Leyburn: 28 August 2010
- Distance
- 12 miles
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Location
- Leyburn … Map of start point
- Transport
- Buses from Richmond, Bedale/Northallerton and Ripon
- Leader
- Stevie
After a brief altercation over parking with a cantankerous local, we set off over fields to the pretty village of Wensley (random trivia: all of the Yorkshire Dales are named after the river that runs through them except Wensleydale, which is named after the village). We then took a well-made track through the grounds of the imposing Bolton Hall, through woodland and out towards the Redmire Force cascade. As the weather turned nasty, we abandoned the planned lunch spot by the river, and ate sheltering on a wooded track.
After lunch, we emerged on a bluff overlooking the River Ure, with views up to the cascade, then turned away from the river and a short stint on the road took us to Redmire and then up a steep hill to Castle Bolton. A well-earned rest stop gave time for everyone to look round the outside of the castle, then we carried on to Redmire and Preston under Scar as the rain started again. Leaving Preston under Scar, the skies started to clear, and as we climbed the grassy bank to the top of Leyburn Shawl it got quite warm for the first time of the day.
The final leg along the top of the limestone cliffs of Leyburn Shawl was an easy, flat couple of miles, with excellent views south over the valley, bringing us back into Leyburn. Although a couple of people did get sidetracked by the playground and zipwire….
Photos by Stevie and Colin