Surrender Bridge is heavy with lead mining history. In the summer of 2000 we explored the Old Gang smelting mill a mile upstream. This time we visited the ruins of the nineteenth century smelting mill half a mile downstream.

But first up, a warm up, up the back road, a chat about cycling with a tough tramper from Teesside who was resting a painful toe, and then on to the moors.

These were lovely, a mosaic of heather and grasses, with the bleeping of a golden plover, and a sun-blasted backdrop of Fremington Edge.

At a height of 1,400 feet there's a sight of Surrender Bridge a mile away as the crow flies. A grouse pretended to have a broken wing and ran awkwardly ahead to distract us from the chicks tumbling in the heather.

We descended past neat little stone-walled fields to the valley of Barney Beck, caught sight of the rooftops of the village of Healaugh, took the shade of rhododendron, giant redwood and clipped yew at Thiernswood Hall and then started the last couple of miles above the river.

First the route was over pastures along one side of a stone wall, then it switched to the other side and a slug of adrenaline kicked in with the 45 degree slope, steep, deep and wooded to beck. One doesn't descend, instead there's a negotiation of the edge. There's a sharp side gully to cross, a beck to ford, so watch out for heavy rain. Occasionally there's a vertical drop.

Ground zero in this part of the Dales, grid reference 000 000, is close, but not a place of any great mystical significance, not yet anyway, but given a millennium or so who knows. Also nearby are the Dagger Stones.

A desolation of a not displeasing sort overtakes the landscape. With a mile to go the trees give out and the valley is bare, the beck a silver thread through a rocky gorge, Afghan style.

This is a precursor to the Surrender Bridge smelt mill, from which lead poured between 1839 and 1881, then to be taken by horse to Stockton or Hull for sale.

From a complex of roofless stone walls two slab-covered flues join, these took the poisonous fumes half a mile up the hillside. It must have been dire above and below ground.

The pickmen, dressers, deadmen and level wallers sang a song called Fourpence A Day.

Fact file:

Distance: Five miles.

Time: Three hours.

General location: Northern Dales.

Start: Surrender Bridge. Grid Ref: SD 988 998.

Right of way: The complete route is along public rights of way.

Date walked: Thursday, May 27, 2004.

Road route: Turn off B6270 about three miles west of Reeth by pub at Feetham.

Parking: Parking areas, free.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: Feetham and Langthwaite - one inn each. CB Inn, Arkengarthdale. Inns, cafs etc in Reeth.

Tourist and public transport information: National Parks Visitors Centre, Reeth Tel: 01748 884059.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL30 Yorkshire Dales northern and central areas.

Terrain: Moor and river valley.

Points of interest: Swaledale: Portrait of a North Yorkshire Mining Community by John Hardy.

Difficulty: Moderate in nice weather.

Dogs: Keep tunnellers out of mines and hunters away from ground-nesting birds.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly.

While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Directions:

Road uphill, ford, fieldgate to track on second bend of hairpin (fingerpost) and ignore right fork after 25 yards.

Grass track on right ten yards after small ford and opposite snaking gully below (Nesting Birds sign), becomes path in places, aim for saddle between hills.

Path descends at 11 o'clock to left of panel of three walled fields in moor, then at brow (small cairn) straight on at cross-roads of grass paths to path which passes about 100 yards to left of panel of two walled fields, join track.

Left at T-junction (wall ahead) to main track, right to road downhill after house.

At bend, right (fingerpost nearby tucked behind bank on left) and across grass for 30 yards (wall to left) to wooden fieldgate, 50 yards, old gates to path in front of ruins, wooden gate, 30 yards. Wooden gate on left and right across grass and track in front of house, squeezer, 11 o'clock, right of two gates, pass the arched barn, squeezer/fence into the yard by barn and left on to drive of big house.

Right at drive T-junction, uphill on woodland path, squeezer on left just before white iron gates. Keep near wall to left (squeezers/ gateways).

Gated squeezer on left and right to path other side of wall, wood edge (signed, sheer drops and broken walls in places). Path maintains height, through bracken, steps and gate, steep gully, ford. Path along edge of valley, mine remnants.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 10:48 Saturday, June 19, 2004