Walk Description

Having discussed the merits of visiting previously unwalked territory (at least not walked by us), Steve and I set off to walk part of the long ridge between Littondale and Langstrothdale. We made the very familiar journey to Settle and Stainforth.  From there we took the minor road over to Halton Gill.  This quiet road follows Silverdale and then drops into the valley between Fountains Fell and Pen y Ghent.   We contoured around the sides of Plover Hill and entered the remote village of Halton Gill (which we were to see at close quarters near the end of the walk).

We left the car at Litton and started upwards along the old moorland path towards Buckden and Hubbeholme.  Shortly after starting the walk we crossed the aptly named Crystal Beck.  On reaching Ackersley Moor we turned left and began the steep trudge directly up the moor.  Every rest spot gave us increasingly good views of Pen y Ghent and even the snow topped summit of Whernside made an appearance.

As we walked across Old Cote Moor Top we were assaulted by the persistent cries of angry grouse.  There were good views to be had across Wharfedale to Buckden Pike and Great Whernside.   Although there was plenty of sunshine, the cool wind prompted us to start moving before we got too cold.   We then headed roughly northwards across the open moor and headed for Birks Tarn.  We passed a number of smaller pools of water dotted between the peat hags and heather that that comprised the top of the moor.  Again we had good views of Buckden Pike and Great Whernside as well as the numerous military aircraft that were flying in the dales that afternoon.

From the Tarn we made our way back to the boundary wall and headed towards Horse Head.  From now on the route became more interesting (read difficult/wet), there were numerous large ponds and peat bogs to be navigated, some of which involved considerable diversions from the path.  In fact at times the path was so wet, that our boots were washed clean. Just before Horse Head Gate we encountered the most difficult part of the route – a large expanse of wet peat hags.  The path itself disappeared here and it was a case of everyone fend for yourself and we had to find our own route through the hags and bog.  25 minutes later we were back onto solid ground.

As we approached Horse Head Gate we noticed several unusual earth formations.  We could only assume that these were mole tunnels just below the surface of the grass. A short stroll now took us to the second trig point of the day – Horse Head itself.  After a short rest, taken whilst enjoying views of the distant Lakeland fells, Wild Boar Fell and of course the Yorkshire Three Peaks, we set off down the clearly marked track back to Halton Gill.  This was certainly a very dirty path and great care was needed to avoid slipping on the treacherous mud.  However the superb views down into Littondale offset the problems caused by the poor track surface.

At Halton Gill we were met by an extremely friendly dog.  It bounded across the road and looked so sad, when after a quick fuss, it was told to “go back”.  We strolled along the road to the bridge over the delightful River Skirfare and were greeted by a footpath sign proudly informing us that Litton was 2 ¼ miles away.  However although muddy at times it was an enjoyable stroll past many old field barns.  A narrow foot bridge enabled us to cross the river and enter Litton.  We quickly reached the car, changed our footwear and revelled in the bliss of sitting down in comfort.

This had been a wonderful day’s walk, the weather had been kind and the views wide ranging.