Gargrave (what to do with steam engine ash)

During our stay up here, one of the things we wanted to do was the three Yorkshire peaks.  We went up Ingleborough a couple of weeks ago and on Wednesday we set off for Whernside.  Steve and I went up Pen y Ghent last week too, but Karen and I will go up next week to complete the three together.

Even though the weather was set fair we still packed extra fleeces and wet weather gear etc. just in case.  Fortunately, unlike the south, we have lost some of the heat up here, so carrying rucksacks wasn’t that much of a burden.

As we left the boat we noticed a sign saying that mooring along the Gargrave section is restricted to 72 hours – oh dear, we have been here a week now so probably just as well that we’re planning on moving on Thursday.

On the way to Whernside we went through a hamlet called Selside and found a sweet Victorian wall box.  It was sweet because it had gold lettering and also that it was in a picture postcard location 😊

Note the corner of the house has been damaged, probably by tractor forks

At 2,415 feet, Whernside is the highest peak in Yorkshire and gave us stunning views across the Dales, over to the sea at Morecambe Bay, the Lake District mountains and also the next two highest Yorkshire peaks.

We had chosen a 9 ½ mile circular walk and the first part runs alongside the wonderfully scenic Settle-Carlisle railway.

Approaching Ribblehead viaduct

I have talked about the building of the viaduct in a previous entry (when we saw it looking down from Ingleborough).  Suffice to say it felt sort of eerie walking through the fields around it where there were once shanty towns built to house the hundreds of workers employed in the construction.

Underneath the viaduct is a memorial to the men who worked and died here and also a plaque commemorating the names of the shanty towns (named after the Crimea war) built alongside the railway.  There was a TV series called Jericho that was based around the shanty town called Batty Green, but it was a failure – we remember just managing to watch one episode and we had persevered that long because of the historical interest ☹

Shanty town plaque

Crossing the railway line after the first mile with Ingleborough in the background

A beck ran across the path of the railway line and a bridge was constructed for it.  This is the first aqueduct we have ever seen for running water; all the previous ones have been for carrying canals.

Force Gill aqueduct carrying the practically dry Force Gill beck across the railway

The bed isn’t original and has recently been rebuilt but the structure itself is Grade II listed.  When the bed was relined the original plan was to cast a concrete channel.  I think the (apparent) uproar that created is quite understandable; the final bed of natural rock is far more sympathetic.

A bit farther on was Force Gill waterfall, which, when full of water is quite spectacular from a distance.  As we passed it there was just a trickle of water.

You can imagine what the waterfall would look like in flood

As we climbed we passed old lead mine workings.  These three stood out in particular, and the entrances could still be seen as black holes above the spoil heaps.  The line of the tramway that was built to take the ore can still be seen too.

Old lead mine workings

The halfway point – looking across to Pen y Ghent

Nearing the summit, we had a good view of Greensett tarn.  Fascinating as it didn’t appear to have lost any water even in the current drought.

Looking down on Greensett tarn

On our recent walks we have noticed an increasing amount of rubbish discarded, much of which appears to be wet wipes and tissues.  We would like to think that people who love the outdoors and walking wouldn’t be the type to drop litter, but we are clearly wrong.  We attached bags to our rucksacks, so it was easy to pick up litter and stuff it into the other’s bag.

Our summit picture

We had our lunch at the top and spent most of the time watching two hang-gliding guys waiting for the right thermals to arrive.

Getting ready with Ingleborough in the background

The gear is quite different to the old days of rigid frame hang-gliders

We chatted to them for a while before we set off and later saw them circling ever higher as the right thermals had obviously arrived.

Happy to be setting off down the other side after lunch

When we got home we stayed on the boat for the rest of the afternoon catching up with admin etc. 

Once the locks are closed up this weekend for the next month or so they will be ashed up to help prevent further water loss.  The ash is dropped into the water above the gates and is drawn into the gaps around the gates. Talking with Nigel, one of the lockies here, we found out that the ash they will be using on the Bank Newton and Gargrave flights will come from the steam railway at Embsay.

As it was our last night in Gargrave we had a takeaway from Bollywood Cottage which is one of the best Indian restaurants we have used around the country.