Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: yorkshire dales national park

Showing posts with label yorkshire dales national park. Show all posts

Kingsdale and Dentdale

This is a great way to get over to Dentdale from Ingleton, starting with the wide limestone valley of Kingsdale which is followed by a high pass over to Deepdale which is a side valley of Dentdale. An added bonus is the waterfall of Gastack Beck which starts life high up on the slopes of Great Coum.

There are many changes in the geology as your journey progresses. It starts with the limestone of the Twistleton area of Ingleborough and progresses to the peat bogs and sandstone of Whernside on one side of the valley and Gargareth and and Great Coum on the other before you finally drop down to the green pastures of Deepdale and Dentdale.

Dent village is a delightful spot with many cobbled streets and its centrepiece of St Andrew's Anglican Church. Cafes and inns make it the perfect place to stop for an hour or two. I did take some phone photos of the village but unfortunately these got deleted.

I didn't fancy returning over the pass so instead, carried on up to Dent Head (where the Settle to Carlise railway station is situated) and back on to the main road to Ingleton. The drive to Dent Head is lovely as well, especially where the valley of the infant River Dee narrows. There are lots more cascades and waterfalls in this section and you also pass Artengill and Dent Head railway viaducts. If you are very lucky you can see one of the steam trains which still run on this line.

Kingsdale beck and Whernside

Kingsdale Beck

Scots Pines, Kingsdale Hrad

Kingsdale Beck

Back Gill, Kingsdale

Whernside

Deepdale Lane

Distant Howgills

Deepdale Lane

Whernside

Deepdale

Dry Stone Wall

Great Coum

Gastack Beck Waterfall

Grey Skies At Top Cow Pasture Rocks

Cow Pasture Rocks in another place I've blogger about a couple of times before. Situated not far from the road from Horton in Ribblesdale to Ribblehead, it is an ideal place to stop due to its limestone pavement. It may not be the biggest pavement in these parts but it is still a good spot to grab some photos plus, I reckon that if you are fit enough, you could navigate yourself on to the summit of Ingleburough but I'll leave that for someone else to try!

I didn't hang about too long though as it was drizzling and rather cold. On a nice crisp clear day, you can get some stunning shots looking across to Pen Y Ghent with the lime stone making a perfect foreground.

Threshfield and Skirethorns

A new area for me, and I thought I had explored all of Wharfedale!

The area is a few miles from Grassington but on the opposite side of the main road through the Dale. Just after The Spar garage a signpost for Threshfield and Skirethorns is followed until you come to the last of the houses of Threshfield and that is where you park up.

As I was new to the area I just followed the country lane through the delightful village of Skirethorns and headed off on the road leading up on to Malham Moor which eventually turns into a bridleway. That then joins the ancient Mastiles Lane which connects Kilnsey in Wharfedale with Malham. It is called a lane but is in fact and old bridleway.

The views back down and across the Dale are delightful and there are many footpaths to explore so this was a real walkers paradise. I didn't get as far as the moorland parts of the road but I hope to return in the not too distant future.

Afterwards I drove a few miles up the Dale and called in the cafe at Kilnsey Trout Farm. Excellent coffee as per usual.