• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hugh Stewart

  • Home
  • Books
    • Hillwalks from the Settle to Carlisle Railway Stations
    • Settle to Carlisle – Hill Walk with Return by Classic Train Route
    • Mountain Biking Adventures: Multi-day Routes in Northern Britain
  • About Hugh
    • Author
    • Orthopaedic Surgeon
  • Walking Blog
  • Contact

Update to the Quarries Walk, plus Oxenber Wood.

By Hugh Stewart May 7, 2018 Leave a Comment

This 10.5 mile walk combines some of the Quarries walk (9 in “Hillwalks from the Settle to Carlisle Stations”) with Walk 4 (over Moughton Fell), and adds Oxenber Wood, with its glorious spring flower display. From Horton follow the Quarries walk to the far side of Dry Rigg Quarry, the update being that there is a new railway siding to Arcow Quarry. This Quarry closed in 2015, but opened again after the line was built, from July 2015 till January 2016, on the understanding from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority that nearly half the freight from Arcow and Dry Rigg would travel by rail. Arcow used to have a sideline, but is was deemed inadequate for modern traffic, hence this £6 million pound update 400 yards north. Both of these linked quarries are now part of the CRH company, a multinational originally based in Ireland, though they like to be called Tarmac. Or Lafarge. Or anything to obscure the truth.  The path goes over a new bridge, and the view came as a complete shock to us.

From the road to Austwick, turn left on the Pennine Bridleway and climb till just before a gate before the apex of the track, where cross a stile on the R into  Wharfe Wood. This year, May the 6th was too early for the usual grand bluebell display, but the carpeting of wood anemones and primroses was phenomenal, and later than usual.  Follow the orange ringed posts into and out of Oxenber Wood to the south, and turn right to join Wood Lane, leading to Wharfe and walk 4 in the book. We were disturbed to see so many dead Juniper bushes on Moughton, about half of them, presumably of the same cause, a fungus like disease, Phytophthora Austrocedri, affecting the Juniper Woods in Teesdale, other northern upland areas and places in Argentina! When you enter the Ingleborough Nature Reserve, you can carry straight on through the limestone pavement and left before the fence to go north, across a gate and join the crowds running down to Horton, for a beer, or tea.

  • Wood anemones, Oxenber Wood.
  • More Wood Anemones, Oxenber.
  • The new rail link to Arcow Quarry, from the new bridge.
  • Dead Junipers, Moughton
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: oxenber.gpx

Filed Under: Walks

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Post Categories

The Latest Comments

  • Michael Watson on Scafell Pike from Wasdale, without the crowds. (Mostly.)
  • Hugh Stewart on Sheepbone rake, High Crag
  • Laurence Anderson on Sheepbone rake, High Crag
  • Hugh Stewart on Sheepbone rake, High Crag
  • Judy Moffitt on Sheepbone rake, High Crag

Enjoying the Blog Posts?

If you are enjoying my content please consider supporting my passion by purchasing one of my books. Many thanks, Hugh.

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)

View Book

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)

View Book

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)

View Book

Footer

Harter Fell, Eskdale.

A panoramic 7.5 mile circuit round and up the Fell. Start at the Forest Picnic site north of Birks and cross the Duddon by the bridge. Either turn L on the Bridleway to Birks, or carry on the track to above Birks. The "path" connecting the two on the map is very overgrown, for adventurers only.

Continue Reading

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

Continue Reading

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

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2023 · Hugh Stewart All rights reserved. · Website created by LeePritchard.com