~Sedbergh~
4th September 2011
Sedbergh is a small town in Cumbria with a population of about 3,000. It was in the West Riding of Yorkshire before it got a free transfer, but remains within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The town is dominated by the school of the same name. I found an easy walk in the book of "50 Walks in the Yorkshire Dales" by the AA.
Winder
Scroll down for photos and a description of the walk....
Main Street, Sedbergh
It's fair to say that if I come again, I'll not pay to park. But on this first occasion of a walk from Sedbergh, I wanted to start from the town centre and parked on one of the two main car parks, which is adjacent to Main Street.
Two Cafes
The Sedbergh Cafe is adjacent to the Duo Cafe and Bistro, which one did we chose for our pre-walk comestibles?
The Reading Room, Sedbergh
Sedbergh is England's "Book Town", there are numerous book shops. We've been to Wales's "Book Town", but do you know which is the Welsh town and which is Scotland's "Book Town"? There are no prizes for this one.
Sedbergh Cricket Pitch
I think that, like most of the sports pitches in the town, this will belong to the school. Our walk left the Main Street and headed off in a south-westerly direction, through school grounds and then across fields to Birks.
Ready for Action?
A camera club is in position for....what? Eager to find out, I asked one of their number what they were waiting for. It turns out they were just having a rest and the cameras were not ready for action.
To Birks
Winder
Winder is a Howgill Fell. At the time of writing, I've not climbed any Howgill Fells.
"Dismantled Railway"
Sedbergh used to served by a railway line. Maps show "Dismantled Railway", is that the right terminology? How about "Redundant Trackbed"? Trains arrived in 1861 and chugged off, never to be seen again, in 1967.
Quaker Meeting House, Brigflatts
Opened in 1675, it is the oldest "Meeting House" in the North of England. Friends were meeting at the time of our visit, or shall we say there were voices within, so we chose not to try the door and interupt proceedings.
Ingmire Hall
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River Rawthey |
Rapids on the River Rawthey |
A long section of the walk is on a narrow path just above the River Rawthey. I had to clamber down to get photos of the rapids.
River Rawthey Viaduct
Not easily photographed from the ground. Up on the embankment, which the footpath crosses, it is British Gas who have put up the "No Entry" sign, so presumably a gas pipeline now uses this handy route across the river.
Fields of Cows
This was the third field we'd had to cross with cows therein. Perhaps something for dog owners to be mindful of.
Winder
Water Meetings
The Dee (right, south) approaches from Dentdale and joins the River Rawthey.
River Rawthey
Our route leads back to Birks, then along sports fields to the south side of Sedbergh.
Sedbergh
The walk ends with a stroll up the right-hand side of the football pitch (no nets) and back on to the Main Street.
Walkers: Karen and me.
Time taken: 2hrs 40mins over a distance of 4.5 miles.
Route: Sedbergh, Birks, Brigflatts, River Rawthey, Birks, Millthorp Bridge, Sedbergh.
Weather and conditions: Sunny intervals and warm enough for shorts!
Greetings Count: Very few folk on the main walk, plenty of people in Sedbergh.
Richard's Refreshment Review: No Brainer! Sedbergh Cafe doesn't open until 12 noon. Duo Cafe and Bistro was open and doing brisk business. We enjoyed our "brunch" and tea was served with additional hot water. Every table has a Gerbera in a vase and the staff wear smiles, what more could you ask for?
Hay-on-Wye is Wales' Book Town and Wigtown does the honours north of the border.
50 Walks In Yorkshire Dales by the AA (motoring, not t'other one) is available from all good book stores at prices from £6.99 (Amazon). The inclusion of an ascent of Pendle Hill from Barley is puzzling, but well worth the effort.
All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2011 ©
Take me back to the start ....