgy, farmers are belligerent towards the English (and any campers) and have dogs with equally bad tempers.
Scotland is pretty much open access, but woe betide you if you are caught poaching game.

A comment from an American visitor was that he couldn't understand the route map, because it went over a wall stile, and in America, doing that is likely to end in getting a gun pointed at you…

[Jim MacDiarmid]

Beautiful. I have some Scottish in me, so that Northern England landscape definitely touches on something in my blood. I am an American who was confused by the 'right of way' in the Britian. You did a nice job of explaining it.

I honestly don't think such a policy would work in America. We seem to despise common property to the point we trash it. That's why some people advocate disposing of all roads into our National Parks, and I feel myself sympathetic to them.

Land is something to be owned and exploited here, not shared.

[Peter Atkinson]

Looks like a great trip… I grew up walking around the Dales, and although not far away from them now I tend to focus more on Scotland and the Lakes… so this is a timely reminder of what's on the doorstep! Thanks Rog.

[Chris Townsend]

Rog, I lived in Skipton for a few years in the 1980s. The Three Peaks plus Malham & Gordale were the areas I knew best.

[Tom Clark]

Those are really lovely shots. I assume that at certain times of the year it looks a bit less hospitable.

[Mary D]

Thanks for the beautiful pictures!!!

[Roger Caffin]

> There is also a 'right to roam' though exactly what this means is lost on me,

I think it means Madonna can't build her house on top of a 2,000 year old pathway.

Cheers

[George Matthews]

Nice pictures! Looks like a great place to walk. How old is the hamlet you passed through?

[Michael Whiteside]

Great photos!

I did the England Coast to Coast route in 2007, which was great. Your photos remind me of that.

Is the shelter one of those MLD pyramids? If so, do you like it? I used my Tarptent Squall II.

Take care.

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