5th May 2019 - Moughton and Crummack Dale
Walk Details
Distance walked: 9.9 miles
Total ascent: 1579 ft
OS map used: OL2 - Yorkshire Dales, Southern & Western areas
Time taken: 6.5 hrs
Route description: Austwick-Wood Lane-Oxenber Wood-Wharfe Wood-Pennine Bridleway-Moughton Nab-Moughton Scar-Moughton-Moughton Scars-Sulber Gate-Pennine Bridleway-Thwaite-Norber-Crummack Lane-Town Head Farm-Austwick
My second walk of the long Bank Holiday weekend and there's a bluebell theme to this one too, as I head to Austwick in the Yorkshire Dales. Not just bluebells though, Oxenber Wood and Wharfe Wood have wood anemone, cowslips, early purple orchids and primroses to see as well. By pure coincidence I did this same walk after the Roeburndale one from yesterday, on consecutive weekends three years ago in May 2016. There was a lot less sunshine than there was three years ago however, it stayed grey and quite gloomy with just the occasional glimpse of the sun, especially during the second half of the afternoon.
After parking in Austwick I walked south through the village to Austwick Bridge where I turned left and took the track of Wood Lane, which I followed east then northeast. I soon reached the public footpath on the right that let me onto the access land of Oxenber and Wharfe Woods. At the eastern edge of Wharfe Wood I left access land and picked up the Pennine Bridleway past Higher and Lower Bark Houses to the road beneath Moughton Scar. After a right turn and a brief walk along the road I took the bridleway onto Swarth Moor and then the footpath above Dry Rigg Quarry up to Moughton Nab and then Moughton Scar. A break for lunch was taken here. I then made my way north across the limestone pavement of Moughton to eventually arrive at the trig point. More limestone pavement was crossed to Moughton Scars and then to Sulber Gate. It was now time to head south, back towards Austwick. I started with taking the Pennine Bridleway to Long Scar. I left it here for the hill of Thwaite, and when I reached its southern end I made my way down through the Norber erratics to pick up the public footpath below Nappa Scars and down Norber Brow to Crummack Lane. I crossed the road and took the footpath down through fields to the track of Thwaite Lane, crossed it and continued on the path down to Town Head Farm. From Town Head Farm I walked down Crummack Lane and through Austwick to where I was parked.
Total ascent: 1579 ft
OS map used: OL2 - Yorkshire Dales, Southern & Western areas
Time taken: 6.5 hrs
Route description: Austwick-Wood Lane-Oxenber Wood-Wharfe Wood-Pennine Bridleway-Moughton Nab-Moughton Scar-Moughton-Moughton Scars-Sulber Gate-Pennine Bridleway-Thwaite-Norber-Crummack Lane-Town Head Farm-Austwick
My second walk of the long Bank Holiday weekend and there's a bluebell theme to this one too, as I head to Austwick in the Yorkshire Dales. Not just bluebells though, Oxenber Wood and Wharfe Wood have wood anemone, cowslips, early purple orchids and primroses to see as well. By pure coincidence I did this same walk after the Roeburndale one from yesterday, on consecutive weekends three years ago in May 2016. There was a lot less sunshine than there was three years ago however, it stayed grey and quite gloomy with just the occasional glimpse of the sun, especially during the second half of the afternoon.
After parking in Austwick I walked south through the village to Austwick Bridge where I turned left and took the track of Wood Lane, which I followed east then northeast. I soon reached the public footpath on the right that let me onto the access land of Oxenber and Wharfe Woods. At the eastern edge of Wharfe Wood I left access land and picked up the Pennine Bridleway past Higher and Lower Bark Houses to the road beneath Moughton Scar. After a right turn and a brief walk along the road I took the bridleway onto Swarth Moor and then the footpath above Dry Rigg Quarry up to Moughton Nab and then Moughton Scar. A break for lunch was taken here. I then made my way north across the limestone pavement of Moughton to eventually arrive at the trig point. More limestone pavement was crossed to Moughton Scars and then to Sulber Gate. It was now time to head south, back towards Austwick. I started with taking the Pennine Bridleway to Long Scar. I left it here for the hill of Thwaite, and when I reached its southern end I made my way down through the Norber erratics to pick up the public footpath below Nappa Scars and down Norber Brow to Crummack Lane. I crossed the road and took the footpath down through fields to the track of Thwaite Lane, crossed it and continued on the path down to Town Head Farm. From Town Head Farm I walked down Crummack Lane and through Austwick to where I was parked.
Route map
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Austwick Beck as I leave Austwick by crossing Austwick Bridge
Austwick backed by Thwaite from Wood Lane..
Wood Lane was left behind for the bluebells of Oxenber Wood.....
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There are early purple orchids and cowslips to see as well
More bluebells
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More early purple orchids
Wood anemones
Bluebells in Wharfe Wood
Primroses and early purple orchids
More bluebells in Wharfe Wood..
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A couple more early purple orchids below I leave Wharfe Wood
Gloomy skies with Penyghent..
..and Ingleborough in the distance as I follow the Pennine Bridleway past Lower Bark House..
..and then on towards the road below Moughton Nab
This pond above Dry Rigg Quarry makes a good foreground for Moughton Scar
Looking across Ribblesdale to Penyghent and Fountains Fell from Moughton Scar
Wharfe Wood, Oxenber Wood and Austwick with the Forest of Bowland in the distance
Ingleborough in the distance behind Long Scar
One of several early purple orchids I passed on the way to Long Scar
On Long Scar
Limestone pavement and Ingleborough
Passing this cairn means that I'm heading in the right direction to reach the trig point
Penyghent and Fountains Fell from the trig point on Moughton
Pendle Hill in the distance
As well as the Forest of Bowland. The nearby hill behind the trig point is Thwaite, which is where I'll be heading to next.
It's a land of limestone pavement as I leave the trig point and head for the edge of Crummack Dale
Views of Ingleborough, Moughton Scars and Crummack Dale as I follow the path around the edge of the dale to Moughton Scars....
Penyghent and Fountains Fell from Moughton Scars
Ingleborough and Simon Fell as I head for Sulber Gate
Looking back to Moughton
Crummack Dale from Sulber Gate
and looking across Thieves Moss to Penyghent and Fountains Fell
Views across Crummack Dale as I head south across Thwaite..
Ingleborough and Simon Fell
Crummack Dale, Wharfe and Oxenber Woods, with the hills around Settle in the distance
The familiar outline of Pendle Hill on the skyline
Penyghent and Fountains Fell behind the sun dappled hill of Moughton
The Norber erratics boulder field is just below
To reach it I'm going to have to follow the wall and cross the ladder stile
Norber erratics. Older Silurian rock perched upon younger Carboniferous rock.
Threading the gap beneath Nappa Scars
Looking across Crummack Dale as I follow the path down to Crummack Lane
Having crossed Crummack Lane, heading south to cross Norber Sike
Oxenber Wood on the other side of Crummack Dale
Back in Austwick