Under Open Skies...

Dales Rail Trails - Updates & Outtakes

Updates


Horton Station - new footbridge construction - Feb to August 2024

7. Pen-y-ghent - Map 7 page 32  &  11. Ribblesdale & a Bridge to Far Moor - Map 11 page 47
Three Peaks Challenge Route - page 41

A new footbridge with lifts is being constructed at Horton-in-Ribblesdale Station to take walkers and foot passengers from crossing the line. The bridge will be built at the site of the current footpath crossing. Whilst construction is underway a temporary footpath diversion is in place taking the footpath across the line at the northern end of the station.

Horton station temporay-diversion 2024


Arcow Quarry new rail link - Winter 2015

5. Helwith Bridge & the Ribblesdale Quarries - Map 5 page 24.

The welcome re-introduction of a rail link from Arcow Quarry, near Helwith Bridge, has been constructed under the public footpath that runs along the southeast of the quarry and offers an optional route to visit Dry Rigg Quarry on walk 5.

New footbridge under construction crossing the new railhead at Arcow Quarry

A new footbridge has been constructed to cross the new railhead in June 2016. The footpath is now open as usual.


Pendragon Castle closed to public - April 2015

16. Pendragon - Map 16 page. 73

Pendragon Castle closed

Pendragon Castle in the valley of Mallerstang (Walk 16) is currently closed to the public for building repairs. Presumably the walls are unsafe. You can still get a close look from the roadside, but can no longer enter the grounds and inspect the castle at close range. It doesn't affect the walk route.

UPDATE: Jan 2017 - the castle can now be visited, but people are advised to remain outside the walls.


New Three Peaks alternative open for use - October 2012

7. Pen-y-ghent - Map 7 page 32.

The new engineered path over Whitber Hill.

A new section of footpath crossing Whitber Hill has been completed and opened for walkers to use. The path gives a better alternative to the heavily eroded Black Dubb Moss section of the Three Peaks Challenge Route, between Pen-y-ghent and Ribblehead.

See full details of the route here.


Pennine Bridleway officially opens - June 2012

11. Ribblesdale & a Bridge to Far Moor - Map 11 page 47.

The 52-mile section of the Pennine Bridleway through the Yorkshire Dales National Park was officially opened by the actor and President of the British Horse Society, Martin Clunes.

The new completed route runs between Long Preston and the Fat Lamb Inn at Ravenstonedale, and includes the award-winning Bridlebridge at Far Moor.

Though these sections featured in the guidebook, some new signage has appeared in places.

See the National Pennine Bridleway site here.

Outtakes

Outtakes are the walks that didn't make it into the final book.

For licensing reasons, the maps here are much less detailed than those shown in the book. They do not include field boundaries (walls and fences), stiles and gates, other tracks and rights of way, or contours. 

You will therefore also need the appropriate OS map.

The layout is also slightly different - there are no instructions on the maps themselves, just numbered references to the accompanying text, and the scale varies.

The format is A4, two pages, PDF files. You will need Adobe Reader software to view them (though most modern browsers come with a version installed). Just click on the links to view and download.

We will be adding these walks over the coming months.


Nine Standards Rigg

Kirkby Stephen, 11.2 miles, Strenuous. (OS map: OL19).

Nine Standards Rigg Thumbnail

A classic walk, but the straight up-and-down route didn't really fit with the book format and the return route was well covered by walk 17.

The Settle Loop

Settle, 10.1 miles, Strenuous. (OS map: OL2).

Settle Loop Thumbnail

A fine airy walk, but it's really an extended version of Walk 1, and the return leg lacks the sustained interest of the outward leg.

Long Preston, Langber Lane & Scaleber Force

Settle, 9.1 miles, Moderate. (OS map: OL2 or OL41).

Long Preston, Langber Lane & Scaleber Force thumbnail

A moderately easy walk, easy route finding, using ancient trade routes across the moors above Long Preston, with an alternative linear route from Hellifield to Settle. It was decided in the end to only include walks between Settle and Kirkby Stephen, so this was excluded.

Long Meg & Lacy's Caves

Lazonby & Kirkoswald, 9.9 miles, Moderate. (OS map: OL5).

Long Meg & Lacy's Caves - Thumbnail

There are some excellent walks in the Eden Valley north of Kirkby Stephen, this being one of them. However, they are more spread out, and so when it was decided to exclude walks north of Kirkby Stephen, this was left out.

Baugh Fell

Garsdale, 11.2 miles, Strenuous. (OS map: OL19).

Baugh Fell

Baugh Fell dominates the view north from Garsdale - a vast, rounded hill rising to 678 metres. And yet this prominent mountian makes for generally dull walking. That's why, in the end we left it out.

This is perhaps the most interesting ascent, involving a gill scramble up to the source of the River Rawthey. But it's still a long, tough and rugged climb. Mainly of interest to affectionados of trig-point-bagging and bog-yomping.

Bentham Line Walks (Skipton to Morecambe)

A series of 12 excellent walks of between 2.5 miles to 11.3 miles, linking stations on the Bentham Line (which runs from Leeds to Morecambe) can be downloaded as pdf files from the Community Rail Lancashire website here.

Ingleborough Archaeology Walks

A series of 3 archaeological walks around Ingleborough between 4 and 5 miles with excellent detailed archaeological descriptions of features can be downloaded as pdf files from the Ingleborough Archaeology Group website here.