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.