Yorkshire Pride
There are many greenlanes in Yorkshire and it’s a great way to enjoy the landscape
AFTER experiencing the spectacular views around Mid Wales recently I was then told about an area that is supposed to be just as much, if not more, spectacular. I have done a couple of coast-tocoast routes before now, but these had been to the north of the area I was tipped off about. Along with couple of friends and a willing photographer we decided to spend a couple of days in the Yorkshire Dales. bit of research with the GLASS rep (Greenlane Association) for the area and I had an idea of where I wanted to go.
We decided to stay at Masons campsite at Appletreewick to the North of Skipton. The campsite is in a lovely spot next to the river. It’s not the cheapest place and it can get busy but there is full facilities which are kept spotless and two very nice pubs a stone’s throw up the road.
The plan was to get up to the campsite at lunchtime on day one and book in and setup. Well, that was the plan. A delay in booking in at the campsite followed by two closed fuel stations led to a search for diesel before we could even start. Once that hiccup was sorted, and somewhat later than planned, myself and snapper Gaenor Kelly along with Chris Leo in his green and black Tdi 110 and local lad Tom English in his Series Land Rover met up at Helwith Bridge.
Sadly, Tom’s plan didn’t go as expected either with engine trouble, so instead he turned up in our friend’s Richard and Anne Mclain’s trusty 200Tdi 110. Would anything go to plan on this trip?
Our first lane of the day (more like late afternoon) was an Unclassified Country Road (UCR) called Dawson’s Close or sometimes known as Pen Y Ghent. Talk about starting off proceedings in style. What a brilliant lane. It’s a good length and the views are simply spectacular. Gaenors’ memory card was going to take a real hammering as she can’t resist taking a picture. The lane itself is a gentle flat rock-based track with a few sections grassed over in places. It is suitable for any Land Rover. Once we managed to drag our photographer back onboard we then had a bit of a road section down and back up Wharf Dale.
Our second lane according to Trailwise (The national GLASS database) is a byway open to all traffic (BOAT) called Gilbert Lane. This lane runs north over Cragdale and is slightly rocky in places but well-maintained. Again, it offers a phenomenal view of the surrounding area once you finish the climb up to the top. About half way along the lane splits left into High Lane (BOAT) and right (another BOAT) over
towards Carpley Green. We took the left fork but the right fork is a similar surface and any Land Rover is more than capable, according to local boy Tom.
Lane 3 is High Lane and again boasts more views and more photo opportunities. A firm gravel base leads you along in an easy manner and pace while admiring the views.
Lane 4 is Busk Lane. We turned down the entrance to this lane which is totally different to what we had previously experienced. No views this time as we drop down a slope with trees on either side. There looks to have been a lot of time and effort spent on this lane recently with a new gravel base laid down with terrace kerb-sized steps every so often to help protect the surface. At the bottom of the lane we were met with a couple of short water crossings. When we drove the water was a few inches deep, but again our local boy Tom said to exercise caution after heavy rainfall as it can get deep.
A glance at our watch meant it was starting to get on towards tea time. Tom suggested a pub called the Green Dragon in Hardraw for some grub. He also said that there is a fantastic waterfall called Hardraw Force which is said to be England’s longest single-drop waterfall. I realised that I had been to the pub and waterfall before on a coast-to-coast trip. Looking forward to seeing it again and the promise of more pictures for our photographer we headed over that way but to our horror the falls were closed. Apparently, the pub no longer owns the falls and entrance is via a coffee shop that closes around 5.00 pm. You can no longer camp behind the pub either and walk to the falls. It’s still worth a visit though if you are in the area at the right time.
There are also several other great lanes in the area that sadly we didn’t have time to drive, such as High Cam Road and West Cam Road.
Day two
The second day started out a lot closer to the campsite than the previous day’s lanes.
I cannot find a local name for Lane 1 but this UCR starts at Middle Skyreholme and runs north where it joins the B6265 near Stump Cross Caverns. It is a firm-based rocky lane with a couple of puddles after some overnight rain. A few gates dot the lane. Halfway along are vehicle TRO signs showing the lane that runs off to the east over Pock Stone Moor is now closed. Some lovely scenery appears once the grey clouds start to clear. Be careful leaving the lane at the north end as there is only room for one vehicle to park up to close the gate.
Lane 2 is situated through the picturesque Pateley Bridge and is a UCR known as Belford lane. From the southern end you drop down a narrow bush-lined track and into a sunken lane with two lovely stream crossings and footbridges. An idyllic lane for pictures but may be a little scratchy in high summer for those with shiny paintwork. After the river section the lane turns right and there is a short, rutted section with a couple of splashy water-filled holes. These shouldn’t bother most Land Rovers. Freelander 1s may need to be careful on this lane. It is a cracking little country road that is totally different to everything else we have done so far on this
trip. Look out for the animal mosaics dotted on the floor around this lane.
Lanes 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 start just to the west and are in fact a series of UCRS that form a large triangle of lanes that start at Fountains Earth Moor and head up to Sype Land. They are firm flat gravel tracks that circumnavigate the moors up here. The views are some of the best I have ever seen and you can see for miles and miles on a summer’s day. You could spend hours up here driving around and stopping. An interesting section of stones called Jenny Twigg and her daughter Tib is worth many a picture. We bumped into a local gamekeeper on the area parked up looking out for supermarket delivery vans who get directed by sat-navs into the area! Don’t miss this as it is simply stunning.
At the end of the day we head over to Scar House reservoir. There is a BOAT that runs over In Moore that leads you to another BOAT that crosses over the Dam bridge. There is a pun there somewhere! Sadly, we didn’t have time to do In Moore lane so we drove the white Water Board permissive access lane to get to the dam. It’s convoy picture time as we drive over the dam towards what is possibly one of the most unusually named lanes in the UK – Dead Mans Hill. This is a hard surfaced climb from the base of the dam that climbs up and offers lovely views of the reservoir below. The lane is well signposted and has seen a lot of work carried out on it recently. It’s a cracker of a lane and a real high point to end our short two-day trip on.