Garsdale, Dent, Arten Gill, Appersett, North Yorkshire.
[ 13.7 km] Wed 13 Aug 2008

Drove to Appersett near Hawes North Yorkshire. There is plenty of space to park near the river and as I’d arrived early I waited in the car until the bus was due. I caught the first 113 bus of the day which arrived just after 9:37am. I was the only passenger and arrived at Garsdale Railway Station at 9:53 and wandered up and down the platform to wait for the train. There were a few people waiting and the building work I’d seen last week were still on the go.

The Leeds train approaches Garsdale Station.

There was an impressive view across Gardale Head and I could see the train approaching in the distance. I was pleased to see plenty of people on it as I joined them for my short ride to the next station.

I was only going as far as Dent Station to start my walk and the conductor just reached me in time for me to pay for my £1.45 ticket. Several got off and several got on at Dent. The sign on the platform said it was the highest mainline station in England at 1150ft above sea level. My GPS unit gave a higher level at 358m or 1174ft. The early sunshine in Appersett had gone but the weather was calm and pleasant. I set off down the steep road into Dentdale and Cowgill.

Former Lea Yeat meeting House

Just over the bridge as I headed up the dale I noticed a carved sign over the door of a stone house ‘Cowgill Institute formerly Leyeat Meeting House of the Society of Friends 1702 – 1912’ The map calls the bridge Lea Yeat so Leyeat could be a miss-spelling. The carving isn’t very old. Further up is the Sportsman’s Inn which I’ve passed many times while driving through but this is the first time I’ve walked past it. With few houses in the area it’s amazing it manages to survive. At Stonehouse Bridge I crossed the River Dee again and left the road and I headed up by Stonehouse Farm and the track towards Artengill Viaduct and Artengill Beck.

 The track is quite rough and higher up has had a lot of rebuilding work done on it. The railway viaduct is very impressive on the approach, passing under it and also looking back as the climb continues. It was built between 1871 and 1875. The stony lane is the old drovers’ route connecting Dent with the market town of Hawes in Wensleydale. Eventually the gradient eased and I reached a flat stretch at Arten Gill Moss then the steady descent to Widdale. The weather was nice and sunny when I set off but now it was overcast and drizzle had started. I had a fairly hazy view of the descent ahead as I found some shelter from the wind and wet behind a wall at Cross Gate then sat down to eat my sandwiches. The continuing descent to Beldie Gill was wet and slippery and the path was deep wet ruts which were unsuitable for walking in so I kept to the dryer grass at the side. The track then passed though an area of pine woods and deteriorated even further.

Artengill Viaduct.

Cheese press at Thorney Mire Barn.

Large areas of standing water had to be detoured round and hopped over. Out of the wood the trail improved and I was almost down to the valley bottom. I joined the B6255 at Widdale Bridge and turned left to head down towards Hawes. There was no path so I had to keep well in to the grass verge as cars and lorries whizzed by. There are some fascinating names hereabouts. I sat on the parapet of Snaizeholme Bridge for a rest and take in the drizzly surroundings. I continued to Tarney Force and took the left branch down the minor Lanacar Lane. Further down at Thorney Mire Barn it was nice to see an old cheese press used as an ornament. It was of a type I’d not seen before with a lever to give the downward force needed to compress the cheese and remove moisture. Then I reached Appersett viaduct which used to carry the railway between Hawes and Garsdale. A sign says there is no footpath along the line of the old railway but I saw a couple of walkers about to set off along it. A couple of minutes later I was back in Appersett.