Dodd Fell Hill & Drumaldrace

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Route: Hawes, Gayle, Gaudy Lane, Rottenstone Hill, Ten End, West Cam Road, Dodd Fell Hill, Cam High Road, Drumaldrace, Wether Fell, Burtersett High Pasture, Burtersett, Hawes

Date: 27/07/2013
From: Hawes

Parking: On street parking in Hawes
Start Point: Hawes town centre
Region: Yorkshire Dales

Route length: 11.7 miles (18.8km)
Time taken: 04:07
Average speed: 2.8mph
Ascent: 682m
Descent: 689m

2000s on this walk: Dodd Fell Hill (668m), Drumaldrace (614m)

Additional summits: Ten End (586m)

Other points of interest: Pennine Way, Cam High Road, Yorburgh, Burtersett

After spending a fair bit of time concentrating on Wainwrights in the Lake District, it was time to focus my attention back to the Yorkshire 2000s and climb two more hills to take me past a third of the way to completing the 40. The two hills in question were Dodd Fell Hill and Drumaldrace, two hills that overlook Hawes and guard the valley of Sleddale.

Another fine summer day greeted me as I arrived in Hawes and parked up on the main road. As I made my way into the town centre to begin the walk proper, I found it surprisingly quiet for a Saturday morning in the summer holidays.

A classy signpost directing you to Hawes from Gayle

Threading my way through Hawes and the small village of Gayle, I joined the Pennine Way as it follows Gaudy Lane and began the long climb up the western shoulder of Dodd Fell towards Ten End. Being the Pennine Way, the path is well established and it's a case of getting your head down and covering the miles as you climb the hill. The climb is not as steep as it appears from below and I was able to keep a steady pace most of the way up.

Looking down the hill into the expanse of Wensleydale

Rottenstone Hill and Ten End from the Pennine Way

The unpleasantly named Rottenstone Hill stands in front of Ten End and must be crossed before the final plod to the summit. I've not been able to find a reasoning behind its name though. I'm pretty sure stones don't rot. Erode, yes; rot, I don't think so.

Continuing on, I made the mistake of leaving the Pennine Way to make the final steep climb to the summit of Ten End only to find a stone wall blocking the way. Returning back to the path and rounding the wall, I made the climb to the summit once again. That'll teach me not to look at the map.

Approaching the final climb to the summit of Ten End

The summit of Ten End covers a long, thin area of boggy, peaty high ground. There are a couple of small lakes or ponds on the summit that must have some permanence to be shown on the OS maps. The actual summit is marked by a very small cairn and has a great view across the valley of Sleddale to Drumaldrace and Wether Fell to the south-east and Great Knoutberry Hill in the other direction.

Great Knoutberry Hill from Ten End

The very small cairn on the summit of Ten End

Travelling along the summit, parallel to the Pennine Way, Dodd Fell can clearly be seen as the next objective. After negotiating a few damp, boggy patches, I met the Pennine Way on the West Cam Road. West Cam Road is a track that crosses between Grove Head and Hawes and is popular with 4x4 enthusiasts. Luckily I didn't bump into any today.

West Cam Road with Dodd Fell Hill in the distance

At the point where the last drystone wall ends, it was time to leave the Pennine Way and strike out up the limb of high ground to the summit of Dodd Fell Hill. Despite there being no path on the map, I could make out a vague path that certainly made straight for the summit. Whether being an actual path or a sheep trod, I wouldn't know but it certainly took me in the right direction. The summit is a mile or so from the Pennine Way and, upon reaching the lonely looking trig pillar, I was amazed to see the panorama in front of me.

Through a 180 degree sweep were the proud three peaks of Yorkshire; Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. The view would have been even better were it not for the lack of prominence of the summit of Dodd Fell Hill. Dodd Fell Hill is the high point of Dodd Fell, the source of Duerley Beck and Little Ings Beck that feed Gayle Beck and the River Ure.

A faint trail can be followed to the summit

The OS trig pillar on the summit of Dodd Fell Hill

Simon Fell and Ingleborough can be seen in the distance

After lunch, I headed east across the summit, making directly for Cam High Road, a track of Roman origin that crosses Wether Fell. A number of peat hags had to be negotiated and luckily, thanks mainly to the dry weather the weeks preceding, the ground was fairly dry and solid underfoot. Upon reaching a drystone wall that runs parallel to Cam High Road, I followed it north until the wall crossed the track allowing me to continue northeast along Cam High Road. As with most Roman roads, Cam High Road is very direct and links the Roman fort at Bainbridge to the village of Ingleton.

A view down Bank Gill with Wether Fell and Drumaldrace in the background

The peat ground between me and Cam High Road

Cam High Road as it sweeps up Wether Fell

After a brief yomp along a section making up the lane between Hawes and Langstrothdale, I returned to the track and started the climb up Wether fell towards Drumaldrace. The very summit is easily reached by leaving the track after passing through a gate and following a vague path that leads to higher ground. The summit, despite being a relatively modest height, is home to a reasonably sized cairn. Time for another quick break and to soak in the spectacular views.

Returning to the Cam High Road, a short walk took me to a bridleway that would lead down the northern slopes of Wether Fell to Burtersett. From here, the scenery of the high Yorkshire fells really opened up and I was able to see Great Shunner Fell, Lovely Seat, Wild Boar Fell, Swarth Fell, Sails and, of course, Dodd Fell.

Panorama of Wensleydale including the fells mentioned above

Dropping off Wether Fell, I rounded Yorburgh, a prominent hump on the side of Burtersett High Pasture. I had intended to visit the summit but it appeared from where I was that it was entirely surrounded by drystone walls. Continuing the descent, I quickly reached Burtersett, a small village to the east of Hawes.

A Roman road doing what Roman roads do best

Yorburgh

The path as it leads towards Burtersett

From Burtersett, there was a 1-mile paved section of path across the fields back to Hawes. Ominous clouds in the distance spelt some approaching rain but I was well on my way back home in the car by the time it eventually started falling.

A fantastic walk that I really enjoyed, some of the Yorkshire Dales at its very best without the crowds of the more popular areas of the National Park. The views of the higher fells encircling Hawes have made the thought of climbing them all the more appealing and I think I'll be paying a bit closer attention to them in the near future.

Yorkshire 2000s - Great Whernside

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Route: Kettlewell, Dowber Gill Beck, Hag Dike, Great Whernside, Blackfell Top, Black Dike Hole, Tor Dike, Tor Mere Top, Starbotton Peat Ground, Starbotton Cam Road, Starbotton, Dales Way

Date: 26/05/2013
From: Kettlewell

Parking: National Park Car Park
Start Point: Kettlewell
Region: Yorkshire Dales

Route length: 10 miles (16.1km)
Time taken: 04:40
Average speed: 2.1mph
Ascent: 707m
Descent: 707m

Yorkshire 2000s on this walk: Great Whernside (704m)

Additional summits: Blackfell Top (699m), Tor Mere Top (628m)

Other points of interest: Providence Pot, Tor Dike, Dales Way

Great Whernside stands tall, overlooking Kettlewell and its summit, like its larger namesake, forms part of the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Sara and I have been to Kettlewell many times in the past but never ventured up the slopes towards Great Whernside. It's fair to say that my appetite for hill climbing wasn't what it is now so it came a bit of a surprise just how close Great Whernside is to Kettlewell and what a great walk could be accomplished. What better way to spend a bank holiday weekend with friends?

Contrary to typical bank holiday weather, we were blessed with clear skies, bright sun and a light breeze. A perfect day to soak up the scenery of the Yorkshire Dales. We met a couple of friends, Lizzy and Jordan, at Kettlewell and, after improvising some parking we kitted up and headed out through the village. We had decided on a circular walk that started with a climb up alongside Dowber Gill Beck, a fine example of a landscape feature of the Yoredale rocks; smooth-faced waterfalls.

The smooth-faced waterfalls formed as water passes over varying layers of rock

Dowber Gill Beck

After a steady climb in the warm sunshine, we approached a large group of people who appeared to be heading the same way. Burdened by their numbers and small children, we quickly passed as they stopped for a break and left them behind. The top of the path leads to the location where Hag Dike Gill Beck and Dowber Gill Wham meet to form Dowber Gill Beck. At this location you can find Providence Pot; a substantial cave system that comprises a series of large chambers and narrow joining passages. It is easily accessible to cavers thanks to its sturdy concrete surround, complete with manhole cover! More information can be found here.

From here, we turned back on ourselves and headed up a steep path that climbed out of the Dowber Gill Beck valley before crossing a peaty bog to reach Hag Dyke. Hag Dyke is a Scout Hostel acquired in 1947 for the Ben Rhydding Scout and Guide Group. Its history of occupation dates back to 1730 but it's possible that it was built in the late 1600s as a miners accommodation for the nearby Dowber Ghyll lead mines.

Hag Dyke sitting proudly on the slopes of Great Whernside overlooking Wharfedale below

As midday approached, the climb up towards the summit steepened as we left Hag Dyke behind. The frequent breeze was a welcome inclusion to ward off any over-heating at this point. After negotiating a 100m climb, we caught out breath on some limestone outcrops before venturing across the boggy slopes that lie just below the summit. It's fair to say that my green boots didn't stay green for long.

The steep climb up from Hag Dyke 

Sara stops to catch her breath before crossing the bogs

Jordan heads across the bogs towards the summit

After a further 200m climb, we reached the summit of Great Whernside. The summit scenery reminded me a great deal of some of the Peak District edges, particularly the scattered, square millstone grit boulders ("Whern" is derived from "quern" meaning millstone). At 704m, Great Whernside is the 6th highest hill on the list detailed in my previous post. Until 1997, there was no public right of way to the summit before two paths were registered up to and across the summit. In 2000 the mountain became access land, meaning you can now explore it all at your leisure. We took the opportunity to grab some lunch in the sheltered rocks before continuing along the summit ridge towards Blackfell Top.

The millstone grit topped summit of Great Whernside (704m)

Posing with the trig point

Looking north from the summit towards Blackfell Top and Blackfell Crags in the distance

The walk here was easygoing, passing a large ramshackle shelter before starting a descent perpendicular to the summit ridge. Crossing Black Dike, another boggy area, we reached Tor Dike. Tor Dike is a 2000 m long linear earthwork comprising a ditch and rampart built in the 1st century AD by Iron Age tribes to defend themselves from the Romans. As you can see from the picture below, it's an impressive feature as the path climbs up alongside.

Tor Dyke

Crossing the road that leads from Coverdale into Wharfedale, we entered the Access Land at Great Hunters Sleets and followed the rough path towards the summit of Tor Mere Top. Looking back presents a fine view of Great Whernside.

Panorama of Great Whernside from the path up Tor Mere Top

After a fairly strenuous climb through the afternoon heat and the long grass, we reached Tor Mere Top. At 628m it could be considered to be one of the Yorkshire 2000s however, the list I'm following is determined by the hill's status as a Nuttall, Hewitt or Marilyn. Unfortunately, Tor Mere Top's status as a Nuttall was revoked following improved mapping, removing its classification and its inclusion in the list.

The grassy summit of ex-Nuttall Tor Mere Top

With the briefest of stops to check the map, we started the descent towards Starbotton Cam Road to begin a 400m drop into Starbotton. Starbotton Cam Road is easy enough to walk down but the reflective white stones and stillness of the air in the valley made for a fairly hot and tiring descent. The road has some fine views of both Starbotton and also into the valley of Cam Gill Beck. Before long we reached Starbotton and crossed through the village to join the Dales Way, the walker's motorway, to head back to Kettlewell.

Sara follows the brightly lit Starbotton Cam Road to Starbotton

Starbotton Cam Road as viewed from the Dales Way, between Starbotton and Kettlewell

All that remained was a 2-mile stroll along the River Wharfe, dodging the sheep and crayfish, back to Kettlewell. It was at this point that we agreed it was a good idea not to increase the size of the walk by including Buckden Pike, as the legs were starting to feel the strain. Buckden Pike will just have to be saved for another day.

All in all, I really enjoyed this walk, particularly as the weather was on our side for once. Morale is certainly much higher when cold water isn't being blasted into your face. The Dales is a wonderful place when the sun is shining, especially when spring is in full flow and the colours are at their brightest. Fingers crossed the weather will be as kind to us during future walks. I have a feeling that the landscape of Great Whernside will be synonymous with many of the walks I'll be doing as part of this quest. We'll just have to wait and see.

Next stop, the Howgills.