Wednesday 29 July 2020 - Great Knoutberry Hill

 

I waited for this week's fine weather and today managed another successful trip to the Yorkshire Dales, where I was discouraged from parking at Dent Station due to extensive road and building works.

 

 

 

The actual railway seemed intact, though I saw no trains.

 

 

I parked a little up the road, keeping all the loose car parking change I'd got from the bank yesterday for another occasion. You can see the car in this next view back into Dentdale. (Click on the pictures, as usual.)

 

 

A little way up the road, past fading orchids in the verges, I crossed the Pennine Bridleway and headed directly up the hill.

 

 

It was pathless, but dryer under foot than last week's venture up nearby Aye Gill Pike.

The 672 metre summit, where I'm pictured above, offered good views towards the Three Peaks whilst I enjoyed some elevenses behind a substantial stone windbreak. There was a cool breeze up here, but two layers were sufficient.

 

 

 

A vague path led down beside a wall, rather damper than my pathless route of ascent. At the bottom, I turned right onto a good track that I would stay with all the way to the hamlet of Stone House.

 

I soon crossed the route of the Pennine Bridleway that contours around the hill that I'd just climbed. Whernside is in quite close attendance.

 

 

Continuing down beside Artengill Beck, the Arten Gill Viaduct, made from local 'Dent Marble' - a dark limestone with a high fossil content, seems to fill the end of the valley, with Crag Hill and Calf Top behind. 

 

 

This was once a scene of great industry, Dent Marble being a valuable product in high demand, and much of the cobbled surface has been preserved.

 

 

 

There are large clumps of Bugle Self Heal, according to 'Buryman' Stewart, beside the track just now.

 

 

And the heather (Ling) is coming in to flower.

 

 

Beyond the viaduct, the hamlet of Stone House came into view.

 

 

I lunched in a spot with a good view back to the silhouetted viaduct.

 

 

Nearby, there's some information about the area's industrial past.

 

 

Here, a couple a walkers passed me, and the farmer was removing his sheep from a field to some pens.

 

The fine looking Sportsmans Inn was eerily quiet. Shut due to the Corona virus.

 

 

The rest of my walk was along the quiet road, first to Cowgill, passing en route this quaint bridge at Harber Gill.

 

I crossed the River Dee, and duplicated a very short section of last week's walk, before heading up the steep hill to Dent Station.
 

 

There are lots of tiny Eyebright flowers to be seen at present.

 

 

As well as the nearly spent orchids.

 

 

Pleasant views stretch back into Dentdale and its surrounding hills.

 

 

Here's today's route - just under 10 km, with 480 metres ascent, taking rather less than three hours, including breaks.