SUNDAY 12TH OCTOBER 2014: STAKE MOSS
Take a brisk walk across the top of Wharfedale to follow the Roman road down into Wensleydale.
Start: Causeway Moss Road Junction 12.10
Finish: Bainbridge approx. 15.40
Distance/Grading: 7 miles / Moderate
TRAVEL: Outward: Bus 800 from Leeds (09.50), Horsforth (10.10), Guiseley (10.22), Ilkley (10.45) and Grassington (11.35).
Return: Bus 800 to Grassington, Ilkley and Leeds for onward connections.
Walk Leader: Jim
Just the job after a wedding on Friday and family party on Saturday! I just needed to get out and enjoy a brisk walk after all that high living.
Gilbert Lane at the start of the walk
Eight of us got off the bus at Causeway Moss Road Junction not far from Buckden but the bus took the strain of the climb so we only had a bit of additional uphill on Gilbert Lane before we reached the summit of Stake Moss. Then we had a steady tramp along very clearly marked track to Busk Lane from where we were soon steadily descending along Carpley Green Road and into Bainbridge which is clearly still resting on its laurels after the early July successful hosting of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France.
Buckden Pike from Stake Moss
Typical Yorkshire Dales View between Wharfedale and Wensleydale
Our Track on a lovely October Sunday
We leave the main byway and head towards Carpley Green
Sheep on a Wall
Descending into Wensleydale
Carpley Green Farm and Addlebrough Ridge
Semer Water
Askrigg in Wensleydale
Beyond the two stone walls are the earthworks of Virosidum (Roman Town)
Dry Stone Wall Wensleydale Style
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Descending into Bainbridge
Bainbridge Welcomed Le Tour
The Rose and Crown, Bainbridge – no time to visit as our bus was due!
miladysboudoir 
Yes it is good to get out into the fresh air and the countryside to clear the head and blow away the cobwebs. Reading your posts about your Dales rambles makes me think I ought to get over there myself – they’re less than a couple of hours drive away, but not so easy to reach by public transport from here unfortunately.
Well, not that easy from here either but a Dalesbus passes near here on a Sunday (last service next Sunday) so it seemed a good idea to try it out. If Grassington is any nearer several buses run from the National Park Car Park – on Sundays anyway. It’s worth the drive though – especially if you can plan weather like last Sunday’s!
This was the part of Yorkshire that impressed me most when I first visited (1966?) – this and all the dark red brick terrace houses of Leeds and Bradford. A lot of those are long gone, but the limestone landscape still remains unchanged.
I couldn’t really believe the beauty of the Dales when I first visited – nor the horror of the rows of back-to-backs in Leeds in 1970.
[…] gates at the far end. There we joined a small, quiet lane that crosses the River Ure (the river of Wensleydale) at Kilgram Bridge just after which we diverted from the lane to cross fields to arrive at Thornton […]