Our Last Day

On our last morning we packed and tidied up. After saying our goodbyes, some of us did a bit of sightseeing. After all, since we were up here, we thought we would try and maximise our enjoyment of the landscape by making an interesting detour.

Past Ribblehead and into Dentdale we went. Up to Dent Station and across Mossdale Moor. Into Wensleydale (home of the well-known cheese) via Garsdale Head and Hawes. The hills got lower and lower as we headed for Leyburn and Bedale. A short while later the A1 and A1(M) beckoned at Leeming Bar. From here our way was to the Deep South.

Goodbye to Everybody!

We do our embraces, shaking of hands and saying of goodbyes. It's off to the Deep South, with thoughts of the next IVC M&M event. It's been a nice few days - nice company, nice walks and nice Dales. A lot of new impressions.

Swallows fly low,
Storm clouds grow;
Strong winds blow,
And rain do sow.

Impromptu verse by Yours Truly. (I'm a poet and didn't know it, etc. ... ). I shan't rehearse the well-known explanation of the Western European "country wisdom", committed to verse above, but every day these swallows and all their many colleagues vociferously dive-bombed about the Old School House. However, the weather we had - apart from some rain towards the end of Saturday's walk and some wind on Ingleborough - was really just right for walking - not too hot, not too cold, a mixture of sunshine and protective cloud cover. We were satisfied with Nature's gift for the
IVC Bank Holiday Weekend Event.

Dentdale

Our detour took us past Ribblehead and into Dentdale. clouds gathered on the way. However, Dentdale is protected from the elements that have moulded, over the centuries, the vast open spaces of the Yorkshire Dales. We passed the venerable whitewashed houses that lend character to this part of Yorkshire.

Near Ribblehead Viaduct, dark clouds on the way to Dentdale.




Dentdale is protected from the elements that have moulded, over the centuries,
the vast open spaces of the Yorkshire Dales.




The pub in Cow Dub is typical of the venerable whitewashed houses
that lend character to this part of Yorkshire.

Dent Station

At 1150 feet (351 m), Dent Station is the highest main-line station in England, with good views to the west and to the east. Dent Station is still very much in use, nicely painted and kept in Midland Red style. The main station house is now nicely preserved as an English Heritage Hotel - apparently not too pricey and a comfortable base for hill walks. Added to that, it is - would you believe? - easily accessible by rail! Sometimes in winter, in snowy conditions, local roads can be impassable and rail is the only way of getting here.

Dent Station is still very much in use, nicely painted and kept in Midland Red style. The main station house (on the right) is now nicely preserved as an English Heritage Hotel - apparently not too pricey and a nice, easily (rail) accessible centre for hill walks. Dent Station is about 4 miles (6 Km) from the actual village of Dent! However, the small village of Cowgill is only about half a mile distant.




At 1150 feet (351 m), Dent Station is the highest station in England,
as this view to the west suggests, ...




... and as this view to the east confirms.

Our Journey back to the Deep South

From Dent Station, we take the open road across Mossdale Moor into Wensleydale. Then it's Aysgarth and Leyburn. After this comes Bedale where we make a short stop. After Leeming Bar, the A1 and A1(M) beckon for our journey to the Deep South.

From Dent Station, the open road takes us across Mossdale Moor (this view) to Garsdale Head and onwards to Hawes (where we see the station on the
Wensleydale Heritage Railway), Aysgarth and Leyburn.




We stop briefly in the busy market town of Bedale whose high street you see above. Next comes Leeming Bar (where we cross the Wensleydale Railway by a level crossing). It's then on to the A1 and A1(M), passing Londonderry (not the NI one) as we head for the South.