Swinstry and three other reservoirs

A circular walk from Swinsty around three other reservoirs.

The walk itself includes some great vistas, different woodland types, field perimeters, a crag, a little road walking and 4 reservoirs.  The only thing really missing is a riverbank section.  There was some climbing but nothing too arduous under normal circumstances (a bit of effort with temperatures in the high 20s).

Swinstry, with the water way down

After passing through some woods the path opened out onto pastures

 

And then John O`Gaunts Reservoir

Then to Beaver Dyke Resevoir which has been abandoned

Then,  through the Scargill Plantation

And onto the Scargil Reservoir

The next section was the least enjoyable part of the walk, firstly along about 600m along a straight access road to the road to Stainburn Woods.

We made a slight error and went into the woods and missed out on the view of Little Alms Cliff.

  

The route followed forest paths

Before passing through a section of natural woodland until we reached another road section.  Which had views over Swinsty 

And the ever-present Menwith Hill

Then passed through farmland to reach Swinsty

Thankfully, this giant was at the other side of the wall. But that gap was a little unnerving 

And then along a section next to the reservoir back to the car

Then onto the Sun Inn, only a 5 minute drive away for a well-earned drink.

This was one of my favourite walks so far.

.

Ilkley Moor

Cow and Calf Rocks to Cow and Calf Pub - 18/06/25

Walking - Dave, Tina, Janet and Jennifer.

This was made up by linking various paths on Ilklely Moor.  The original plan was to make our way to Whetstone Gate before heading back.  But it was a nice day, none of us had been on this part of the moor before, so we decided to extend the walk by probably 50%

Starting from the car park at the Cow and Calf 

Then follow the path up the hill.to one of the highest points on the walk.

Then follow the Dales Highway to the 12 Apostles.

Backtrack slightly to follow a paved path past the trig point and the Stanza Stones.  Stones in the middle of the moor with poetry 

And some fine views of Menwith Hill - the secret listening post.

And onto the Whetsone Gate, with car access to the far side of the moor. Crossing "Keighley Road", and up the hill to the Buckstones.

Then, steep downhill to the path that runs alongside Rombalds Moor.

To join the Millennium Way / Dales Highway. 

With some nice views over the valley

The reservoir.

Eventually, we left the Millennium Way to follow a path through the bracken.

Which brought us back to the top of the Cow and calf.

 

And the Cow and Calf from the Cow and Calf

Journeys End

It was a lot longer than planned, but we were on parts of the moor none of us had been on before so a little exploring was in order.  Great views and lots to see, and the only time we walked on the side of the road was from the pub to the car park!.  

Otley

 Otley - Lots of roads walk - 11/06/25

This was a walk that was decided on more due to time constraints rather than the merits of the walk.

The walk involved a lot of walking through Otley, walking on roads, across farmers' fields with few traces of a path, and a short section on the Wellcome Way.

It was from a guide, and it is not likely I will ever do this walk again.

Simons Seat Circular

 

Simon's Seat Circular, 08/06/2025

This was a walk with the Walking the World to Rights group. 

From Skyremore to Simon's Seat, down through the Valley of Desolation at Bolton Abbey, and then follow the river back to Skyremore.

Unfortunately, the weather was not overly kind, with several showers during the walk and overcast most of the day.

The start of the walk was relatively flat with typical Dales views.

Followed by approximately 3km of climbing initially through woods and then onto open moorland.  This gave views up towards Carncliff and down to Burnsall.

Simon's Seat is a dominant outcropping of Millstone Grit, that dominates the skyline of the Wharfe Valley near Burnsall.  There are several other outcroppings 

A lot of the paths on the top of the moor are Yorkshire stone paving.

There were good views from inside the rocks over the Wharfe valley

Although Simons Seat is the largest outcropping, there are others close by.

Then, taking the path down towards Bolton Abbey, we passed areas of burnt-out moorland. 

A walk through the (far from) Valley of Desolation.

Then across parklands, until reaching the woods and following them up the Wharf. There were high-level views down to the Strid from the woods.

The walk then continued along the side of the river.

Where the weather cleared for a while.

And we got to see a nursery of multiple goose families drifting down the river.

Before going cross-country back to Skyrholme

Overall the walk was longer than expected, but certainly one I would do again.