conradwalks

Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Hell Gill

Tuesday 7th April 2026

Having an objective for a walk has been aired here on occasions. I recently bought "Walks to Yorkshire Waterfalls" by Mary Walsh, a Cicerone guide published in 1990*. My first foray was Mary's Hell Gill walk. This would also include a stretch of the multi-named track: Lady Ann's Way, The High Way, Old Road and Pennine Bridleway. That is one of the most walking friendly tracks I know of and would include a previously unwalked section for me. However, after descent from the road on rough tussocky and pathless going, a serious, breathless ascent for me was neccessary to gain the welcoming Old Road.

That track and Hell Gill were worthy objectives, but they were slightly marked down by the discovery of Lunds Church.

For heaven'sake (note the pun/explanation) why was a curch built in such a sparsley populated area? The restoration mentioned in the Wiki excerpt below has now been completed. The interior is spotless and atmospheric in its sympathetic restoration. Lunds Church stands in the centre of a field isolated, but like a speck of gold amnongst the tailings in the pan.

From Wikipedia

The current building dates from the mid 18th century.^[2] It was the smallest church in the Diocese of Ripon, with a capacity of 60 worshippers. It closed in 1981 and its condition deteriorated, though it remained in church ownership. In 2011, it was used for scenes in the film Wuthering Heights. Restoration work started in 2023.^[3] It has been grade II listed since 1969.

The climb past Beck Side Farm and up to Shaws, a converted farm property was ever steepening. A mysterious waterfall gill continued above Shaws but I turned left on the good track. Other similar gills and waterfalls appeared to my right as I progressed on the wide cropped turf path with its gentle undulations and extensive views down to what I suppose is Upper Uredale or on the map, Mallerstang. Ahead Wild Boar Fell dominated high on the skyline with the sharp escarpment of The Nab at its far end. The climbing crags recently identified by Bowland Climber and his friends run prominently below the summit ridge. The routes have now been published I think on the BMC website.

Eventually Old Road arrives at Hell Gill bridge. The savage narrow cleft of the gill is so deep, dark and overgrown that I couldn't even see the water perhaps sixty feet or more down in the depths, and even the bridge was difficult to photograph.

Descending and passing through farm buildings a proper farm track developed and I could then see the stream emerging from the bottom of the gill. Further on the stream drops over Hellgill Force before emptying into the River Ure.

Ordnance Survey shows a footpath across the main road returning to my start point following parallel with the road. I followed unfortuntely with no means of escape until about halfway.That path had unavoidable mud baths every hundred yards or so with a particularly gloopy sticky kind of mud. On a couple of occasions ,my trainer was left behind sucked from my foot involving difficult retreaval. At last a marked footpath lead back down to the road,from where I walked back to my car.

That walk was certainly worthwhile despite the poor return route. I had much pleasure being in proper hill country above the intake level with grand views all around on a cloudless blue sky spring day. There is a sharp difference between this and country walking through livedtock fields and the like

(Cannot find out how to alter the varying font sizes, no matter, better trhings to do.)

The tussocky descent taken from the stile leading from the road

Down in the bottom at Beck Side leading to Lunds Church

Lunds Church

"Come unto me and I will give you (rest?)"

Lunds Church in context. My ascent to Old Road is in the background

Starting the ascent

Approaching Shaws. The path climbed through their garden

Lunds Church isolated in centre of field

Gill above Shaws

Steps leading out of Shaws garden to the gate onto Old Road

Old Road, perfect walking.. Distant Wild Boar Fell and The Nab, and below...

High Hall. Derelict farmhouse - this is at about 1500ft! And below...

Hell Gill Bridge

Hell Gill after the gill and flowing towards Hell Gill Force

Hell Gill Force

All the tractors for Alan

Start/finish from road, bottom left corner, anti-clockwise. N.b. location of Lunds Church in red

*"Yorkshire Waterfalls" Mary Welsh.

Cicerone are now the apex guide book producer having learned from expereience with good maps, colour, and seperation of subjective information from route description. This is one of their much earlier efforts and shows its age. It is entertaining to read, interspersed with glowing refrences to imgianry bird life and other mentions of possible flora and fauna that may be encountered, and local history, but that detracts from the need for a concise route description. The maps are also quite rudimentary, but sufficient for one to relate to an OS map. Mary Welsh passed away in 2017 at the age of 88. She was a prolific and well respected author of many outdoor/walking publicastions.

Thursday, 2 April 2026

From Hutton Roof

Wednesday 1st April 2026

Parking is marginally available opposite Hutton Roof church. I have mentioned before the war memorial stone in the churchyard for the local fallen of WW1. This is headed by:

Theodore Bayley Hardy, VC, DSO, MC, KHC

Hardy was vicar at the church and although a pacifist and aged 51 he volunteered for the war in 1915 and was taken on as a chaplain and served as a non-combatant. Hardy's many deeds of courage and modesty and care for fellow comrades lead, it is believed, to him being the most decorated non-combatant ever.

I am not too given to recommending long Wiki entries from my posts but I think this one is not too long and is well worth a read.

Theodore_Hardy

"We shall remember them."

This four and a half mile walk was pleasant enough and notable for:

The worst overall collection of decrepit stiles I have encountered for a while.

An error taking the wrong path from Spital bridge - the correct one was almost parallel and to assuage my self deperecation was an understandable error, rather than a gross mistake. See the red dots on the map below.

The two paths merged to follow an unusual deeply sunken lane extending for half a mile.

Near here I heard loud voices, shouting, but distant.

Turned out to be a group of hi-viz clad weorkers gathered under an electricity pylon apperently shouting at each other, their voices easily carrying the quarter mile or so back to me.

As I plodded back up the road to Hutton Roof the sun burst through contrasting sharply with the earlier murkiness and opening up grand views to Ingleborough and the always inviting Dales landscape.

As I huffed snd puffed up a steep little hill I came across an elderly local lady tyding up the debris from a recently felled roadside tree. We had excellent conversastion. she had a sonorous Lanacashire country accent, a good sesnse or humour, and was full of information. She told me she acted as a local guide and informant on the lifetime of the above mentioned Chaplain Theodore Hardy VC and amongst much about Hardy's relations and the like, she told me Hardy, before his church position in Hutton Roof he had been a teacher at various schools including D H Lawarence as a pupil at one time.

That meeting certainly trasnsformed what I would classify as an everyday kind of walk into something more memorable.

Hutton Roof church, and below...

In the churchyard.
Hutton Roof WW1 memorial including Hardy VC

Just to give a sample of the countryside - limestone country

Badger Gate - now posh hoiday units I think

Lupton Beck

Stocky I would say. Night club bouncer type?

Lunch break

Zoom to
shouting hi-vizzers

The deeply sunken lane

Looking back at my route - cropped sheep pasture dotted with small limestone outcrops, delightful

Start/finish, Hutton Roof church (furthest west) clockwise.
Note red dots showing correct route I missed

Sunday, 15 March 2026

From Ireby

Saturday 14th March 2026

Daughter J (High Horse) is moving.

The straight line from her present flat to the new address measures 246ft. on Memory Map. If you walk the tarmac it is 792ft.

Much of the removal has already been done but the larger items will be tackled manually by professionals on Friday, with my contribution being financial.

This Saturday morning I returned the carpet cleaner I had borrowed and was sandbagged into fixing a device to a wall. I could see that J was about to embark on fitting a catflap to the rear door. Having had experience of fitting two of those myself involving DIY complications unimaginable before starting I made myself scarce. Back home I had things to do but the weather was perfect for walking. My preference is to set off early, but it was now about midday. I had a look at Memory Map on my computer and unusually found a tempting little not previously walked circular in an instant. Off I went.

Parking in Ireby is no problem. If you want a good example of the many attractive villages in the northern dales this will do with all the atmosphere of little change from the16/17th centuries, and even complete with an attractive stream running through arising from the slopes of Gragareth to the north-east, one of the classic dales peaks.

I had identified one of those old dales lanes running north from the village rowards the hills and designated as "other routes" by green dots by OS. Their legend suggests contacting local authorities or whatever for access information, not that I had any concerns. However later on I was given to wondering as I was passed by three motor cyclists.

The lane proved to be a combination of track and stream, but with care it was possible to keep feet dry. The northern end joined the minor road, the right turn to go over Leck Fell and ending as a cul de sac, but giving walking access to Gragareth. As well as Gargareth there were enticing views to Barbon Fell, and Cragg Hill. I turned left and followed steeply down the tarmac with the attractive ravine like valley of Leck Beck way down to my right. Lapwings I am glad to say were calling. A cyclist stopped and we had a good chat about the many long distance routes he has cycled and his upcoming plan for a three stage route from Scandinavia and finishing in Portugal as far as I could understand from what he was saying.

That glorious weather promised at the outset more or less held, but there were rain clouds passing over which intermittently showered me with sparse spatterings of rain drops for short periods, insufficient to necessitate donning a waterpoof.

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I have just almost finished typing this post and was motivated to research Leck Hall and found I had walked almost exactly this same route with Pete back in July 2018 !

So much for me discovering a "not previously walked" gem.

https://conradwalks.blogspot.com/search?q=Shuttleworth

That post gives much more information about Leck Hall, and a previous old school passed on the road from Leck to Ireby.

Ireby, this and below. A good examlple of dales villages with little change over the centuries

I managed to obey the sheepdog's command of "away"circling to the right round the pseudo lake amd then tiptoeing round the bit of solid grass at the foot of the gatepost. No wet feet.