Route: Marske
Area: Yorkshire Dales
Date of walk: 9th September 2016
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 8.1 miles
Ascent: 1,100 feet
Weather: Sunny at first but clouded over, very windy
I parked by the bridge just outside the small village of Marske. There’s a small car park here owned by the nearby church suggesting a small payment, which I was happy to make. As I walked past the church at the start of the walk happy memories came back of the last time Gilly and I were here – during our Coast to Coast walk 15 years ago
A path leads from the bridge into Clints Wood, although I took a slightly longer course in order to walk through the village. I joined a track leading through Clints Wood, with the limestone scar known as Clints Scar towering above on my right
After Orgate Farm there followed a down and an up across the valley, past Telfit Farm and round the shoulder of Cold Bank. Beyond Helwith I followed a path beside Shaw Beck, an area where the rabbit population must be about the same size as that of London – they were everywhere and so were their warrens. Watch your step here, as a broken ankle caused by a rabbit could cause embarrassment
Beyond some disused lead mines I rounded a corner at the far point of the walk and entered onto Skelton Moor. Moorland walks usually enable quick progress to be made as was the case today and before long I was descending back to the start of what had been a very enjoyable walk
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I pass by St Edmund’s Church Marske at the start of the walk
I turn left along this no through road
There were hundreds of swallows and martins on the wires, maybe contemplating setting off to Africa
The road becomes a track, leading to nearby Clints
Marske Beck below, hidden by the trees
Walking through Clints
Beyond Clints the path emerges onto open countryside, with views of Clints Scar
Looking across Marske Beck to my eventual return route
Beyond Clints Wood
Orgate Farm ahead
I realised afterwards that I’d omitted the short detour to Orgate Force below
There’s a path to the left which takes me around Orgate Farm
Old mining hut
A down and an up follows to Telfit Farm on the far side of the valley
Descending to Marske Beck - Dicky Edge in the background
I cross the attractive bridge over the beck
I go through a gate to the left of Telfit Farm and follow a path behind it
Looking back towards Marske
I walk down the valley between Cold Bank and Helwith Bank
Further along the valley
Marske Beck, which has been a constant companion during the walk
Approaching the head of the valley
Helwith Bridge
Beyond the Helwith Bridge I follow a path beside Shaw Beck
I cross the beck
Deserted buildings, probably old miners’ huts as there are disused lead mines around here
I emerge from the valley onto open countryside…
Approaching Skelton Moor
This is the highest point of the walk at just over 1,000 feet
Heather
The start of the descent back to Marske
Looking back over some of the first half of the walk, including Telfit Farm
I follow a stony track down towards Marske Beck
Highland cattle
I walk along Skelton Lane for about 50 yards before turning off by this hut
Looking across Skelton Lane
I’d planned to cross Pillimire Bridge and walk back to Marske through the fields…
...but a large herd of cows with calves were blocking the path…
…not to worry, I can follow Skelton Lane back to the start, which is a short distance from here. It had been a really enjoyable walk in varied landscape, all of it attractive
On the way home I stopped the car as I passed through Hornby Castle Deer Park, home to a large herd of red deer
