Captain's Log

Settle

The rain was drumming off the car as I parked up at Settle. The weather was supposed to improve in about an hour's time. I suggested to the Cabin Boy and Kapitan that we delay the start by having a coffee in Ye Olde Naked Man Café, since I couldn’t see the point of getting soaked if it was going to improve. The Cabin Boy wasn’t interested though and so we layered ourselves up in waterproofs and headed through the town centre towards its eastern hills.

‘I think the rain's stopping’ said the Kapitan as we left Settle’s buildings behind and headed steeply up the hill. I think we’d just been protected from the rain by the buildings and stone walls in Settle. As we got higher, the wind got stronger and the rain started to penetrate our waterproofs. Ho-hum. 

Our walk today would take us up to Warrendale Knotts above Settle. From there we’d make our way by field and road to Scaleber Force. At least the waterfall would be impressive with all this rain. Country lanes would then take us to a couple of Open Access areas at Hunter Bank and Cleatop Park.  More country lanes would form our route back to Settle. 

Warrendale Knotts

I’d been around Warrendale Knotts a couple of times before. The weather had been bad on those occasions too and it looked like I wouldn’t be getting any views this time either. We headed up a track that tackled the south scar of the summit. I thought it might present some difficulties when I looked at the route from below, but it was easy enough. The mist rolled in as we breached the top of the scar and totally encompassed us as we reached the trig point. There was a stone shelter around the trig, but it was too soon to stop. The top of Warrendale Knotts was a confusing collection of hillocks, limestone outcrops and tracks. We followed a track that took us roughly in a northeast direction. Eventually we reached a stone wall and the mist rolled back to reveal Attermire Scar. I could even see the entrance to Victoria Cave further to the north along the scar. We followed the base of the scar southwards.    

I had intended bagging Explorer hill High Hill, but the gate to the area was padlocked, despite the area being shown as Open Access on the OS map. There were also cattle roaming the hill.
‘I’m not going up that!’ said the Cabin Boy defiantly. I figured High Hill would have to wait for another day. A grassy path took us down to High Hill Lane. 

Scaleber Force

Scaleber Force was a kilometre out-and-back detour along High Hill Lane. I did wonder whether it would be worth the tarmac plod, but it turned out to be an excellent decision. There were a few vehicles using the road, but there was plenty of space on the verges to get out of their way. Scaleber Force was hidden away in woodland and was not visible from the road.  It was a real gem with a 40 foot drop and some additional cascades too. There was even a bench above it and we sat down for a break. After our coffee, we set off on a track that descended to the beck, for a closer view of the waterfall. There were some crude limestone steps to assist the descent, but it was quite tricky due to the steepness and the slippiness due to leaves and water on the stones. The Cabin Boy turned back and waited at the top.  It was well worth making the effort to descend though since there was a superb view of the waterfalls next to the beck. Photos taken, we headed back up the steps to the Cabin Boy. We retraced our steps along High Hill Lane. 

Hunter Bank

The rain had stopped while we were perusing Scaleber Force. The day was still very dark and grey though. I was hoping that we might get a bit of sunshine in the afternoon, but it wasn’t to be. We headed off down the farm track of Lambert Lane and on reaching Mitchell Lane, headed south on another farm track. The views were quite open and we could look back north to see Warrendale Knotts. Over to the east we could see the lump of Scosthrop High Moor. The track took us into the Hunter Bank Open Access area. A trig was visible on the top of a small hill, but a barbed fence prevented us from going straight up to it. We had to go down to a gate at the southern end of the Open Access area and then double back to the trig. It did have a pretty good view of the surrounding landscape and so was probably worth the small detour and effort to get up there. 

Cleatop Park

After some very damp field hopping, we got to the entry gate to the woodland area of Cleatop Park. There was a very pleasant trail through the trees and we stopped in the middle to have our lunch. It was a shame the woodland trail ran out too soon. A stile transported us from the woodland to a large open grassy area that was still Open Access. We could now see Settle to the north and we headed in that direction. At Lodge Farm we followed the tarmac of Lodge Road and then turned right onto a bridleway at Hoyman Laithe. This provided easy walking but was very wet in places. Gradually the buildings of Settle grew larger and before we knew it we were walking its streets. About 100 metres from the carpark, it started raining again. It had been one of those days weather wise.     

The rain, mist and grey skies made the day less inspiring than it should have been. One day, I will get up Warrendale Knotts when it isn’t misty and rainy. The highlight of the day for me was the magnificent Scaleber Force. The country lanes and field hopping were probably less interesting, but even they benefited from extensive views.