Report by Paul Coates pictures by Keith

Thursday 30th July 2009

Lockton Lane End, Quarry, White Dale, David Lane, Mount Pleasant Farm, Grime Moor, Bridestones, Dove Dale, Low Staindale, Staindale, Staindale Lodge, Fox & Rabbit, Farfields, Cross Dale, Farwath, Lockton, Lockton Lane End (9.5 miles).

Cloudy with sunny periods. Occasional heavy showers.

John, Col, Paul, Chris, Keith, Paul Craggs, Bob, Paul 'Sherlock' Holmes, Stu, Dudley, Ray, Jack.

Bob, Keith, Ray.

Grime Moor Pond

We had a good run up to Lockton Lane End and we got there in pretty quick time. There was a workman sat in his van when we arrived and he probably wished he'd been on his own when, as we got started on the walk, we watched him climb over a gate into a field containing a large brown pig and its many excitable piglets. He took a few strides into the field but when the large pig charged towards him he made an even quicker exit back over the gate amid much laughter from us. Meanwhile the piglets were running all around the field with much encouragement from Sherlock as he conversed with them in piggy language. Is there no end to this man's talent. OINK!!

Spot the difference !!

According to the map our path went through the farmyard at Mount Pleasant Farm but a sign on the gate stated that the path had been diverted, but with no clue as to where it had been diverted to. After following an adjacent path, which began leading us in the wrong direction, we backtracked to the gate. We then spotted the aptly named Farmer Todd (according to the name on the farm gate) who was shouting and wildly pointing in the direction we had fruitlessly just walked. Bob asked if he could come over and hopefully give us some clue as to where the diverted path had been hidden. With that Farmer Todd gave us what became the catchphrase of the day, "WHO ARE YOU?......WHO ARE YOU? (shouted in an ever increasing high pitched voice). So no help from him then. Our suggestion is that he changes the name of his farm to Mount Unpleasant.

Eventually we found an alternative route via another path we'd passed earlier. As we walked past the front of Mount Unpleasant Farm there was no sign of 'orrible Farmer Todd. Pity really as we wished to inform him he was off the FAC Christmas card list. We later picked our way across Grime Moor using a route not detailed on any map, but then anyone can follow the correct route. It takes years of experience just to meander about following any old sheep track and still end up in the right place. It's called 'hill craft'.

Bob and Jack lead the way

Following this interlude we decided to stop for our morning break. Surprisingly Keith stepped into what is usually Jack's domain with tales of the trials and tribulations of a mobile phone user. It transpired that as Keith drove towards Harrogate in his (Megabusplus.com) coach someone's phone began ringing. He assumed by the loudness of the ringtone that it was quite near so on three occasions he shouted at the woman sat behind him to "answer that phone will you!". She roundly ignored him and eventually the phone stopped ringing. It was only on arrival in Harrogate that he noticed that the coach phone had one missed call. Oooops! Had it not been for Farmer Todd's outburst earlier I'm sure "answer that phone will you!" would have become the saying of the day.

After our break we headed for The Bridestones. As the rest of us followed Keith's SatNav lead along a sketchy path (wisely avoiding the hole he fell into) Bob decided to take the traditional route bashing through the heather and bracken, presumably just for old times' sake, as in pre-SatNav days we'd have done the same.

Another great day out

We made our way down from The Bridestones along Dove Dale as dark threatening clouds and rumbling thunder ominously rolled towards us. And then the heavens opened as we quickly donned waterproofs. The stone pathway down became quite slippery in the wet and great care had to be taken in an effort to prevent going A over T (old English walking term). Once down in the bottom of Dove Dale the weather turned really nasty as we were bombarded with hail stones causing much wailing and a weeping as the marble size lumps of ice fell upon our heads.

After this unseasonal heavy shower of ice we continued along a by now wet and soggy Staindale. However we made sure our wet weather gear was removed before starting the well known (to us) murderous climb up through the forest and out of Staindale and towards the Fox & Rabbit pub, our lunchtime destination.

As we expected at the height of the holiday season the pub was quite full with happy eaters and jolly slurpers. So we sat on the damp benches outside but both them and us quickly dried out in the warming early afternoon sun.

Into the storm!

As we huddled round the bar deciding on the drinks to be bought Bob looked quite alarmed when he discovered he'd mislaid a tenner. We immediately wondered if he was ill as Bob is noted for being careful with money, especially his own. He asked John if he could lend him £10 which John obligingly did. Bob soon regained his faculties though as he then said to John "I'll put you down for two weeks Kettlewell money instead of paying you back in cash". Crafty Bobbo!, so not as ill as we thought.

It had been a long morning with the extra mileage put on at Mount Pleasant Farm and Grime Moor. Bob claimed the afternoon would be shorter but experience should tell us to get such pronouncements in writing. We had our afternoon break in the nameless valley betwixt Farwath and Levisham. As we began the final leg of our walk it was noted that there was a path marked on the map which would eventually take us up the eastern side of the valley and on towards Lockton.

There was hardly any evidence that such a path existed but led by Paul & Chris, closely followed by SatNav Keith giving out instructions as to the direction to take, with the rest of the FAC in his wake doubting ours, and their own, sanity. As we slowly pushed on through the dense undergrowth it looked like a scene from 'The Lost World'. We eventually came to a shallow stream and after crossing and re-crossing it and then wading across a third time further downstream, we eventually located a semblance of a track to lead us onwards and upwards.

Staindale

After a bit of scrambling about using tree roots and branches to help us up this initially unpromising track it opened out into a decent path. Giving us further confidence that we were heading along the right path was the fact that it was uphill and muddy, always a good pointer. Last time out we followed an adventures route we would never had taken had Keith and his trusty SatNav been with us. This time we followed an equally challenging route because we had the SatNav to guide us when there didn't appear to be a path to follow.

We finally got up onto the ridge overlooking the surrounding countryside giving great views all around. Unfortunately we could also see an incoming mass of swirling storm clouds swiftly coming our way. As we upped the pace to try and reach the shelter of some nearby woodland the wind suddenly whipped up and the rain lashed at us horizontally. Some of us made the shelter of the trees and bushes while Jack took shelter behind some prickly gorse bushes. He nearly ended up rolling back down the hill as he struggled to get his waterproof trousers on while trying to stay upright and remain unpunctured from the unfriendly looking spiky gorse bushes.

On Parade

Meanwhile Bob was doing an impression of a demented windmill as he went round in circles trying to get his arm into the wind blown sleeve of his waterproof jacket. It had been one of those sorts of days.

We sheltered under the canopy of trees and bushes until this mini monsoon had past then we squelched our way the last three quarters of a mile back to our cars. By the time we arrived back at Lockton Lane End the sun was out and the drowning we'd all had was quickly forgotten.

Another walk to remember, it's becoming a habit