If, thanks to the work of James Herriot and film's such as the Calendar Girls, the Yorkshire Dales have a rather cuddly reputation, the reality is different. This is a tough, remote landscape of eroded gulleys, known as hags, and wind-battered limestone crags, and it is at its toughest in winter.

This walk is set in the glacial valleys of Wharfedale. Look north-west along this walk and paleochannels – imprints in the fields – mark where the River Wharfe was once diverted. Scattered remnants of Bronze Age settlements can be picked out on the hillsides, and on the lower flanks of the hills, a low sun can shine a spotlight on the humps and folds that represent yet more archaeological sites.

Drystone walls frame much of the landscape, squaring off fields, occasionally forming neat and tidy frames for chocolate box covers, at other times they simply peter out, as if the men who built them were exhausted by their labours.

The River Wharfe in winter, running through the Yorkshire Dales Alamy

If you wait until summer, you will be rewarded with an abundance of flowers. In recent decades, Britain’s traditional hay meadows have been reduced to a fraction of their original number. But, in the Yorkshire Dales, they continue to flourish.

The main culprit for the decline of hay meadows is intensive agriculture and the practice of cutting silage early, before the flowers have time to flaunt their beauty. The effect, says Dr David Bullock, head of nature conservation for the National Trust, is to create a landscape of “acrylic green”.

The hay was cut in August and stored for cattle as winter fodder Alamy

Route

1. Start at Yockenthwaite (meaning Eoghan’s clearing in a wood) Bridge and follow the footpath signposted to Scar House. Turn right off the farm track at another footpath sign, going through Strans Wood and emerge on to the open hillside.

2. In 1652, George Fox, the founder of the Quakers, stayed at Scar House and converted the farmer. The house later became a Quaker meeting place. A small enclosure with five trees marks an old burial ground. Continue towards Cray, keeping the woodland boundary on your right. (For a shorter walk, turn right at Scar House and follow the track into Hubberholme). Enjoy the view down Wharfedale’s glaciated valley with its wide floor and ice-carved steep sides.

3. Cross Crook Gill and carry on through hay meadows to Cray. Enjoy the wild flowers and lots of birds throughout spring and summer. Hay is a valuable crop to farmers and it can suffer if trampled by too many feet, so please walk in single file.

4. Drop down to your right when entering Cray and follow a footpath along Cray Gill to a road. Turn right and walk along it for 440yd (400m) until you reach Hubberholme. The common blue butterfly flies from May to October and is often seen over grassland. It's particularly associated with the plant, birds-foot trefoil, which provides food for the caterpillars. Also look out for tiny craven door snails on old walls and in moist shaded rocks, and butterflies such as the northern brown argus (associated with common rock rose) and the green-veined white.

Upper Wharfedale view towards Hubberholme Alamy

5. Return to Yockenthwaite via a footpath behind Hubberholme church and follow this route beside the River Wharfe all the way back. Below the water are many aquatic creatures. Bullhead (a small fish) and crayfish may be revealed on lifting a stone, and brown trout, eel and grayling are also present, indicating clean water.

Details

Distance: 6 miles (9.5km)

Time: 2 hours

OS Map: Landranger 98

Terrain: Moderately energetic circular walk of approximately 6 miles (9.5km). There's a rather steep climb from Yockenthwaite then it's fairly flat until the descent out of Cray. There’s a short stretch of road into Hubberholme. Dogs welcome but must be kept on a lead.

Getting there

By bike: off-road cycling is permitted on bridleways; 13 miles (20.9km) signed on-road cycle route from Skipton to Kettlewell (around 5 miles (8km) from Buckden). For further information see the sustrans website



By bus/train: Pride of the Dales 72, Skipton station to Buckden, also buses from Leeds and Ilkley stations (Sundays, April to October)

By car: Yockenthwaite is 3 miles (4.8km) north-west of Buckden, off B6160

Facilities

Roadside parking at Yockenthwaite

Pubs at Cray and Hubberholme

An exhibition of the area’s history at Townhead Barn, Buckden, also car park, toilets, cafes, pubs

YHA hostel in Kettlewell

National Trust hill-walking leaflet and other trail guides from the Yorkshire Dales National Park centre, Grassington

Contact us

Telephone: 01729 830416

Email: upperwharfedale@nationaltrust.org.uk

Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/upper-wharfedale/

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