Favourite Walks and Rambles

[PanBiker]

Indeed Wendy, I am about to invest in some gaiters as well. I have a pair but they are a tad too small. You can get the front clip onto the first horizontal lace loop but its not as good as if the boots have a loop. You still get mucky climbing the stiles though

[Stanley]

I used to be a big fan of gaiters, Craghoppers I think. Protection against snake bite as well......

[PanBiker]

Our walk yesterday took us out by the stables behind Monkroyd and into the fields below Cow Pasture. We headed down the first field to cross the beck and then turned right to take the path through the old orchard. Under the trees and then out onto the hill. Climbing here towards Raygill was very heavy going and it didn't get any better even as you got to the top, the ground was so saturated that you could hardly see any grass. Through then to the field below Hollins running parallel to Brogden Lane. When we met up with the bridle path we turned left to climb the hill round the edge of the field and through the yard at Hollins. We were going to go up Dark Hill onto Edge Lane but it was so wet we decided to stay on Hollins Lane through to Esp Lane and then left down to Townhead and home. This turned out to be just short of three miles but it took us the full hour due to the heavy going in the fields.

I went over to Skipton today and managed to get another pair of winter walking trousers. I went to Mountain Warehouse as they had a up to 70% sale on which gave me a £59.00 pair reduced to £24.95, I got some gaiters as well. Better kitted now for the clag.

[Sue]

Just been for a very nice but snowy walk round Grasmere Lake. A couple of cafes were open in the village and we managed a morning coffee and a bit of lunch before tackling the very slippery route back. We felt lovely and warm after the walk despite the bracing conditions

[Wendyf]

Sounds lovely Sue. Its hard work walking through snow.

[Stanley]

Or on ice and there's plenty of that about at the moment!

[LizG]

I used to be a big fan of gaiters, Craghoppers I think. Protection against snake bite as well......

Keeps the grass seeds out of your socks too.

[Stanley]

I'd forgotten that Liz, they can be itchy little buggers can't they!

[PanBiker]

Our walk yesterday was a partial reverse with added variation on the one we did on Thursday. Up to the top of Esp Lane then we continued up Edge Lane, it was a bit slippy on the lane as everything was frozen but OK if you kept in the edge. We left the lane to head down Dark Hill, the boggy stile waiting for upgrade work was still, well, boggy. We went down onto Hollins Lane then turned left up to the Farm and back out into the fields. We followed the green lane down towards Brogden but turned right to return over the boggy hill we had traversed on Thursday. It was a lot easier going, soft but the mire was essentially frozen so a lot easier to walk on. Back under the trees and through the old orchard. We turned right here up to Cow Pasture to avoid the flooded path down by the stables. Back home via Calf Hall. 4 miles, 90 minutes and enough calories to pay for the roast pork we had for tea.

Just about to get togged up for a foray in the snow.

[PanBiker]

An hour in the snow, out via Fernbank, and over to Brogden, straight across the lane and down to the stone bridge over Cloggers Beck. Straight ahead from here skirting the rise in the field and over a couple of stiles. We were going to go down to Bracewell and return via Stock Village but glancing back, Weets was disappearing from view and it had just started to snow, so we decided to cut that two mile bit of the loop out. So we just took the short track out onto Bracewell Lane. Pity that there isn't a stile into the field straight across from here. You have no option other than to walk on the road either way, this bit spoils a couple of the local routes as the traffic can be manic on that road. We turned right and walked up to Crook Carr then crossed the road and took the bridleway to the marker post in the middle of the field. A dogleg to the right here and down off the hill to Gilbeber. This has been refurbished to a point and it looks like it is being used as a barn but it has had window openings put in front and back maybe for future further conversion. Onward to the gated footbridge over Stock Beck and then back to Broad Ing bridge on Greeberfield. We took the path up through Victory Park and home via the Cornmill and Valley Gardens, just over 3 miles.

[PanBiker]

Yesterdays walk took us out via Victory Park and over on to Greenberfield. We doglegged up onto the canal bank and continued along over the turnover bridge, we were going to go on to the plantation the through the fields to Thornton Church and back via the radio mast and golf club but we were a bit late setting off. We took the stile into the field and round the back of Rolls, out at the bottom of Ghyll brow and across the road for the stile at Ghyll Hall and then up to the church. We had a look at our Dan's stone and then straight back home via Ghyll Lane and Skipton Road. A simple circular just over 4 miles in the making.

Sally was at the baths this morning so doesn't generally walk when she has done 40 or 50 lengths. It was fine so I decided to do a loop myself. I started with a 450ft climb of Folly Lane to just past Higher View. I took the stile over onto the moor here, through the first field and then down to the footbridge over the stream. Up and out over onto the heather moor and followed the path down to Quarry Cottage at the top of Lane Bottoms. Back into the field just after the cluster of houses and up the side of the hill to the stile and out onto the bottom of Lister Well. Down Manchester Road a little onto Hodge Lane then forward onto King Hill and out onto Kelbrook Road, left and down into town and home. 3.7 miles nicely warm for the duration, 1 hour 20 mins

[Stanley]

Ian, I think you are doing exactly the right thing with your walks. I have long been convinced that walking, the most natural of human activities, is, in the end, the best exercise. Pumping iron in a gym (and paying the fees!) or running doesn't compare. The only other exercise I support is Sally's swimming, possibly even better than walking but not as handy, anyone can walk at any time if it's only to the kitchen to brew up!

[Wendyf]

We did our usual Harden circular walk to Kelbrook yesterday afternoon....the ground was still firm with frost on the north facing side but the pull uphill on the south side was through ankle deep wet mud in places. Always a lovely walk though.

[PanBiker]

From a Calorie burn point of view Walking is about third compared with swimming and cycling. Swimming exercises a whole range of muscles with no strain on the joints and also encourages efficient breathing techniques. Cycling does the respiratory system good and induces a massive calorie burn mainly from the lower body that does most of the work. You can get a sustained workout easier on a bike as you automatically take rests on the downhills and can cover a lot of distance. We noticed on the coast to coast that the most draining section was when we hit the Vale of York, on the flat you have to peddle all the time, there is no opportunity of respite. Waking is a good all rounder as it has less impact on the body over jogging or running, walking gives a constant calorie burn, if you put hills in the way it's all for the better, good respiration works for hills on foot as well as on the bike. calorie burn continues after you have stopped as your muscles recover. The Nordic walking poles enhance calorie burn as you have to use your upper body as well as your legs, they encourage a rhythmic walking style (similar to what you get swimming). Best suited for distance on relatively flat terrain something we don't have lot of round here. They become a hindrance to the user and others when used climbing or descending hills and scrambles. Most rucksacks and day packs have loops now for stowing collapsible poles but you never see many people using them. My bike will come back out again when its fit to go out without multiple layers.

1 hour walking with hills in the way and getting out of breath 3 - 4 miles 300-400 calories

1 hour cycling, ditto the terrain and bouts of breathlessness 9-10 miles 500-600 calories

1 hour swimming about 40-50 lengths (25m pool) 500-600 calories

[plaques]

1 hour swimming about 40-50 lengths (25m pool) 500-600 calories

I've been a swimmer all my life. Unless you are swimming fast 600 calories appears to be a little on the high size. Better than nothing though. Afterwards I found a light meal, a couple of thick slices of bread and butter, carbohydrates, was the best approach. Now at my age followed by a 20 minute nap.

[PanBiker]

It's what our sports tracker app allows for time x distance x exercise. It's accurate on all the other regimes as it is based on a large database with thousands of users. That is what it registers for my wife with her given weight, height, muscle density etc. She may do an hour or 90 minutes sometimes.

Today's walk started in the rain and it rained all the way round. A bit of a pan handled route on the map. Up Folly Lane, track to Lower Standridge, footbridge and fields over to Lane Bottoms, up onto the peat and heather moor vectoring right once on the top to take up the path back over to Folly Lane at Higher View. You get a 400ft climb in to get to here. It was still raining so we omitted the intended loop via Prospect, Duckpond and Weets summit and just returned home straight down the lane. It's a partial reverse route of the one I did the other day.

1h 08m, 3.29 miles, 413ft ascent, Av speed 2.88mph Max speed 4.77mph, calorie burn, 387kcal, hydration 4fl oz

[PanBiker]

As reported in another thread, yesterdays walk was a Weets circular. One of my usual routes. Straight to the top via Folly Lane and Standridge. Just as I was going up the first field and about half way up there was a guy running, coming down Folly (probably come over from Lister Well). He followed me into the field and passed me before I got to the first stile. He was on his way back down by the time I got to the scar just before the final climb to the top, there are some very fit folk about! There was quite a wind chill on the way up and it was worse on the top so I didn't hang about. I just came straight down the North side into the valley bottom, over the beck and moor then onto Brown Hill, right down The Edge and Dark Hill, boggy stile as boggy as it gets, buttercup meadow by Cow Pasture very claggy, most of the ground frost has gone and the top is turning back to mire in places. I had to wash my boots off in the beck at the bottom of Pickles Hipping. 1h 40m 4.5 miles stayed fine.

[Stanley]

That was a favourite daily walk of mine when I was revising for exams..... A good work out. I lost so much weight that my mother said I looked poorly!

[PanBiker]

Today's walk took us out via Victory Park and into the fields over the gated bridge on Stock beck to Gilbeber. Up the hill then down to the footbridge and back over the beck climbing up the field where the old medieval village was to the cluster of houses nestling atthe back of the hill, round the lane and then back into the fields down to the bridge by the old ford, then up the field next to the old track into Bracewell. I used to camp down there by the ford when I was 11 or 12 with a few mates, provisions from the post office and general store and eggs from the farm. From Bracewell any of the routes (unless you are going on to the end of Brogden or Gisburn) always include a section on the road which is a bit of a downer. I have often thought there could be a couple of additional paths to just dogleg into the fields to link up to the existing paths or bridleway to save you having to risk life and limb on the road. Anyway, a half mile up the road and back into the fields to return via the stone bridge at Cloggers, cross Brogden, up to Fernbank and home. Managed to stay fine but there was a brisk wind and the pastures were soft underfoot with standing water in places. It will not take much rain to flood again. Just over 4 miles 1h 18min:

[PanBiker]

Blustery walk today. Down through the park to Broad Ing Bridge on Greenberfield. We were going to go up the lane and maybe do a loop off the canal bank to return via Thornton but Greenberfield was flooded. We tried to get up onto the canal bank on the perimeter path around the back of Rolls Bankfield but that was flooded as well when we got up to the corner of the fence. More than one way to skin a rabbit (and get round a flood). We headed out across the field towards the gated bridge on Stock Beck. I know there is a bridleway runs in here accessed through Greenberfield Farm yard. Fields were saturated so instead of slogging all the way to the bridge in the clag we walked up the perimeter of the field after the first stile to pick up the bridleway at the field barn, then back onto Greenberfield through the farmyard. Cows and calves nicely tucked up in the various barns on the site. A quick dogleg onto the canal bank at the locks and then back via Coates bridge and Skipton Road. Not as far as we had intended but we were pretty mucked up by detouring through the fields. It was raining slightly when we set off but stopped fairly quickly and the rest of the walk was dry, if boggy but very windy. Just over 3 miles in a tad over an hour.

[PanBiker]

Too nice a day not to have a walk so we headed out up Moorgate and onto Folly Lane. We climbed the lane right to the top and then took the stile over to Duckpond. Round via the recently diverted path and into the field which was quite waterlogged. We decided to go to Weets summit so turned right and headed out along the periphery of the heather moor. This is not a public right of way so no markers at either end but I would think it is now an established path due to the length of time it has been in use, as long as I can remember anyway. Very wet up here as well with some quite big pools on the line of the path. Half a mile later and we emerged onto the summit path for Weets. Up to the stone cairn and then on to the trig, we made the summit in about 50 minutes over this route, not bad going for the conditions. A bit of a rest and a few pictures while we were at the trig then straight over the northern side and the path down into the valley bottom. Over the stream which is one of the main contributors to Springs Beck and up onto the moor. Very wet here again as we made our way over to Brown Hill. Over the stile and a diagonal right to the pinch stile at the top of The Edge. As we reached the lower end of this field it was very boggy, we were well clouted up when we emerged on Edge Lane. We elected to stay on the lane rather than come down our normal way down Dark Hill, the stile there would be a quagmire. We followed the lane down to Moor Close and then returned down Esp Lane, Town Head, Westsgate and Walmsgate. Just short of 5 miles in around 1h 50min.

[Wendyf]

Is there a new barn up there Ian possibly at Higher View? My view has changed slightly!

[PanBiker]

Yes there is Wendy, quite a big one, it now has it's roof and sides on. It is at Higher View, right on the skyline from Barlick.

[PanBiker]

Just a quick circular today up around Salterforth Lane and back via Bob Preston's and Cockshott Bridge. I was checking out a couple of new Geocaches that have been added to the local map. I went to the exact co-ordinates of the first one and after cross checking the hint for stash position I could see the exact location but the cache has been removed by someone. It's still marked as active on the Geocaching site and was last logged as found on the 14th January. I will log it as not found with an advisory for the cache owner to check it. My walk was just short of 3 miles.

[PanBiker]

A blustery and boggy walk on the field bits today. We went down Rainhall and through the field to Ghyll Lane. Down to the church and over the beck, up and over the golf course and around the hill by the radio transmitter. Down to the road and over through Thornton Churchyard and then the path down through the fields over the gated bridge to cross Ghyll Beck again and out onto the Marton Road by the plantation. A short hop here up onto the canal bank and then back home via the turnover bridge, Greenberfield Locks and Coates Bridge. We came off here and returned home via Skipton Road. Just over 5 miles in 1h 40min