The Chevin at Otley

11:32am Saturday 21st June 2008

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OTLEY is a privileged place because to the south of the West Riding town runs The Chevin, a publicly owned slope that's a lovely play-zone for the people.

At our start, at one of the numerous car parks, there was a motor with a sticker reading www.pushchairwalks.co.uk and up pushed Rebecca Terry, who I recognised from the front cover of her All-Terrain Pushchair Walks: Yorkshire Dales.

She has another infant on the way so can continue her mileage, and here paths and tracks are smooth. We chatted about the Chevin, our route or so we'd planned, and took the Chippendale Ride.

Within a quarter mile, we had been overtaken by horses, zipped by mountain bikers chatting about carbon, and a runner who floated by. There was a waft of scent and a rose, and we overtook a woman amid a dozen dogs on octopus leads.

This was the morning out and about for the people of Otley. And this was in a onetime deer park, but such were the sleek hounds a hunting we thought no deer or grazer or browser would though hang around, but apparently the roe deer are quite bold.

Trees are regenerating, and the walk was uplifting. Should you be of a certain age then you might, if the sort, empathise with these trees, as many could share your birth-date. In the Second World War, the Chevin timber was harvested. In 1952, the land was donated to the council and replanting started. Now it is called the Chevin Forest Park.

There is a trigpoint with a view to leaf, branch and trunk. Gradually, we moved out of the popular area and our chances to get local route advice diminished. Visit Otley TIC or download for various other maps. Note the forest Visitors Centre has closed.

Yellow flag iris lured us through a damp patch and to the Ebor Way and then a descent brought the trickle of water, a fern filled gully and for the only time the register of traffic buzz. There's a Wharfedale view now and then but a better one later.

Climbers leave chalk marks on the house-sized chunks of gritstone. There's a memorial plaque to the first head forester. One carved face was colonised by bracket fungus. We had sandwiches at the outdoor studio of a chainsaw artist.

A steep road straight down to Otley cuts the Chevin in half. We crossed the road halfway up where at a car park workers ate lunch and the view would contain their workplace. A poster displayed the Parks Watch Officers on their off-road motorcycles.

The Chevin has some older trees, semi-ancient woodland, and rootier paths. We decided to explore to the far and then to return via the top of the tree line. Along here is an outcrop of rock called Surprise View from which you can see almost 360 degrees. A direction plaque gives the angle and distance of landmarks including, Almscliff Crag 5 miles' and York Minster 26 miles'.

Directions

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

Keep straight on unless otherwise directed. Note wm = waymark

1. From Lower Shawfield car park, main path (fingerpost Bridleway, Dales Way Link). Bridge, 100 yards.

2. Track on right (fingerpost - bridleway), picks up wall to your right.

3. At wall corner, second path on right (fingerpost, Bramhope Old Lane).

4. Path on left at Y junction a few yards after owl sculpture and by notice boards (fingerpost-bridleway). On bend path on right by wall (fingerpost Pool Bank Road), ignore path out of wood.

5. Cross paths junction at corner near power wires, right downhill by wall, cross duckboards, stile and path (infoboards) wetland area for 200 yards to open area, under power-lines, 50 yards.

6. Main track downhill, ignore path on right, snickelgate (fingerpost Ebor Way), straight on (bridleway). Crags.

7. Right fork downhill to leave Ebor Way (fingerpost bridleway), ignore right turn, by rocks, ignore bridleway on right, 50 yards, bridge over stream.

8. Danefield Gate (sign). Left to road/pavement uphill, 100 yards. Cross road to East Chevin Quarry Carpark (sign), fence gate'/fieldgate and info boards, path uphill.

9. Left uphill on wide path (Unsafe for wheelchairs/scooters sign), 200 yards.

10. Right at four-way junction, track picks up stone pillars and low walls to right, ignore left fork uphill, 50 yards, pass green and red ringed double post on downhill path by more old wall.

11. Left at T-junction uphill with two double ringed posts, also field to right. View from squeezer at top corner or left 50 yards before it to path, 100 yards, large boulders to right, pass pond to your right, stay by fence straight on (waymark).

12. Right to rocks at three-ringed post, viewpoint. Track by wall then wall remnants with fields to your right, gently downhill, fieldgate to track (signs on far side, Miller Lane Gate), straight on. Cross road, path into wood, loops right uphill to car-park.

Fact file

Distance: Five miles.

General location: West Riding of Yorkshire.

Start: The Chevin.

Right of way: Public and permissive.

Map: Drawn from OS Explorer 297 Lower Wharfedale.

Dogs: Legal.

Date walked: June 2008.

Road route: From York via A59. From centre of Otley road uphill from Gay Lane.

Car-parking: Lower Shawfield car-park, free. Or other forest car parks.

Lavatories: Otley.

Refreshments: Otley.

Tourist and public transport information: Otley TIC 01943 462485.

Terrain: Forested slope.

Points of interest: Otley Town Centre Cycle Races, Thursday June 26, from 7pm.

Difficulty: Moderate.

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