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Snaizeholme red squirrels: included in a ten mile circular walk.

By Hugh Stewart November 10, 2020 Leave a Comment

Also with a visit to the source of the River Ribble and involving a km of pathless moorland. The Snaizeholme valley is a southern offshoot of Widdale, between Ribblehead and Hawes.

The red squirrel refuge in the Snaizeholme Woods, and the trail and viewing area were set up by the owners of Mirk Pot with the YDNPA. The trail is 2.5 or 3 miles, but we decided to make a day of it with some new ground to explore up the valley. They prefer you to park down off the lead-in road by the farm, and for here you must pre-book. The number is the Dale’s Countryside Museum in Hawes, 01969666210. We parked off the B6255 opposite the old chapel, currently being converted, right by the road up the valley. As this is a ten mile walk, you could park off the road at Newby Head where the road from Dent joins, or where the Pennine Bridleway(PB) leaves the Dent Road.

From the Mirk Pot car park follow the trail signs down and along the valley through Norway Spruce, occasionally spying the red darlings, which are not at all shy or rare at the viewing area, marked as a short diversion off the public footpath near West Park. The trail and footpath continue to Stone Gill Foot, where go up the track to join the track continuation from the road. Follow this, eventually becoming a wet path, which leads to the right of an enclosure with a sheepfold at it’s lower end, although you can’t see the enclosure till you’re nearly at it. The “paths” on the OS and Memory maps are ruined walls, but the one running up the Fell side in line with the wall of the enclosure pointing south-west is a good marker to follow, now pathless, and at the top follow the Sike on its left and head in that line for the green green grass of limestone, and the good path of the PB. Follow this through Gavel Gap, looking back up left when through the gate to see, if you will, the source of the Ribble exiting a short limestone scar. At the B6255 go across and down the Dent road, turning right up the PB 500m further on. This leads up and along, now a grassy path, then down the limestone hill of Wold Fell to a “crossroads” of Bridleways. Turn right, and soon it becomes a track with Public access to various vehicles, leading down the Fell with a long view of Widdale, through a plantation and back to Widdale Bridge.

Just under 10 miles, with 1900ft of ascent.

Approaching the Wood.
The Lake from the trail.
Tame squirrel at the viewing area.
Another Nutkin.
and another
The valley head seen before the penultimate gate. Grove Sike is on the right.
Looking down Snaizeholme valley from near the head.

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: snaizeholme.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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Conistone/Grassington circular

This pleasant circuit of just short of seven miles was shown to us by Tim and Christine Shaw, and would be as good in a northerly winter gale as the summer. From Conistone head east up the track from the Maypole on the green, and keep going up the defile, the Dib, which is similar to many in

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An Upper Swaledale round from Muker

This lovely 8 mile walk is best done in early to mid-June when the Muker meadows, and to a lesser extent the Ivelet to Muker meadows, are full of wildflowers. Starting in Muker, find the path through the village which leads onto the meadows. It is not signed so be careful. Go through the delightful

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Scafell Pike from Wasdale, without the crowds. (Mostly.)

A glorious friday in early June, the last weekday of the Whitsun holidays. I wanted to see what Piers Gill was like, as my late mother told me once that she had been cajoled by my father to take me and my one older and one younger brothers (aged maybe 3 to 7) up the Pike, but went wrong in bad

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