Bill's Walks

A First Visit to the Washburn Valley – The Six Reservoirs Walk

Filed under: Other

Distance: 13 miles

Start: Stainburn Forest Car Park, West of Beckwithshaw. (SE 237523)

Click to view start position on Google Maps

Map : OS Explorer 297 – Lower Wharfedale & Washburn Valley

We had planned to go on Alnwick Moor but a weather forecast promising rain there by 3:00pm put paid to that so it was off to our meeting place at Chester-le-Street and heading south where the forecast was for a fine day. Definitely getting soft in our advancing years!

On arrival a decision had been made. “We will do the other walk you suggested last week as it is the end of the light nights this weekend. We’ll go to the Washburn Valley and walk to Dob Park pack horse bridge”. This was the real motivation as it was the only one of 40 in the North Riding that l had not walked or cycled to. They are all listed in Ernest Hinchcliffe’s book “The Packhorse Bridges of England” published by Cicerone. It was a fast run down the A1 through Ripon and Killinghall to Stainburn Forest car park to the west of Beckwithshaw where we started.

Leaving the car park it was a short distance on the road towards Bland Hill in a north-west direction and after the end of the forest we took the stile over to Little Almscliffe. Almscliffe Crag a few miles to the south-east is a local climbers haunt well known to viewers of Emmerdale as it features on the credits at the start. From Little Almscliffe there are two routes west and it order to keep our fine distant views we took the one round the edge of the forest where you only have a short distance surrounded by trees at Sandwith Moor. Apart from distant views across the Vale of York , much nearer are the white balls of the listening centre of Menwith Hill to the north.

Eventually you reach the road south of Bratt Farm. Instead of walking on the road there is a path inside the wall heading south and although this is not a Right of Way, I suggest you take it as the traffic on the road is travelling quite fast. At the end of the wall, exit by the corner taking care not to damage the wall. Immediately in front of you is a footpath sign where the track is taken into Norwood Plantation heading uphill towards the tower. Ignore the forest track off to the left after about half a mile and stay on the path heading steeply downhill to the edge of the forest at a clearing, where you head right down to the road emerging next to another good car park. A short distance of road walking follows but look out for a path, with a stile paid for by the local Rambler’s Association ,which cuts off the bend (as well as keeping you off the road) and heads due south to regain the road at a stile. It is now necessary to walk down the road for half a mile passing Norwood Hall to arrive at the viaduct crossing Lindley Wood Reservoir, which is crossed. At the far end turn immediately right (north) on a clear track. There is a nice seat here, in the local style, which makes a convenient coffee break.

The track has the River Washburn on your right for half a mile before you cross a bridge and continuing in the same direction with the river now on your left you come to a ford and Dob Park Bridge. There is a wealth of birdlife around here and our highlight was a buzzard being mobbed by a kestrel, although there were also several flocks of mixed finches and about 40 geese overhead. Dob Park Bridge is on a pack horse route from the Wharfe at Otley to Summerbridge in Nidderdale. The bridge dates from 1738 and is built in sandstone with a span of 48ft and a width of 4ft 7 inches. The old cobbled roadway has survived. Altogether an attractive spot.

Our route continues upriver with the river now back on your right and crosses over Snowdon Beck which can be a little wet. No problems at Timble Beck further on as there is a fine footbridge. There are a plethora of paths here and we continued on a permissive path to reach a reservoir access road of Yorkshire Water next to a bridge over the Washburn. This access road is followed north, gradually climbing up to the top of Swinsty Dam where you tend to meet people on a walk around the reservoir. Swinsty Reservoir is a fine place surrounded by woods, many of which are beech and we had been lucky in choosing October to do this walk as the beech trees were a beautiful golden colour. Strangely neither Clive or Alan or myself with over 150 years of walking between us had ever been in the Washburn Valley which goes to show that there are always new places to explore!

You immediately pass by Swinsty Hall on your left which has recently been the subject of a footpath dispute and illegal closure of a path. Hopefully this is now resolved. At the north end of the lake there is another excellent car park on the west bank (Fewston Car Park). The dam is crossed safely on a path alongside the road and at the end look out for the permissive path alongside the water edge. This is a beauty, well appreciated by the locals, several of whom have donated seats. Towards a mile down the lake you return to the road at a picnic spot and cross over a small inlet. At the end take the footpath on the left up this inlet which is waymarked as a Dales Way Link from Harrogate. The Dales Way starts at Ilkley and is possibly the best week’s walk in the country but it is good to approach it from one of the links from Harrogate, Leeds or Bradford. The Leeds one to me was surprisingly good after Meanwood and after Eccup (where there is a good pub) it joins up with the Ebor Way over The Chevin to reach Ilkley.

Keep on this link to Bramlane on the Darley to Otley road. Here we leave the Dales Link and go south for a short distance to Watsons Lane where we take the second path on the left to Brown Banks. Take care as the first path is not waymarked on the road. Leaving the road a wall is followed on your right to the bottom of the field and the wall is then crossed and a clear line taken to Brown Bank ascending about 50 stairs to the farm. Go through the gate at the top of the stairs, turn right and then immediately left past the farm. These farms belong to the Water Authority and are well maintained with good paths, stiles and generally well waymarked. Following the path north-east you pass in front of East End Manor and to Haverah Park Top which is an abandoned farm. However here is a real gem called John o’ Gaunts Castle which was built here in 1327 by Edward III, who in 1372 granted it and Knaresborough to his son John o’ Gaunt who had it until 1399. The building was moated and had a central tower.

It is now downhill to the two reservoirs at Beaver Dyke separated by a small dam, which is crossed to the north bank and at the end you regain the Dales Way Link on a fine path alongside the water. At the dam we stayed on the track which descends down the side of the big earth dam, before crossing the beck and heading south on a tarmac road which is the access to Scargill Reservoir. The woods here were very attractive and full of pheasants. Eventually after a climb up you come to the top of the dam of Scargill Reservoir which is a quiet place, especially when compared to Swinsty, and the way ahead is clear up to the road. On the way you pass several large huts which we thought may have been a POW site during WW2. Howver it appears that they are part of Leeds University Physics Dept. The start of the walk can be seen off to your right and on reaching the road it is a short distance to your right back to the start where we were rewarded with a close up view of a stonechat!

The work of the Yorkshire Water Authority in this area is to be highly commended as they certainly add to the charm of the area with their facilities and good car parking.

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The photos used on this blog entry are published with kind permission from Frank Firth who runs the excellent Yorkshire Walks website. I would highly recommend a visit to this website, full of excellent walks and photographs around Yorkshire. The photos for this entry were taken from Route 340.