Words & Photos Ian Battersby

May 01 2010

Lovely Seat is one of the many Yorkshire Dales hills that aren’t served by a public footpath, at least not one that wanders anywhere near the top. Some do serve the limestone crags that line the southern boundary though, and from there no fences or walls appear on the Open Access maps.

This, I thought, would make a relatively easy target for those that like to wander alone, away from the path. Of course all depends on terrain, new fence lines etc, so I set off with the usual sense of adventure and discovery that accompanies any foray into Open Access country.

I reached Hawes in the pre-dawn, as shades of pale blue through to deep red began to bleed across the sky, throwing the undulating floor of Wensleydale into silhouette as I crossed the adolescent Ure. With sunrise the dale was bathed in brilliance, and overhead dramatic streaks of cloud stretched as far south as could be seen. Paths led up through rough pasture to the top of the crags, which delivered a thrilling panorama over rocky outcrops and cutting clefts. Closely cropped limestone grasslands are the easiest of landscapes to negotiate, and I followed the course of the crags as far as a pair of cairns at the western extremity.

Now the fun began. In the distance I could see a Land Rover parked up, and I prayed that there wasn’t a shoot on that could close the moor. I hadn’t bothered to check the Open Access website. I was in luck, and crossed the last of the limestone marked by a pair of large swallow holes. Beyond them the land turned to peat and with it the groughs and hags that challenge straightforward progress. I wiggled my way through the hazards and over boggy streams until the land I was truly feeling rose to a drier gritstone outcrop, beyond which a thoughtfully placed stile (thank you) allowed passage over a new fence to the top, which is marked fittingly by a lovely dry stone seat.

Re-crossing the stile I dropped to Butter Tubs Pass, eyeing up a possible route to Great Shunner Fell. You could divert north here to see the famously impressive pot holes by the lane. An unmarked track led the way onto Hood Rigg and over Thwaite Common to the final track to the fine summit shelter, which made a grand viewpoint for the rolling hills that surround it. Huge threatening clouds now rode a wild wind close to the tops. I shared the shelter with two other gents, as we watched a shower brush by to the north painting the sky with rainbow colours, an echo of my memory of dawn. The Pennine Way provided a fast track back except where it had collapsed into bog in places, and I managed to reach Hawes just as heavier rain began to fall.

Distance: 13.5 miles/21.5km Ascent: 2300ft/700m Time: 7-9 hours Start/finish: Hawes (GR: SD 874898) Maps: Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger sheet 98 (Wensleydale & Upper Wharfedale); OS 1:25,000 Explorer sheet OL19 (Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley) for Access Areas; Harvey Outdoor Map, Dales North Information: Hawes, 01756 752774 Travel: Regular Monday to Saturday service 113 from Garsdale station which links with Settle-Carlisle railway; information from www.dalesbus.org

Technical Spec
Lane meandering N over River Ure. Path NE to Sedbusk. Track climbing NE for 500m. Bridleway NW climbing Sedbusk High Pasture to limestone crags. Follow crags W then NW to Pike Hill. Head N climbing through heather to Lovely Seat using stile near beacon to gain summit. Cross back over stile and descend NW to pass. Faint track leads N then NW onto Thwaite Common. WSW to gate. WNW to Great Shunner Fell. Pennine Way generally S then SE to Hardraw. Turn left on road then paths ESE to bridge. Lane S to Hawes.