Beecroft Head, Gosangs Tunnel & Mermaids Inlet

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Route: Abrahams Bosom Track, Wreck Walk, Shell Beach, Wilson's Beach, Coomie's Walk, Gosangs Tunnel, Mermaid Inlet, Coomie's Walk, Abrahams Bosom Creek, Rock Shelter

Date: 26/10/2019
From: Currarong

Parking: Abrahams Bosom Reserve car park
Start Point: Abrahams Bosom Reserve
Finish Point: Abrahams Bosom Reserve
Region: Jervis Bay

Route length: 4.4 miles (7.1km)
Time taken: 02:08
Average speed: 2.1mph
Ascent: 126m
Descent: 125m

Points of Interest: S.S. Merimbula Wreck, Gosangs Tunnel, Mermaids Inlet

We have a car now which is helping us to venture away from the urban sprawl of Sydney to some of the slightly more distant places in New South Wales. One of these is Jervis Bay, an oasis of white sand beaches and perfect turquoise waters, located 3 hours south of Sydney.

During a weekend away, among other plans, we had a modest walk in mind around the northern headland of Jervis Bay, Beecroft Head. The headland forms part of the Abrahams Bosom Reserve and is home to some scenic cliffs and some pristine bush, linked by a wall-marked path - Coomies Walk.

Sunset at Erowal Bay - one of the smaller bays in the Jervis Bay area

After driving around the bay we parked in the village of Currarong which sits isolated on the headland. A free car park provided ample space and shade for our newly-acquired motor.

Entering the reserve

The Abraham’s Bosom Reserve came into existence ever since the first ships sailing started its voyage in the Australian east coast. The captains of the ships started referring the Beecroft Headland as Abraham’s Bosom, an Old Testament reference to safety, as the area afforded shelter to passing ships.

Footbridge over Abrahams Bosom Creek

Abrahams Bosom Creek

The Wreck Track

There are a couple of variations to this walk to make it longer and we made the most of it by first following the Wreck Walk from the footbridge over Abrahams Bosom Creek. The Wreck Walk is a short extension that leads through the bush and along the shoreline to Shell Beach and a view of the wreck of the S.S. Merimbula.

Native woodland

Shell Beach

Shell Beach

The ship ran aground during a storm in 1928 and, while all aboard were spared, the ship sank before it could be salvaged. While not much remains above the rocks, the Merimbula is a Historic Shipwreck, due to its integrity and accessibility for recreational diving.

The vague remains of the S.S. Merimbula

The Wreck Walk continues along the coastline to Wilson's Beach before it veers back inland after Honeysuckle Point to meet the Coomies Walk track. Away from the cooling breeze of the coast, the temperature quickly ramped up as we made our way through the bush to our next port of call, Gosangs Tunnel.

The coast at Abrahams Head

Wilson's Beach

The Wreck Track

Coomie's Walk

Another signed diversion leads away from the Coomies track, crossing a rocky plateau to find the entrance to Gosangs Tunnel. 2m wide and barely 1m high, the 20m tunnel is a challenge to negotiate - all fours may be preferable to some. It ends suddenly, opening onto a rock platform suspended high above the Tasman Sea, surrounded by towering cliffs and pounding waves. In a word, sensational.

Some directional signage

A sign can be found, pointing the way to Gosang's Tunnel

The entrance to Gosangs Tunnel

Gosangs Tunnel

Gosangs Tunnel

The rock platform at the end of the tunnel

The cliffs of Beecroft Peninsula

Gosangs Tunnel

A panorama of the Tasman Sea

Beecroft Peninsula

Gosangs Tunnel

Gosangs Tunnel

 Returning through the tunnel and to the bush track, we followed the signs for Coomies Walk once again though only for a short while before another diversion, this time to the spectacular Mermaid's Inlet. The inlet, a narrow cove in the cliffs, can be reached along a narrow, rocky path. It opens up as you reach a large platform where a few rock fishermen were taking their chances in the large swells. The cliffs are riven with fissures so it seems reasonable to believe that the inlet was the weakest among them, gradually being eroded over millennia.

Mermaids Inlet

Mermaids Inlet

Mermaids Inlet

Mermaids Inlet

One of the fissures in the rock

Mermaids Inlet

Mermaids Inlet

After marvelling at the power of the sea we returned to the Coomie's Walk path once again. We passed through a long section of bush, which was teeming it nuisance flies, to reach a trig pillar built on a rise on the headland. We continued through the bush until the path makes a descent to Abrahams Bosom Creek and the shady forest that lines its course.

View over Beecroft Peninsula

Coomie's Walk

Trig pillar

Entering the reserve once again

Abrahams Bosom Reserve

Abrahams Bosom Creek

Classic Australian bush

Shortly before reaching the car park, the path passes an Aboriginal rock shelter, an overhanging that has been occupied by Aboriginal communities for over 4000 years.

The Aboriginal rock shelter

Abrahams Bosom Creek

Beyond the rock shelter, the path returns to the footbridge over Abrahams Bosom Creek and the car park bringing an end to the walk. Being early afternoon we had time to take the car around to Hyams Beach, a sensational series of white sand beaches around Jervis Bay. While claimed to have the whitest sand in Australia, this is actually a myth but that doesn't detract from their splendour.

Hyams Beach

Hyams Beach

Hyams Beach

Hardcastle Crags & Crimsworth Dean

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Route: New Bridge, Hebden Dale, Foul Hill, Gibson Mill, Hardcastle Crags, Walshaw Wood, Walshaw, Horodiddle, Calder / Aire Link, Coppy, Lumb Hole Waterfall, Crimsworth Dean, Bridge Clough, Middle Dean Wood, New Bridge

Date: 28/04/2019
From: Hebden Dale

Parking: Hardcastle Crags
Start Point: Hebden Dale
Region: West Yorkshire

Route length: 5.7 miles (12.7km)
Time taken: 03:30
Average speed: 2.9 mph
Ascent: 550m
Descent: 526m

Summits: None

Other points of interest: Gibson Mill, Hardcastle Crags, Lumb Hole Waterfall, Crimsworth Dean

We trekked over to one of our more local haunts this weekend, the wooded valley of Hardcastle Crags, close to Hebden Bridge. It's another area managed by the National Trust. The Hardcastle Crags area comprises the valley of Hebden Dale and Crimsworth Dean which meet at the car park and are bridged by the low Shackleton Moor which separates the two valleys to the north. A walk along Hebden Dale, over Shackleton Knoll and returning via Crimsworth Dean is an obvious route for a fine spring day. While not long, there would be plenty of interest along the way.

The undisputed highlight of the two valleys today were the wonderful carpets of bluebells which were putting on a fine show and can be seen from the car park as you enter. An information shed provides a number of different trails to follow but they all ultimately lead to Gibson Mill. We wound our way through the woods until we reached the mill.

Bluebells greet us as we enter the woods of Hebden Dale

Bluebells in Foul Scout Wood

Sara follows one of the many paths through the woods

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Bluebells on the side of Foul Hill

Bluebells

Bluebells

Stepping stones over Hebden Water

Hebden Water

Approaching Gibson Mill

Lord Holme Mill (or Gibson Mill as it is now known) was first opened as a cotton mill by Abraham Gibson in 1800 and was one of the first mills of the Industrial Revolution. The mill was driven by a water wheel and produced cotton cloth for nearly 100 years. After it shut down as a working mill, the building became a mini holiday centre or “entertainment emporium” with a café, dance hall and skating rink catering mainly for day-trippers who visited what became known as “Little Switzerland” until what seemed like its final closure in 1945. After the Second World War, the mill fell into disrepair and was acquired by the National Trust in 1950.

Gibson Mill

Gibson Mill

Hebden Water

Now, Gibson Mill is 100% self-sufficient in energy, water and waste treatment. It has a hydro-electric system, solar panels and a log-burning stove fuelled by wood from the estate. The best and most photographed side of the mill is the view across the millpond.

Gibson Mill

Gibson Mill

The millpond

Beyond the mill, we followed an access road to Hardcastle Crags itself, a stack of gritstone rocks that sit in the middle of the valley. A short hike to the top gives some interesting but limited views - the stack is lower than the valley sides.

Climbing Hardcastle Crags

Hebden Dale

Hardcastle Crags

Hebden Dale and a distant Shackleton Moor

The top of Hardcastle Crags

Hardcastle Crags

We returned to the path which winds further along the valley, gaining height above the river before dropping down as it enters Walshaw Wood. At Rowhsaw Clough, we left the shady valley up a steep climb to the fields of Walshaw farm. A fair bit of work has been invested into the path here; while it looks steep on the map, newly constructed steps ease the climbing. Once at the farm the views really begin to open up.

The path at Walshaw Wood

Walshaw Wood

Heptonstall Moor

The Calder / Aire Link at Walshaw

The Calder / Aire Link

At Walshaw Farm, we joined the Calder / Aire Link bridleway which, as its name suggests, links the Calder Valley to the Aire valley via the intervening moorland. From the farm it runs below the knoll of Shackleton Moor, rising gradually to a height of 350m before dropping more steeply towards the top of Crimsworth Dean. From here, it is well worth a diversion to Lumb Hole Waterfall. Though it had been quite dry, the small waterfall and its packhorse bridge are beautiful.

The valley of Graining Water

Descending into Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean

Stoodley Pike

Lumb Hole Waterfall

Lumb Hole Waterfall

Crimsworth Dean

Above Lumb Hole Waterfall

Packhorse bridge at Lumb Hole

This beauty spot has been well known for decades, and provided the inspiration for a poem by Ted Hughes titled “Six Young Men”. He wrote the poem about an old photograph of six young men taken at the waterfall. All six men were killed in the First World War.

The six young men at Lumb Falls

Away from the waterfall, we continued southwards along the upper reaches of Crimsworth Dean. This charming valley is a SSSI, dotted with old listed buildings and more serene views of Calderdale. We entered Middle Dean Wood where a myriad of paths can be taken. The clearest (or best-marked) follows a series of yellow waymarks through Middle Dean Wood. By the time we emerged from the valley, it was warm and sunny, making for a pleasant few hundred metres back to the car park.

Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean

Footbridge in Abel Cote Wood

Crimsworth Dean Beck

More bluebells in Middle Dean Wood

Exiting the woods

Hebden Dale