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Aysgarth, with Ballowfield and Seata Quarry nature reserves

By Hugh Stewart August 10, 2021 Leave a Comment

An easy late summer flower walk of 6.5 miles. You could park at the large and busy car park above the falls at Aysgarth, or at Thoralby, or best of all in the pull off by the footbridge a km west of Aysgarth. Cross the bridge and continue to the B road. turn left on it for a km till the Ballowfield(s) reserve appears on the right. Walk by the Eller Beck through a halophytic meadow, so with thrift, still flowering in august, and other, damp loving plants: devils bit and field scabious, grass of Parnassus etc. Cross the footbridge and look amongst the spoilheaps for spring sandworts, then take the rising path through the wood and across pleasant fields to Carperby. Just before the village, the ROW goes left above the fence above the football pitch, but you could sneak across or around the pitch to the far right corner. Down the track the ROW turns left for the village, not straight on. In the village, either turn right and then left down the road to Aysgarth, or carry on east then right down a footpath. Either way a few hundred metres down the road a path appears on the right, follow this across and down to the car park above the falls. In the unlikely event of never having seen them, go down the path to towards the bottom road then right to the falls. Otherwise cross the bridge and up the steps to St Andrews Church, reportedly having the largest churchyard in the country, with over a thousand gravestones. Or take the first path right just before the church, to the road from the falls, left to the main road and in twenty m right a path on the other side can be found. Follow this up then down to a small wood, and at a “signpost crossroads” carry straight on. At the road turn down it (a bench soon arrives giving a lunch spot with an excellent panorama), and near the bottom turn right up the Heaning Hall Farm track. A stile and sign indicate the path through the fields. This is straight forward except at a gate after which two tracks diverge: take the right one then quickly left along the top of the first hedge. At the track up from Thoralby turn right and climb, keeping north as Haw Lane goes sharp left west. Go across the field diagonally, there is a path through the grass, to the right top corner and follow the BW down and across a stream by a bridge. Up this track, right and left to a road, where turn left and then right down a signed green lane to Seata Quarry, where fairy foxgloves abound amongst myriad other flowers. Exit at the far end and curve right, take the path through thegate after the long thin field on the left. This leads to a short trip on the main road back to the start.

  • Thrift! Ballowfield, August.
  • Grass of Parnassus, Ballowfield, August
  • Aysgarth upper falls, 11.2011
  • St Andrews, Aysgarth.
  • Thoralby and Penhill from the road descent.
  • Fairy Flax, Seata, June.

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: aysgarth.gpx

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Hillwalks from the Settle to Carlisle Railway Stations

24 walks into the hills surrounding the historic and iconic Settle to Carlisle railway, based on the stations between Settle and Appleby. The area has some of the finest walking of the north Pennines: the Craven district around Settle; the Three Peaks area; Dentdale, and Mallerstang and the upper Eden valley.

£12.95 (P&P may apply)

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Mountain Biking Adventures: Multi-day Routes in Northern Britain

Over the last two decades, mountain biking has developed enormously as a “sport”. We greatly admire the technical and athletic capabilities of modern day mountain bikers and recognise that many excellent guides have been written and custom-built trails set up. In this guide we try to reopen a sense of adventure and wilderness to mountain biking, providing multi-day routes with a remoteness, continuity and “arc” missing from many modern guides with their focus on day and half day outings.

UK £13.95 ( inc. P&P)

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Settle to Carlisle – Hill Walk with Return by Classic Train Route

With over 22,000 ft of ascent in 105 miles set out over 8 days, this walk sets out from Settle, taking in the classic summits of the North Yorkshire Dales, Howgills, Eastern and Northern Lakeland Fells, to arrive at Carlisle. The return journey to Settle by one of the classic train journeys. Illustrated with photographs and route maps.

£12.95 (P&P may apply)

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Watendlath and Borrowdale circular

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Addition to the book of Trespass: Warcop.

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