Kettlewell

The Walks
Kettlewell lies in Wharfedale, which is located in the eastern end of the Yorkshire Dales. The hills surrounding Wharfedale can be effectively split into two unique regions. The area north of Kettlewell is typically vast rolling moorland with summits lying at 600 - 700m. South of Kettlewell, the area is more 'friendly' with lower, intricate, limestone country that has a much higher density of dry stone walls to confuse your map-reading sessions!

Travel
There is coach parking in the town at SD967722. There are also public toilets and a small shop which does open on Sundays - it's just up the road from the coach park. Tell your bus driver to head through Skipton.

The southern end has an extensive history behind it. The Monk's Road starts out from Arncliffe heading south over limestone moor and dale. It initially starts above a steep and narrow valley into which runs Cowside Beck. This particular area was also the site for iron age settlements. Arncliffe was also the original setting for the TV series 'Emmerdale'.

Conistone is another highlight of the southern area. A series of limestone scars lines the slopes to the east of the village. Conistane Dib provides a 'tight' ascent up a cleft to the moor above (easily avoidable). The moorland behind is generally very gently undulating but vast - you can walk for 10km without meeting another road.

The northern end of Wharfedale is genuine 'huge stomp' country. There are two summits breaching the 700m mark including Buckden Pike (702m) and Great Whernside (704m). A good route up to Buckden Pike is via the narrow confines of Buckden Beck which has a path going up the ravine to emerge on to the moor on top. It's quite possible to connect Buckden Pike and Great Whernside as part of a longer walk. Great Whernside forms the watershed of Nidderdale and encloses Scar House and Angram reservoirs. A ciruit of the watershed would be quite a challenge.

Other summits to explore include Yockenthwaithe Moor and Sugar Loaf on the west side of Wharfedale. Sugar Loaf is not for those who are watching their calories! In general all the areas mentioned are quite / very boggy so don't expect to escape the mud unless it's frozen.

Further up the Wharfe Valley lie the villages of Starbottom and Buckden. These can be visited as part of a walk along the Dales way which follows the valley bottom. Further still up the valley lies Hubberholme. All have pubs for refreshment before continueing.



=Tom's Geography Field Trip=

Starting in Kettlewell, head east towards higher ground, then walk south along the side of the valley until you reach Scot Gate Lane. Head up onto Malham Moor, then head south to finish at the pub in Threshfield. Thing you may see include:


 * The magnificant limestone terraces, easily identified as large flat areas of weathered limestone. These we deposited during the Carboniferous period (360 million years ago). They are made from material of sea creatures and inorganic elements and were formed under an ocean. Uplift and sea level change has brought them to where they are now.


 * The U-shaped glacial valley of Wharfedale. This is a classic relic glacial landform, probably dating from the last glaciation around 12,000 years ago. At the height of the last ice age the whole of this area would have been covered by an ice cap.


 * Shake holes dot the path along the valley, recognisable as fairly deep depressions in the land, often with rocks at the bottom. They are caused by underground caverns or rivers collapsing.


 * The old mine workings are signposted, and the large piles of slag (discarded rock) are obvious in and around SD992692. Infact if you spend a bit of time looking around you will find old mineshafts, the most obvious being capped by a circular done of rocks on higher ground to the right of the trodden path. Be careful though - it has not been filled and the cap could collapse. Try throwing a rock down through the holes to see how deep it is.


 * The old lime kiln on the right hand side of the path at the top of Scot Gate Lane (SD991684). Lime kilns are used to produce quicklime from limestone for use in agriculture as a fertiliser and in producing mortars. It would have been loaded with rocks from the top and unloaded from below.


 * As you head across Malham Moor, see if you can go off the track to find any of the old bell pits. These are primative forms of coal mining where a shaft is dug down then horizontally outwards until it becomes unstable - no support is used. It resembles as upturned bell if considered in section view. Although many have already collapsed, be careful!


 * As you head down in Threshfield, look out for the large raised horizontal cave near Cow Close Wood. There are thousands of caves in Yorkshire, although most of them are much deeper and have vertical entrances. Many of them remain unexplored or have yet to be surveyed. A trip down them makes for a fascinating insight into the natural history of our earth, housing impressive rock formations and abundant fossils set in the rock.