Penyghent

11:30am Saturday 7th June 2008

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STAINFORTH is a little village near Settle with a useful car park and a useful pub, the Craven Heifer, where the beck runs alongside. We spent a night at most reasonable cost.

In the morning we walked out the front door, took Constitution Hill, strolled past the village green and were on our walk. Really early birds, dog walkers and all, were on their way down and there was a chat about the orchids.

We were definitely on the way up a steepish climb, a walled track named Goat Scar Lane, not the nearby Goat Lane.

The sun was out and ahead a gaggle of girls. We'd just about caught them up, they were laden with expedition rucksacks, when a sign pointed off to Catrigg Force, a waterfall five minutes away. It's a diversion worth taking, as once visited by the composer Elgar. Even after a dry month, the main 30ft drop was strong, the place intimate with dappled light and also rather gothic with cliffs and hanging trees.

These are the last trees for miles. And we'd expected the party of girls to be well away by the time we surfaced, but no, they were becalmed a pasture away. We were following, but they kept their distance and then regrouped around their map. They probably aren't supposed to get navigational advice if on an award walk.

Our route stays at about a thousand foot for miles and took us away over some lovely rolling pastures. After a while I looked back, the girls were still stalled, presumably lost. There are few waymark posts, we had to concentrate sometimes.

There's no doubt about the dominant navigational feature in the landscape, it stands alone, a massive lump, Penyghent. Of wildlife there were curlew, lapwing and skylark but not seemingly in any great number and a beautiful chevron patterned beetle in mustard, wine and black. But the view's the thing.

Next a mile of back lane, a high road that runs over the Rough Lands and was not busy.

In fact there were only two cars, both I think contained minders for the various walking groups at large. Of these there was another of girls and one of boys. And one cyclist who stopped to chat and we talked about gears: he didn't think much of the gradients and had done 90 miles already that morning.

Feeling on the feebleness scale halfway between the cyclist and the lost, we sat and had our sandwiches in Tongue Gill.

The next mile was on a good track through pastures to Great Moor Head which is where we intersected the Ribble Way, our route back south to Stainforth. But first we had a wander north for a few hundred yards.

Do this and you get a full view of the three quarries that dominate this part of Ribblesdale.

Dry Rigg and Arco quarries produce skid-resistant gritstone for roads, Horton quarry is limestone, aggregate for roads again and for concrete. The vision of these terraced cavities is an acquired taste.

The coast down on the Ribble Way is very pleasant and enters Stainforth's grey stone at its best houses.

Directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point.

Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1. Right from car park, first right, left opposite Craven Heifer (sign), 100 yards, left and pass village green, road becomes walled track uphill.

2. Gate on left to Cartrigg Force (fingerpost), return to gate. Then nearby fieldgate, 100 yards, ladderstile on left and immediately right (fingerpost) by wall, wall stile (waymarked post) and diagonally across field, ladderstile and right by wall 100 yards.

3. Ladderstile and across field to ladderstile near corner, path keeps near wall to left, ladderstile, cross field, ladderstile and cross good track then 1 o'clock across field via 3 stumps of old telegraph poles then 11 o'clock.

4. Left to road (fingerpost near fieldgate). Left at T-junction (sign Stainforth), 200 yards.

5. Walled track on right (no sign), 2 fieldgates.

6. At fieldgate/wallstile on left take path opposite (fingerpost Long Lane) for short distance to view three quarries, return and take the fieldgate/wallstile. By wall, gently downhill, ladderstile, by wall 200 yards then 100 yards across field, ladderstile, cross field, ladderstile near fieldgate (fingerpost), 100 yards, fieldgate between fence and new trees to grassy path, ladderstile and path 1 o'clock downhill, ladderstile, by wall 100 yards, stile and angle left to gateway, cross field, ladderstile/fieldgate to track by houses into Stainforth.

Fact file

Distance: Five miles.

General location: Yorkshire Dales.

Start: Stainforth.

Right of way: Public.

Map: Drawn from OS Explorer OL2 Yorkshire Dales southern and western areas.

Dogs: Legal.

Date walked: May 2008.

Road route: Via Settle.

Car parking: Large pay and display carpark.

Lavatories: Car park.

Refreshments: The Craven Heifer in Stainforth.

Tourist and public transport information: Settle TIC 01729 825192.

Terrain: Upland pasture.

Points of interest: Waterfalls.

Difficulty: Moderate if fine.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.