By Bob Adams

After following the River Ure for over sixty miles I have finally reached the head of Wensleydale and the market town of Hawes. The source of the Ure is now only a day or two away, just up the valley.

We had some strange weather early in May. The wind seemed to blow consistently from the east and brought no rain. The wind was cold and fresh –perfect weather for walking. I cleared a free day and set off with two friends, Gus and Annie. You may remember Gus from my Nidd walk. He was still struggling with his half-binocular but that didn’t stop him identifying birds with fervour as we progressed up the dale.

We left the car at the Aysgarth Falls car park and headed downhill across the bridge and then west, along the north bank of the Ure. The river level was much lower than when I was last here in November.

We crossed the old railway track and traversed the Bear Park. No bears were seen but Gus did find orange tip and speckled wood butterflies. The Bear Park is actually the name for a garden that used to grace a seventeenth century mansion house, once sketched by Turner.

We then followed the embankment of the now disused Wensleydale railway. I understand there are plans to re-open the line right through to Hawes and eventually on to its link with the Settle to Carlisle line at Garsdale. The line is currently open from Leeming Bar to Redmire. This would clearly be a major undertaking, looking at the amount of construction work required.

It was pleasant walking through the riverside meadows on that spring morning. The fields, hedgerows and woods were dotted with wild flowers and beds of garlic. Gus identified forget-me-not, red campion, cuckooflower and speedwell. By the river he spotted common sandpipers, willow warblers and a hen harrier. At one point we saw a stoat flitting along a field across the river. It was moving faster than a hare.

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The iron bridge over the disused Wensleydale railway

Back at the disused railway we went under the ‘bridge to nowhere’ – a rusty metal structure carrying a path that seemed to come to a sheer drop. Further on we saw an equally solid shed that must have been constructed many decades ago.

As we approached Askrigg we could just see the tip of one of the towers of Nappa Hall through the trees. Nappa apparently means ‘an enclosure in a bowl-shaped hollow.’ Nappa Hall is a fortified manor house owned by the Metcalfe family since the fourteenth century. It was finally sold by them in 2008.

Askrigg (from the Norse for ‘ash tree’ and ‘ridge’) is an attractive village once dominated by the Cistercian monks before their move to Jervaulx Abbey. They originally settled at Fors Abbey, a wooden structure about a mile west of Askrigg.

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Woods near Askrigg

The area was prosperous through sheep farming and Askrigg became well known for textiles, and knitting. From the 1680s clock making became another asset of the village.

We found delicious raspberry ice cream, sold by the ladies of ‘Humble Pie,’ which we enjoyed in the churchyard of St Oswald’s church. The original church was built in 1180 and rebuilt in 1446, but, according to the guide, had a ‘disastrous and extensive restoration’ in 1853. Luckily the wonderful nave ceiling remains.

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The ladies of 'Humble Pie'

After leaving the village we headed up to the delightful Mill Gill, a series of pools and dingly dells leading into a wooded gorge. In the depths of the gorge there was a ruined house. Further up the path you come to Whitfield Gill Force. Unfortunately we had to leave the gorge to follow the path to Hawes. At this point there were lovely views across the valley to the village of Bainbridge and the Iron Age hill fort on top of Addlebrough.

A Roman fort was situated at Bainbridge (Virosidum). A number of Roman roads crossed there and there was a need for a fort to keep the Brigantines in order and protect the lead mining nearby.

Our path followed the old drove road along the ridge to Sedbusk. Mary Queen of Scots passed this way in 1568 on her way to prison at Bolton Castle. Lady Anne Clifford went the other way in 1663 from Nappa Hall to her castle at Pendragon. This area of the Dale must have been a hive of activity in packhorse days with a settlement and several inns at Skellgill. But the only activity we came across was the cries of birds and a passing Hercules doing low fly training.

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The stone-flagged path to Hawes

Then up above us hovered an alarmed lapwing. It was not long before we discovered the cause of its alarm. One of its chicks had escaped and was scooting along the path in front of us. Eventually it turned back. We hope it made it safely after seeing how fast a stoat could run.

Until then our view of Hawes had been obscured by a knoll, aptly named ‘The Knolls.’ After heading downhill from Sedbusk our destination finally came into view at the end of a stone-flagged path. It was a glorious view, gambolling lambs in the meadows, a snatch of blue from the river and then the grey of the village and church tower, and behind all of that, the rise of the hills beyond.

Our way, across an ancient bridge, was guarded by a sheep and its offspring, but not for long, as sheep are not renowned for their bravery.

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Sheep guard a bridge near Hawes

Hawes is apparently England’s highest market town standing 850 feet above sea level. It stands at the crossroads of several passes between the Dales and Pennines and is deservedly a major centre for walking, antiques and rope making. And of course, Wensleydale cheese. Did you know that those enterprising monks from Askrigg, the Cistercians, first brought this famous cheese to the dale? It apparently evolved from a type of sheep’s cheese based on Roquefort.

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Approaching Hawes

The railway station now stands isolated with its steam train silently waiting for the line to be rebuilt. We just had time to visit the rope factory before the 5.32pm ‘Little white Bus’ whisked us back to Aysgarth.

Time to take stock and plan the final push to the source. I figure it is likely to be too far to walk there and back in one day, but there is no rush. There is so much to see and experience walking Yorkshire’s rivers.