Beetham and Marble Quarry

 Wednesday 8th October 2025

Tuesday evening. I am watching rubbishTV,  and perhaps idly forming some sort of plan for the morrow. The phone rings. Bowland Climber offers me a walk for next day, and in my territory. Brilliant!

BC duly arrives at 10:15. I am ready and straight out of the door with rucksack and sandwiches and coffee sorted, and so starts a day of non-stop conversation and catch-up.

We set off from the corn mill at Beetham. BC seems to have the ability to find footpaths on my home ground that I've never walked before or did so twenrty years ago now dimmed from my memory. A few yards off the path, in private land, is an ancient oak tree. A small notice is attached, but it is too distant to read. I take a zoom shot and the result is shown below (click to enlarge) but I am non the wiser. Any explanations?

Gentle climbing takes us through limestone sheep pasture, it is all limestone here in this AONB. We enter old deciduous woodland and the climbing steepens. In the absence of old churches BC  turns his attention to another of his interests because this is the time of year for fungi. I make a contribution with a couple of photos, but I'm sure there will be many more on BC's post.

We top out and find ourselves teetering across an impressive expanse of limestone pavement, care is needed to avoid breaking an ankle down a grike or clint, not sure which is which.We are still in extensive old woodland, but there is a mysterious blank white circle on the OS map marked "Marble Quarry. We go off track to investigate. There is indeed a circular clearing of the woodland, perhaps a few hundred yards in diameter but no indication of quarrying. Internet searching suggests thst this was maybe Victorian wishful thinking relating to an area where they had purloined quantities of limestone; all a bit odd.

We press on, now on a road and familiar to me as we head for the footpath turnoff to Fairy Steps. We pass a strangeley named house. "The Tridlings" which I have mentioned on a prrviuous post. If you had to guess you would never come up with the definition I unearthed: "rabbit droppings!"

Before embarking on the descent of Fairy Steps (see phots below) we sit and take our food break, perhaps to build up strength and be sufficiently rested for the challenge. The myth is that if you can ascend without using hands you will be granted a wish. I'm not sure what you get for descending but that is irrelevant because hands were definitely employed by both of us.

More level walking on good paths, still through birch ,yew, and mixed woodland to eventually arrive at Dallam deer park with a tough little climb over the top and back down to Heron Mill car park. That was a splendid outing and so much the better for me bing roused from my musings and banal TV watchings the previous evening.

Beetham village and war memorial

The stocks

The old oak tree with the little notice atached. See zoom shot below

CLICK TO ENLARGE.
 Why this notice on private land and too small to read from the public footpath?

?

Turn right here, up into the woods and the limestone pavement

Autumn has arrived

Fairy Steps. I don't think this is a fairy

Secret and mysterious little tarn at Haverbrack - on private land

Start and finish at Beetham

Trigs 99 - last 7

 Tuesday 30th September 2025

It was back in August and September 2022 that I set about the 22 trig points on OS 1/50 scale Sheet 99. For reasons I don't remember the campaign tailed off with 7 trigs still remaining.

The campaign has been now been resumed.

I left home at 7:45 am and drove down the A65 to Ingleton with a clear road, but the road from Ingleton to Hawes was completely devoid of traffic and an absolute joy to driving and a rare chance to contrast with the present day  frustration of trying to drive anywhere. That route passing through Chapel le Dale flanked by Ingleborough and Whernside and then passing by Ribblehead viaduct has much nostalgia for me.  Similar joyful driving got me as far as Wensley. Here the continuing A684 to Leyburn was closed and bearing in mind I needed as much time in hand for the walking I had to take a tedious diversion on narrow lanes. Eventually I was able to park on the unfenced road at Colsterdale after some heart stopping single track with few passing places.

From the road a short walk up to the first field boundary on a public footpath was blocked. There was no formal crossing point of the wall but it was obvious earlier visitors had reduced a fair amount of the wall, but a single wire ran across the gap. I had to manoeuvre until I was able to sit on top of the wall with the wire pressed down under my bum and then swing my legs over. A manipulation I had to repeat on my return.

It was quite a strenuous tramp over deep heather with occasional bare patches to reach the trig. I decided to head north from there to pick up a public footpath marked on the map, but it proved to be almost non existent. What had appeared to be a  modest up and down on the map was quite arduous, but the surrrounding moorland and scenery were superb.

The whole of this area containing these last seven trigs doesn't lend itself to direct driving from one point to another. A long drive ensued to get to my second trig and this was a quick up and down with views back down to Pateley Bridge and beyond.

I had thought there was an access road to Scar House Reservoir from the south from Middlesmoor but after wasting time driving there it turned out to be only a track. The proper access road approaches from the north after a long drive from Lofthouse. I had just run out of time. I retuned using the A59 road past Skipton and the A65 back home. Initially I drove over Greenhow from Pateley Bridge. The views from that road are as extensive as anywhere in the country and a surprise considering it is from a main road rather than a higher hill location.

The distances involved in getting to, and navigating around this area are tiresome, and my morning's delight at trouble free motoring was well dissipated and I was weary of the driving  by the time I arrived home. I am thinking of getting to the area next time and staying overnight in accommodation  to mop up the remainder. 

Blocked footpath on way to Colsterdale Moor trig - SE 120 815

It was mostly deep heather all the way. This at the beginning raised false hopes

Grouse shooting butt. Bring your own shooting stick (seat)

High Bishopside trig SE159 673

The red markers are still to do. The two done here are a blue squiggle centre of map and similar close to Pateley Bridge. Note the one north of Leyburn - Whit Fell on a military firing range, I will have to wait until the flags don't fly