11.5 miles
Explorer Map No OL30, - Yorkshire Dales North
This walk is very much for the experienced walker, as one section
of it crosses sections of peat bog where the path has become very
badly eroded. The path frequently presents the walker with a puzzle
as to how to proceed without getting trapped in the peat.
This section of the walk needs good visibility, and should not
be attempted in poor weather.
If the sun is shining and the visibility is good then there are
some fantastic views along most of the length of the walk, however.
For a Memory Map overlay of the walk described, please select the
above link.
(Overlay made with Version 4 of Memory Map)
Some new mapping software is now availabe which you may want to try, - QUO mapping. You can download the software for free from the link below, complete with demonstration maps. Having installed QUO, you can import and export Memory Map overlays. Thus YOU DON'T NEED Memory Map to use any of the overlays provided on the Grey Panthers website, - just use QUO!!
Start from the small car park just outside Langthwaite
village (NZ00518 02322). Fee to pay, - at the time of writing = £3.50p
per day.
Head through Langthwaite village, past the Red Lion and uphill, to
take the signed footpath along the lane on your left.
Continue uphill through the woods to Windegg Lane.
Just past the point where Windegg Lane leaves the woods, there is
a small field gate on your left.
Head downhill to Scarhouse Lane. Turn left in the lane, to pass Scar
House and cross the bridge over the Arkle Beck.
Continue along the lane for a short while until you come to a signposted
footpath on your right. This footpath runs beside the Arkle Beck to
Whaw Bridge.
Cross Whaw Bridge and head uphill along the road. At the T-junction,
turn left and continue for about 100 yards.
Take the signposted bridleway on your right that leads you gently
uphill for the next 2 miles or so beside Great Punchard Gill.
Just before the Punchard Coal Level there are some dark spoil heaps
and the remains of some walls. Cross the Great Punchard Gill at this
point to find the footpath that takes you (initially) South over Punchard
Moor.
Crossing the Gill can be slightly tricky if it is running full.
The footpath starts off by being reasonably well defined, but becomes
quite faint in parts. The footpath also crosses sections of peat bog
which need considerable care in crossing.
After following the footpath South East for about 1/2 mile, you come
across a far better defined track that heads almost due South.
Follow this track for about 3/4 mile, until, - at a gill, another
track heads almost due East.
THis Easterly headed track is very clear and easy to follow, and takes
you initially past Great Pinseat to a number of spoil heaps at the
Martin Vein. Where a series of cairns indicates that the path divides,
takes the right hand fork.
The track eventually brings you to the road above Bouldershaw House.
Here take the footpath East to Langthwaite.