Bell Busk

I seem to be having a run on walks around Airton.  Today I’m going to Bell Busk from Airton. Setting off in the direction I usually finish this walk – up past the telephone box then heading left along the road.  I then turned off on Kirk Syke Lane.  I stayed on this trackway following a track which eventually took me over Otterburn beck eventually popping out onto a road in Bell Busk. A century ago there were mills here spinning silk.

At the road I turned left going across the road bridge turning right onto a small lane. The lane went uphill towards Haw Crag I stayed on this lane until I came to a gate straight ahead of me to take me through a field to the Crag. 

As I was going through the gate two fell runners were heading down.  They said don’t worry if I saw a sheep laid on its back at the top they were on their way to tell the farmer as they were local. At Haw Crag is a trig point 676ft up from here on a good day there are all the main tops to see Whernside, Pendle, Fountains fell.  I’m getting so I can recognise them now.

At the top I took the stile into a field which somewhere near the centre crosses the Pennine way.  I then took a gate at the bottom of this which led into one of the biggest fields I have ever been in, it must have taken 10/15 minutes to walk across.

It was then straight to a footbridge over the river and following the river Aire back to Airton.

A steady 5 miles with a lot of fields and stiles.  Good walk.

Kirkby Malham

I have walked to Kirkby Malham from Airton before but today I’m doing a slightly longer route and in the opposite direction to the one I usually take.

It was a really warm day, glad I’d put my sun cream on and brought it with me for a top up. I set off up the road where normally finish this walk passing an old water pump by the side of the road. 

Leaving the village behind I turned off to the right – going through the fields catching a glimpse of Malham Cove.

 You can’t not love seeing it, even at a distance it’s dramatic. Eventually I came out onto Scosthrop lane.  Here I crossed over and took a path across a field walking past a small stone hut Dowber Laithe. Then following a faint track below an old quarry. 

From here is in an old waypath to Kirkby Malham called Kirk Gait. It goes from Otterburn to Kirkby Malham Church. This pathway brought me back onto Scosthrop Lane – I remember doing this before and thinking I might as well have just stayed on the lane and walked round to here. I took a stile which leads to a path taking me up the hill to the top of Warber hill.  On the right was a beautiful stone arch – part of an old quarry.

It was really hot now and no shade from the sun until I got to the top.  Here I had a rest and a drink.  The next part of the walk was past trees onto a farm track with Kirkby Malham in the valley below. Down the field and across a small stream at the bottom to emerge by the Church. 

I then followed the narrow road to Hanlith Bridge where there is a stile which took me onto the path by the river Aire.  The path follows the river for quite a way eventually meeting up with a mill race which was once used by Airton Mill spinning cotton.  The mill is now flats.  I eventually came back into Airton after a good 4 ¾ mile walk, which felt a lot further because of the heat.

Flasby Fell

I’ve done this walk before and I’ve been waiting for the right time of year to do this again. I parked up in the little hamlet of Flasby.  It is so small the road through it is one way only. There are only a couple of places to park so I was lucky to have a space.  It was a lovely day and I set out uphill  straight away.

As I got going up the track I looked ahead and saw a huge field filled with dairy cows.  My heart sank was I going to have to go through that field. What a relief as got up to the gate there was a track fenced off – me on one side, the cows on the other.  Thank goodness for that, I’d already decided if I had to go through there I’d just turn around and go for a different walk.  It was lovely walking up to the old hawthorn tree, which is the marker to bear left around the fell.  Even the boggy bits weren’t too boggy.

 

Once I’d turned off at the tree there is a dark indented track across greenways which gradually slopes down to a small road.

  Here I turned right down past Tarn House Farm.  Just past it is the footpath across several fields eventually coming to a stile which takes you into the plantation.

 I love this bit of the walk. Fir trees, lovely views and a peace and quiet you only find in these places.  At the beginning of the plantation is a bird hide but I didn’t really have time to stop half an hour bird-watching so I kept on the forestry track.  As I climbed up through the forest of Crag Wood there were scars in the landscape where there had been tree felling.

Eventually the path drops down and on a sharp corner bearing left there is a signpost and small footpath going right.  This was my way.  Here was was the reason why I was doing this walk in June.  Following the path down the forest is now Rhododendrons in bloom. Just beautiful. 

 

At the end of the woods there is a gate into a field taking me down to a bridge across Septeria Gill. This track is then just a steady walk back into Flasby.

Fantastic 6 mile walk – one to put in my diary for the same time next year.