Saturday 9 February 2013

Great Whernside from Kettlewell 6.2.13


A circular walk, 9.4 miles.

A high level Yorkshire Dales walk that incorporates one of the lesser trod high points of the national park.

At the 6th highest point in the Yorkshire Dales, Great Whernside is a vast sprawling fell that, along with its neighbour - Buckden Pike, dominates upper Wharfedale. Great Whernside itself is a popular walk from Kettlewell, however the fell, and indeed Wharfedale doesn't receive the volumes of visitors that near-by Ribblesdale gets, probably down to the fact that Ribblesdale is accessible by rail as well as road. But none the less, if hiking in the area you simply must visit this quieter side of the Dales.

My journey consisted of getting a train from Leeds to Skipton, then taking the number 72 bus service from outside Skipton railway station, to Kettlewell. The bus journey from Skipton takes around 50 minutes, but is a pleasant run taking in some fine scenery en-route. And during the working week is a regular service unlike in other parts of the Dales, with buses running every two hours.

The weather was set to be the best day of the week so far, with good visibility but a very cold northerly wind blowing.
 Here arriving into the pretty village of Kettlewell...
 DSCF1838_zpsdcf84e96.jpg
To get to the foot of Great Whernside I walked through the village along Middle Lane towards Dowber Gill Bridge...
 DSCF1839_zps61fecbf4.jpg
 From the Dowber Gill Bridge, a footpath allows you along the edge of the Dowber Gill Beck which is sign posted for Hag Dike in Providence Pot...
 DSCF1840_zps1059550a.jpg
The pathway then cuts left from the beck and heads out onto the snowy fell side...
 DSCF1841_zps831a51c0.jpg
The pathway is easy to follow here, and is pretty steep too. In all it's a 500 metre climb from Kettlewell to the summit of Great Whernside...
 DSCF1842_zpse11720c9.jpg
Great Whernside top comes into view in her winter clothing...
 DSCF1844_zps2aa434ca.jpg
 DSCF1847_zpsc7c5017b.jpg
The dry stone walls have squeeze stiles to pass through...
 DSCF1852_zpsbac59763.jpg
Here approaching Hag Dyke...
 DSCF1855_zps76829551.jpg
Hag Dyke is a Scout Hostel, and at 1525 feet it is the highest in England. There is a hay barn attached to the property that has been converted into chapel, that in turn is also the highest chapel in England. The building also stands as a beacon to passing hiker's knowing your over half way to the summit of the fell.
 DSCF1856_zps34498d50.jpg
The path passes through the grounds of the hostel, cutting just in front of the building through a gate in the dry stone wall. When on the other side of the building, this is where the path becomes much more rugged and steep...
 DSCF1857_zps57de0ca3.jpg
Walking poles and my new on test Kahtoola Microspikes being used at this point... DSCF1859_zpsc5437b73.jpg DSCF1861_zps3137b8c8.jpg
The top of this particularly steep and shattered rocky ridge is marked by a cairn...
 DSCF1863_zps22adaf3c.jpg
Once your over the ridge the summit is your next goal. A series of marker posts keep you in the right direction if in low cloud...
 DSCF1864_zpsbae2d979.jpg
 DSCF1867_zpsb0265512.jpg
The wind at this point was fierce, around 60 mph making the going tough, and it felt very cold too. The snow was around 7 inches deep here...
 DSCF1869_zps2cdce03b.jpg
 DSCF1872_zps3c0b4646.jpg
And eventually onto the steep and icy summit approach...
 DSCF1874_zps55af9194.jpg
Once again, glad I had bought the Microspikes, this was sheet ice here...
 DSCF1876_zpsb3d6aae9.jpg
The summit comes into view...
 DSCF1877_zps300926fd.jpg
This was a rather nice moment, as the sun came out at this point too...
 DSCF1878_zps8157cc51.jpg
Great Whernside summit is marked by a Trig Point and a huge cairn at 704 metres...
 DSCF1884_zpsfead3404.jpg
The view was pretty spectacular in the snow...
 DSCF1880_zps5a5c7b46.jpg
Me at Great Whernside summit...
 DSCF1888_zpsff7c0d59.jpg
The wind was furious and was whipping the snow up into drifts on the summit plateau, and it felt very harsh. So after some light refreshment, it was time to move on across the Arctic-like tundra (from which the wind was coming directly from) in a northerly direction across an area of the fell called Long Crags...  DSCF1892_zps928f26c1.jpg
 DSCF1893_zpsfb53d12b.jpg
The far north western part of the fell, where the path turns steeply downhill, is simply known as Whernside. Again marker posts are here to guide you, but beware - I remember on my last visit to the fell, this is a boggy old place and this part in particular is quite nasty. But on this day all the bogs were well and truly frozen up, if anything the entire north western side of the fell was a sheet of ice with some deep patches of snow covering it...
 DSCF1895_zps0d917ab6.jpg
Neighbouring Buckden Pike looking good snow covered too...
 DSCF1896_zps19a5a505.jpg
Fountains Fell, Pen-y-ghent and Darnbrook Fell...
 DSCF1897_zps38b81a75.jpg
Once over this stile it's a very steep descent towards a small road next to an area on the map called Tor Dike...
 DSCF1898_zpsc7f96bd0.jpg
Once you've crossed over the road, the still clearly defined path leads you out onto a much flatter part of the walk. The green sign in the right of the below picture welcomes you to Richmondshire...
 DSCF1899_zps659340d9.jpg
 DSCF1900_zpsb26e37af.jpg
The path splits at Cam Head, giving you the option to head back to Kettlewell earlier. I opted for the right hand path towards the village of Starbotton...
 DSCF1904_zps3f539e85.jpg
Coming out of the snow and following this substantial track back down into Wharfedale here...
 DSCF1908_zps622fd3a4.jpg
 DSCF1913_zpsfe426adf.jpg
Onto the valley floor here passing through the tiny village. The path in the below picture allows you to cross the River Wharfe via a footbridge...
 DSCF1914_zpsb1ebebfe.jpg
 DSCF1915_zpsf03b4d73.jpg
The path on the other side of the bridge splits. You can either walk along the riverside, or to avoid the mud as I did, continue along the substantial path that cuts up the hillside...
 DSCF1916_zps10c75471.jpg
The path is again actually pretty steep, and you quickly find yourself high up above Wharfedale once again. Here looking back towards Starbotton village from the lower slopes of Moor End Fell...
 DSCF1918_zps5e2a8cbc.jpg
 DSCF1919_zpsf36eba22.jpg
 DSCF1920_zpsb212923d.jpg
The River Wharfe snaking its way through Wharfedale below, with Great Whernside looking quite impressive high above...
 DSCF1923_zps6fd53166.jpg
Back above the snowline again now, heading towards Moor End Farm here...
 DSCF1925_zpsdb7a5bfc.jpg
Buckden Pike from Moor End Fell...
 DSCF1926_zps83993062.jpg
After finding your way through Moor End Farm yard, Kettlewell comes back into view...
 DSCF1928_zps10a5d998.jpg
The path becomes a rough track and brings you out onto the the B6160 - the main road that runs through Kettlewell. Here heading across the bridge back into Kettlewell (with Great Whernside above) before catching the bus back to Skipton...
 DSCF1931_zps56395899.jpg
Summing up, a great little walk that takes in one of the finest fells in the Yorkshire Dales. In a working week you could easily do this walk without meeting another soul outside of Kettlewell. And the walk, when more light is available, could combine neighbouring Buckden Pike too and perhaps a bit more of an explore of Moor End Fell.  Kettlewell is worth a visit in itself, with plenty of pubs to choose from, tea shops, and easy access to a large section of the Dales, whilst never being to far from civilisation.
 Thanks for reading.

4 comments:

Sharon Whitley said...

some brilliant snowy views - not done any walking in that area but planning on doing the Y3P in April, looking forward to that (I think!)

Fell_Finder said...

Thank you. Well worth a wander at some point, but watch out for the bogs in warmer weather!
The 3 Peaks is a tough old hike, but is a great experience to do, you will enjoy that I think. I'm doing it again in July hopefully.
Cheers - Steve

earthen-magic said...

...an awesome walk! ~ thankyoU for this winter`y eye candy feast! ~ super delicious! ~ blessed be! ~ dear kindred!...(:

Fell_Finder said...

Thank you for the comment, glad you enjoyed this one :)