Summary

Summits Achieved

No summits were reached on this walk

Preface

Tetley and Little Eric, were looking over Allen's shoulder, as he tapped away on the laptop.

"Here we are, this is the folder with the pictures from the walk from Skipton last Sunday with Uncle Bob", he said.

"That's a good one that Uncle Bob took of Dad with his mug of tea, in Morrisons, and that of you too Allen, that Dad took", said Tetley with a smile.

"Some nice flower shots too, which will add variety to the story", went on Little Eric. "Is there a plan to walk this coming weekend?"

"Yes" replied Tetley. "If the weather is OK, Dad has said we will be doing the walk that we had mapped out before, starting from Low Bentham. This will effectively explore the area between the walk we did from High Bentham, and that from Loyn Bridge taking in Melling and Tatham."

Allen meanwhile had grabbed the iPad and navigated to the Met Office app. "Well the forecast is for a dry day for the most part, but with some light rain at times during the afternoon, so Sunday looks to be a goer."

"Great!", cried Little Eric. Then rubbing his tummy he said, "I'm hungry."

Glancing at the clock, Allen said, "its time for tea, no wonder I'm thirsty."

Letting out a belly laugh, Tetley, exclaimed, "what are you two like. Cake Stuffer and Tea Belly, that's what!

Well thankfully Grizzly and Shaun came to their rescue, with the cake tin and flasks.

"What's the cake today?" asked Little Eric eagerly.

"Chocolate caramel shortbread", Grizzly replied.

So soon we each had a steaming mug in paw and pieces of cake on our plates.

With a look of ecstasy on his face, Tetley said, "this cake is absolutely scrumptious. You have really excelled yourself, Grizzly."

"That it is", added Little Eric , helping himself to another slice.

"Hey", scolded Shaun, "that's your third piece. Now don't be greedy and leave some of the rest of us."

"OK, Shaun, sorry."

So all was well with the world, and happy we looked forward to Sunday.

A couple of days later Dad was looking on Facebook, when his friend Ruth Emery, requested a chat using the messaging and during this Dad mentioned he was planning to walk on Sunday. When he explained where from, Ruth asked if she could come along, to which Dad readily agreed.

He then came to tell us the news, and we were pleased and excited. This was especially so for Allen and Little Eric, who had not met her before.

Tetley said, "I remember the day well when we first met. It was in August 2004, when with you took Shaun, Grizzly and I, up Glenridding Dodd and Sheffield Pike, then across to Raise."

"Yes I must have been mad, as there is no proper path and it was some slog from the valley up on to Raise. I'm not sure I could do it now!", Dad replied

"Then we walked on to White Side, where if I remember there was a decision to be made as to whether to come down from there, or go on to Helvellyn, Catstycam and Birkhouse Moor", said Tetley

"That's right lad. It was here that we met Ruth and her husband Paul, and we got to chatting. They really took to you too."

Shaun then said, "Ruth had fallen the year before on Helvellyn and this was her laying the ghost walk, so to speak."

"We got on really well, and that was why I decided to walk on with them", said Dad. "I'm glad too, as they were great company, and we got Catstycam and Birkhouse Moor ticked off too."

"Mind you", added Allen, "you had to repeat them again so that I could complete the Wainwrights."

"True, but thankfully I did not have to descend Swirral Edge on the second occasion", Dad replied.

Doing a search, Allen then said, "look, there's a good picture of Ruth and Paul as they descended Swirral Edge that day."

"Well I can't wait to see Ruth again", said Tetley wholeheartedly, "so roll on Sunday."

The Walk

It is not far from home to Low Bentham, and indeed the road is extremely familiar to Dad, being the route to Elaine's at Feizor, where Dad and Uncle Brian go every Monday. We left home such that Dad made sure we were there first, so that Ruth, would know she was at the agreed start point.

There were hugs between Dad and Ruth, and we were fussed, as Tetley called out "hi, just great to see you again."

Allen and Little Eric were properly introduced, as she had only seen them in pictures before.

Then soon ready, out of the car park, it was left just a short distance to the junction, where we went right along the Burton in Lonsdale road.

"Are you going to count the stiles again, Grizzly?", asked Little Eric.

If you like pal", he replied.

"I'll note them as usual then in my book", confirmed Allen.

Rounding a corner, Shaun then said, "when the road goes sharp right, we must keep ahead along a narrow road, and then follow it as it goes right at a sharp corner. Then just a few steps further, we go left along a hedged track."

This initially led past some buildings, and then on out into the countryside, with spring flowers like these primroses in the hedgerow.

Looking over the hedge, Allen said, "that's Ingleborough we can see, its summit plateau being partly obscured by the lowering sky."

Turning from taking this picture, Ruth then posed for hers.

Further along, the cows in an adjacent field were rather inquisitive and clustered by the gate.

The track ended at a stile, over which we crossed the field on a muddy path, keeping close to the hedge, to another stile. Beyond it was diagonally right up the field the over a stile and on to take a gate on the left. The path kept by the fence on the right to a gate in this, through which, we walked down to another gate and onto a road.

"That's three stiles", called out Grizzly.

"OK pal, noted", responded Allen.

"It's right here, past the junction and then very soon we will take a stile on the left", advised Shaun.

In a field to the left there were more cows, who watched us passing. "If it was not such a quiet road, I would have said they were doing a traffic survey", laughed Tetley.

"Here's the path", called out Little Eric, soon after.

In fact the stile would have been easy to miss, as it was hidden in a thick hedge. Looking at the map again, Shaun said, "we cross diagonally, skirting the field corner, to a stile onto a narrow road, where we go left and then keep ahead along the drive to Clifford Hall."

At the drive we had to climbed another stile, and Grizzly, said, "that's three more, Allen."

"Right pal, six in total since the start, so far."

As we walked the drive, Dad spotted sheep and snapped this shot, much to Allen's despair, because yes, you've guessed it, we have failed yet again to have a sheep picture free story!

Clifford Hall had clearly once been a farm, but the buildings have been converted into a number of desirable stone built houses.

There was a hollow tree stump by the drive, and Ruth said, "that looks a nice spot to take the Lad's picture."

"Ooh yes", agreed Little Eric, as we scrambled out of the rucksack.

"We go left here, along that track and through the gate", instructed Shaun.

Then continuing the path took us to the right of Black Wood, and on to a stile, beyond which, we stopped for a bite to eat and drink.

"I like walking with you Ruth", said Allen, "as we get to stop more frequently for a snack. When we are just with Dad, I am usually really hungry by the time Dad stops to eat!"

Setting off the route was clearly marked crossing fence lines by two more stiles to pass the buildings of Scaleber Farm and reach the road at Old Wennington, on the border of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

"Three stiles", said Grizzly.

"Noted", replied Allen.

Now Dad's original plan had been to continue on the road west then taking the track passing Hill Top, and coming to the so called 'pirate' stile (because of the long plank) that we had crossed on the path from Wrayton, being part of the walk from Loyn Bridge.

On that walk we had then gone on along the track to Melling. The route of this walk would however have been south to Lodge Lane and into Wennington. This would however had made the walk too far in distance for Ruth, so instead we modified it to go south-west via Old Hutton, being the third side of the triangle.

"So we turn left up the hill, round the corner and then go right on the track that leads to Gill Farm, but just before the buildings the path goes right and round above the farm", advised Shaun.

As we got down the track Tetley called out, "here's the way through this gate."

As it then swung left above the farm, Little Eric called out, "just look at that beautiful bank of gorse that is coming into flower."

The route was clear crossing two stiles and then descending the bank to a third by Gill Wood.

Grizzly said, "we are being watched."

Turning Dad, saw these sheep, seemingly making sure we left their patch!

Along by Gill Wood there was no path and the ground was very soft and boggy. So Dad and Ruth had to be careful, taking a rather circuitous route to the next stile into firm pasture. On now to Old Hutton, Dad guiding us here, taking us wrongly to the buildings, as we should have kept up above the buildings, by taking a stile at the fence corner."

"You wouldn't have missed that Shaun", remarked Allen.

It was the farmer that actually pointed out Dad's error, directing us to a gate that we climbed to get on route again. We did seem to be bedevilled on this section as we drifted too far down ending up a Box Tree, where the owner said brusquely, "you are miles off course." A bit of an exaggeration! However he did offer to let us go through the gate, onto the road, but we found that it was padlocked shut.

Looking up from the map, Shaun said, "if we head up to the top of this field, we will for certain get on course again."

So this is what we did, and then going left and immediately right through gates, and on down to a small gate in hedge, we continued on to finally reach a road by the residential buildings at Moss House. This was Spout Lane the road between Wennington and Wrayton, and turning left along this we came to the main road close to Wennington

"That's five more stiles", called out Grizzly.

"OK", replied Allen, making a note in his book.

Shortly, we stopped again by a derelict barn to have another snack, and Ruth kindly took our picture, this time with Dad.

Strolling on, the pretty hamlet of Wennington is reached, where the road narrows to a single track between lovely stone houses. Here is the view looking back.

We kept to the road that leads to Wray and Lancaster crossing the bridge over the River Wenning, from which the hamlet takes its name.

This is a Grade II listed structure that was built in the early 19th century, of furrowed sandstone ashlar, with rock faced abutments.

As Dad was taking this shot, Allen remarked, "I wonder what that walled structure with the gate is built into the side?"

"Maybe it is to get under the bridge on this side, but has been gated off for safety reasons", ventured Little Eric

Crossing, we all looked over, and could see that it was just an enclosure, the wall of the bridge being solid.

Dad and Ruth had stopped to look at the river, and suddenly Tetley said, "the only explanation I can think of is that it is the hamlet's Pinfold, other examples of which we have seen before, notably in Crook, near Kendal."

"Yes", agreed Grizzly, "I think you are right pal. The name derives from the Old English - Pundfald - a walled enclosure to contain straying livestock before collection by the owner on payment of a small cash forfeit, which as you told us before is the origin of the saying 'pin money'."

"Generally these enclosures date back much further than the 1800s, so this perhaps replaced and earlier one, when the bridge was built", added Shaun.

Strolling on we passed the railway station, and then went left on Old Moor Road, over the railway, soon leaving it left again, onto a track that ran parallel to the railway line. Dad snapped this shot of a train, whose ultimate destination was Leeds. There are few trains on this line on a Sunday, so we were lucky to see it.

It was raining a bit now, but thankfully it was only a shower and soon passed over. We continued along the track, then climbed the slope beyond, across the deeply grassy pasture.

As we got near to the far side, close to a building, Shaun said, "we seem to have drifted rather too far left, as I am sure this is Clintsfield, and we should be at Blands."

This was confirmed by the farmer, who was OK about this, just directing us along the access track, to get to the stile we should have come to.

Climbing the stile left, we crossed two large fields, to arrive at Greenfold Farm, that besides being a farm, has converted barns, that are now residences. Via more stiles we continued ahead over the fields, the path then seemingly going left along by the wood.

After few yards, Shaun said, "we are going in the wrong direction, Dad."

Backtracking, we soon spotted the waymarked stile and wooden plank bridge at the foot of the bank.

A narrow trod led through the wood and out via another stile into a field. Then it was on to the prominent farm called Robert Hall, the oldest part dating from the 15th century. It was much altered subsequent to the mid 19th century, when quite substantial parts were demolished.

Walked past this as directed and along a wide track. When we came to an unmarked gate on the left, Shaun said, "our route is through this and half right down the field."

Towards the bottom, we then went right to a stile into beautiful sylvan woodland, high above the River Wenning to the left. The path beyond wound down via steps then up the other side, Dad catching this shot of Ruth, as she looked back. In a few weeks the wild garlic would be in bloom making for a wonderful sight.

Finally the path brought us to a road, that we strolled along left.

"There were eight stiles on that last section from Wennington", said Grizzly.

"Right pal", replied Allen. Then after a few moments, "that makes twenty-two for the day."

The lane brought us to the main road, by the Punch Bowl pub, where it was right to the car park.

During the walk, Ruth had mentioned going to a cafe afterwards, and where else would Dad suggest, but Elaine's, which was on Ruth's way home too.

So a lovely day was rounded off at Feizor, where they both had a nice meal, as always. Dad had sausages eggs and chips, while Ruth had a delicious scone with butter jam and cream, and a pot of refreshing tea of course. Ruth also took home a piece of rhubarb pie, that she said was sensational!

Dad made sure that Ruth was introduced to Elaine, and to Sharon and Sheila too, and we are pretty sure Ruth will be going again to Elaine's, when she has the chance, taking her husband Paul.

So with a final big hug, we went our separate ways, after a lovely lovely day, and we hope that we will get to walk with Ruth again in the not too distant future.

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