A Lovely Bit of Wensleydale

[johnkaysleftleg]

This was a fairly easy plod around two of the Dales less heralded eminences. There have already been several reports on this walk, or close variations, so I'll let the pictures do the talking in the main for what was a beautiful day to be out and about.

I parked just outside of Burtersett and set off with a sense of excitement given the hint of mist in the air, as it looked as if an inversion was forming along Wendsleydale. Turned out this was the case and I spent as much time turning around to admire the views as making my way upwards.


Just leaving Burtersett


Burtersett


Hard to not keep looking behind


Mono mists


Morning skies over Wensleydale


A Wide view looking back


Inversion


...and again


A Lovely bit of Wensleydale


A two more locals


Looking back along the Dale


West End of Wensleydale


Beneath the veil


Top of the track

This was a pleasant acescent, if a little warm in the close humid air but the beautiful veil of mist was a sight to behold. The fine going continued and the views opened up further revealing the full scale of the inversion to the east and I soon hit the Cam High Road, a route from Bambridge to Ingleton first established by Rome.


Yourburg


Inversion to the East


Full extent of the inversion to the East


Cam High Road


In the footsteps of Rome

A brief diversion onto the summit of Wether Fell, AKA Drumaldrace is required to bag the top but this is straight forward and I soon returned to the road to have a bit of breakfast sat on a broken down wall.


Drumaldrace Summit


Heading back down to the Cam High Road


Drumaldrace from the Roman Road

Perhaps our sadly departed and greatly missed friend Alteknaker. would have found a way to link these two fells without road walking but for me it looks like unnecessarily hard work to deviate from first the gravel and then tarmac to take me towards the next target.


Easy going


Hitting the Tarmac


Sleddale


Caloplaca luteoalba lichen


Set to leave the tarmac with Ingleborough in view

The route changes dramatically as you leave the Roman road behind and head of into the bogs of Dodd Fell Hill. There is a little bit of dodging required to miss the worst of the wet ground but soon I was on an easy trod up to the summit. It was good to see restoration work on the peat bogs and also for my feet and knees to get a bit of rest from the unforgiving nature of the Cam High Road. The summit is fairly wet with a trig point and some reasonable views, but I didn't linger and headed off along a likely looking trod to look to hook up with the West Cam Road.


Peat Bog restoration


Sleddale again


Dodd Fell trig point


Trod off the Summit

The way off the top was fairly dry and good going with a very hazy glimpse of Mickledore 40 miles to the west attracting attention. The main track was soon joined and I stopped to have lunch in the sunshine sat against one of these ever so useful walls.


A distant hazy Lake District


Widdale


On the West Cam Road


Looking back along the West Cam Road with Ingleborough peaking over the fellside


Looking down to Widdale again

Route back to the car was very simple as I descended into what was now a very sunny Wendsleydale, through Gayle before making my way along the fields back to Burtersett.


Cairn somewhere around Ten End


Looking across to Wether Fell (Drunaldrace)


Wenselydale


Back on the tarmac


Gayle Beck


Dodd Fell Hill


Soon to be a home?


Shaws Lane

In some ways this is a fairly mundane walk round a couple of 'visit once' fells, catch it on a day like this and it was well worth the effort however.

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