Little Alms Cliff

The day looked like it was going to stay fair so I rummaged through my books for a new walk and came up with this one.  The car park took some finding – eventually found it and got my boots on.  From the look of it it was a popular place for off road mountain biking.  I crossed the main road and went on the track into the woods. 

The first part was fine but then the directions were to take a path by a wall corner, I must have spent 20 minutes going up and down crossing paths in the forest to finally come across a really narrow little trod into the woods –

once I’d found the path I just stayed on it to eventually come out at the other side of the forest – over a stile to a rough sheep pasture and ahead I could see Little Alms Cliff.  

From the cliff Menwith Hill could be seen on the skyline.

  Having looked around at the views I set off back heading towards the right of the forest.  Here I followed a path outside the forest to a stile which took me back into the wood – but the path was a much better one than the one on the other side of the trees.  The path ran straight onto the road and then back into the woods to eventually join the original path I’d taken into the woods.  Good walk of about 4 ½ miles with all the up and down I did looking for the right paths at the beginning, and it had stayed fine today. 

Kelbrook Moor

I thought I had done this walk previously about 4 years ago, before I started keeping a walking journal or blog.  I parked up in the village and set off up towards the track onto the moors.  I didn’t remember any of this walk – all I kept thinking was it was a very boggy moor so hopefully after a couple of dry weeks it wouldn’t be too bad today.  As I walked up the farm track nothing was ringing any bells for me.  

The track led through several rough pastures and by ditches and streams to eventually rise to Scald Bank and here it started to rain and went wrong as I just kept glancing quickly at the book to get the directions while trying to keep it dry. 

I dropped to the road too soon but came to the pub from the road instead of the moor.

 From behind the Black Lane Ends pub on the old Skipton-Colne turnpike road the path rose left to a stile in the wall ( I was back on track – right path and right direction and the rain was easing off).  The views were supposed to be Boulsworth Hill, Ingleborough, Penyghent, Buckden Pike and Great Whernside, not today unfortunately. 

I should have been able to see Earl Cragg at Cowling too and I couldn’t even see that. From here the paths and tracks eventually took me to Roger Moor – it was getting boggy, heathery and bulrushes were everywhere and I just kept my eyes on where I was putting my feet.  All the way round I had heard clay pigeon shooting and now as I dropped down off the moor I could see where the shooting was coming from. 

I definitely hadn’t done this walk before.  On cob lane I turned down and passed a large compound of old cars before turning right on a drive past a house into a field – from here it was a case of walking steadily down through fields back to Kelbrook village.

  A good walk but with the trailing about avoiding bogs on the moor the walk had been 5 ½ miles not the 4 ¾ the book said.  At least I was starting to dry out from the rain.

As an additional point when I got home I couldn’t find my glasses or case so assumed I must have lost them somewhere on the way round.  Anyway the next day – Sunday after my walk I decided to drive back to Kelbrook and make sure they weren’t on the verge where I’d parked.  Long shot I know, but guess what some kind person and picked them up and put them on some railings by the road.  I only spotted them on my way back to the car as I’d stopped looking in the verge and was looking up along the railings.  How lucky am I. 

Made a note in my book this is a summer walk it would just be too hard and wet and boggy in the winter months.

Halton Height

New walk today,  a few weeks ago I drove up to find the lay-by and starting point for this walk and seeing as the weather is just perfect for doing this walk and finding my way round todays the day.  I parked up in the lay-by and it was pretty full but managed to squeeze into a space.  There were lots of cyclists out and about too.  The view looking across to Lower Barden Reservoir was lovely.  I crossed the road and set off down a wall side path through the bracken which was now springing up quickly with the good weather.  

It was a straightforward track down through a gulch and eventually heading back on the moor road by a cattle grid. 

From here I crossed over and followed a track up the side of some woods.  The track followed a wall-side up and somewhere here I must have gone wrong as I reached the top, passing a quarry with Rhododendrons in it and never hit an OS column or a cairn. . Next time I do this walk I’ll be sure to look out for it.
 

  

Instead I just continued to follow the wall along the moor top.  There were curlew flying around sounding a bit upset so they must have had a nest nearby that they were warning me off from.  At the top I could hear a cuckoo really loudly that was sat up in a tree above the quarry.  The path eventually dropped down to Eastby Gate, although I walked past it down to a stream before I realised that the gate I passed was the one I was looking for so I had to climb back up the hill. 

From here I turned to cut across the moor to a grass track heading to a row of grouse butts. 

The path then turned into a landrover track to two shooting cabins.  Here I turned left past the stone built cabin following a trod through heather and bilberry bushes. 

Lots of grouse were here and flew up in the air angrily flapping their wings when I walked past.  There were lots of buzzards circling too on the way round.  Then when I dropped down onto the firm track/bridleway I heard lots of birds and looking back there was a flock of starlings performing like a mini murmuration eventually they settled and I followed the track back to the lay-by where I’d parked.  The track back was a lot further than I thought.  The book said the walk was 3 ¼ miles but when I checked it was nearer 4 miles.  The views of Lower Barden Reservoir and Simon’s seat behind were lovely.  A really pleasant walk on a warm day.