Harrogate Ringway #1 - Pannal to Knaresborough 17/06/17

6.9 miles, via Fulwith, Hornbeam Park, The Showgrounds, Crimple, Forest Moor & Calcutt.

Long Distance Trail means Selfies!
#1 at Pannal.

2.15pm is a bit late to be starting a Long Distance Trail, it might be my latest start on any walk of any kind, but I'll not be tilting at the full 20 miles today, wouldn't even go for it if starting at 9am on a much cooler day, and as our day is already 11 miles old, it would make sense to get a move on along the Ringway to give Harrogate its circuit during the hottest stretch of the day, and so we're off, through the yard of St Robert of Knaresborough's church and off into the meadows beyond, soon leaving suburban Pannal behind us. We might expect another river walk, along the Crimple, but the trod seems intent on keeping us away from the riverbank, despite where the path might appear to be on the map, and we ought to enjoy these fields while they last, as multiple notices encourage us to resist the spread of suburban growth across these fields as the town seeks to grow further into the green spaces that surround it. We soon run into the woods below the embankment of the A61, but take a north western turn to follow the passage of Stone Rings Beck, taking an uphill and largely shady path that offers sight of the outer suburban edge of Harrogate through the trees, before dropping to pass over the stream and then up into the full bore of suburbia along Stone Rings Lane, wondering where the actual stone rings might have once been. Meet the A61 Leeds road and pass over it, into the district I'll call Fulwith as its name is attached to literally every road in the vicinity, taking Fulwith Mill Road eastwards, through that sort of upscale suburbia that is pleasant enough on the older plots but really looks a bit much on the newer builds, as if expensive modern dwellings aren't naturally tasteful. From there we'll find our sole previous path into Harrogate, following the long ands shaded driveway towards the town, where the best views of Crimple Viaduct can be gained even with a lot more foliage cover on this occasion, splitting off east to pass over the railway and meet the back of the Hornbeam Park business, leisure and educational estate, familiar with its distinctive metal pyramid, and pass in front of the grounds of Crimple House, before heading into the woods again, the path good and clear, and popular, as this town really has done a lot to promote cycling with multi use trails seeming to go off in all directions.

St Robert of Knaresborough, Pannal.

Crossing Stone Rings beck.

Fulwith Mill Road.

Hornbeam Park, for business, leisure and education.

The track back down towards the river gets a bit rougher, clearly carved up by off road bike riders and now dried hard and rutted as we pace down the western side o the woods, getting some excellent reverse angle views on the other side of Crimple Viaduct before we meet the riverside at long last, quietly meandering is way to the east, following it until we emerge into the fields at the southern edge of the Harrogate Showgrounds. Follow the most obvious path, clearly built to accommodate the many overflow car parks used when the showgrounds are in full use, but attention wanders to railway relics as we arrive by the embankment of the former Leeds & Thirsk railway, between Pannal and Starbeck, with the impressive Crimple Low viaduct crossing the river, its ten arch length appearing deceptively small when concealed by foliage, but the path that approaches is northern end reveals its size well. It's such a shame that this structure, in operational use from 1849 to 1951 hasn't found a use with the plethora of cycleways in the vicinity and the showgrounds being right next door, but its poor condition has probably condemned it to a lifetime of continuing decay, and we can have the briefest of railway walks as we pass over its northern approach, before getting a good look across to the Showgrounds's many acres, all looking a bit quiet as we're a bit early for the Great Yorkshire Show. An overly vague path then takes us down through the woodlands, dropping us on a field walk away from the railway alignment, and over towards Crimple Lane, passing between the two house at its wooded end and passing on along the perimeter of the Showgrounds before rolling past the Traveller's Rest inn, a popular and out of the way watering hole that certainly tempts at this hour, apparently sitting at the heart of the hamlet of Crimple, marked on all maps but not showing up any real substance on the ground. Finally turn away from the River Crimple, as its wooded valley moves away past the fishing lake, and we pass out among the few local houses onto Rudding Lane, tracing it northwards to the back of Bilton Court, an impressive townhouse at the western extremity of Harrogate, and from there we meet the A661 Wetherby Road, and for want of better paths in the locality we are forced to follow it side for stretch. Initially downhill to pass over Star Beck, and then to rise again, actually beyond the town's boundary and to take a northwards turn onto the driveway to Rudfarlington Farm, gaining height to give us a momentary look back to see the tower of the church in Spofforth, a useful reference point, but to the west, there are no views at all towards Harrogate, its wooded surroundings and lack of tall buildings meaning that it is almost completely obscured in the landscape.

River Crimple, or Crimple Beck.

Crimple Low Viaduct, on the old Leeds & Thirsk Railway.

The Traveller's Rest, Crimple.

The A661 and the passage over Star Beck.

Onwards, past the Livery stable and farm shop, avoiding the active machinery to meet the long track and field boundary that traces the long walk north to or across Forest Moor, which is either the name to these open fields or of the house cluster at its northern edge, but its the first quiet track met since Pannal, and easy going, aside from one impossibly well hidden field corner, all the way over to Forest Moor Road, which doesn't aid my confusion any. Track gently downhill, past the nursery and garden centre and among the many modest houses that have dropped on this lane between Harrogate and Knaresborough, noting many for desirability as the spire of Holy Trinity church gives us sight of our destination, and I'm not sure if we're already in Calcutt or merely approaching it as we descend, but the Ringway is intent on taking away from the Union Hotel junction. So off up Cass Lane, among small holdings and riding farms, almost doubling back on ourselves as we hit a rising field walk, and then hair-pinning back again to track over Gallow Hill, a completely acceptable turn for a meandering trail, but rather frustrating at the end of a long day, tracing our way across multiple fields with our destination extremely well hidden by banks of trees, indeed we get very few vistas in any direction. Eventually drop down through the tree cover and emerge above Bland's Hill road, and quickly gain sight of the steep sided rocky gorge of the River Nidd, passing down the roadside to pass the Mother Shipton Inn and to get a fresh look at our Springtime friend in a new setting, wending its way below the town of Knaresborough. It's a town that could win over even the stoniest of hearts on a bright and warm day like this one, showing a prosperous, yet rural, 18th century face across the B6163 bridge, but we won't quite be getting a riverside walk, despite the lane calling itself Waterside as we take the low route onwards by the meadows, des-reses and the old town gasworks, as well as Uncle Tom's Holiday Cabins (Really!?). Tourists and day-trippers appear past the car park and the Castle Mills, below the rock on which Knaresborough Castle sits, curiously never visited in my youthful days of Yorkshire holidaying, and the riverside parade beyond invites so many place to water and feed that would gain my custom immediately if it wasn't for the fact that we're so far from home at the end of a long day. The town composition is just superb down here, with the railway viaduct soaring high over the Nidd and above the riverside mills, houses and Old Manor house with its distinctive chequerboard styling, and that's where we'll depart the Ringway for today, having burned the last 7 miles of the trail at a frankly surprising speed, rising steeply up Water Bag Bank to arrive at Knaresborough station, one of the absolute prettiest in the county, to conclude my long, hot 17.8 mile day on the nose of 5pm.

The way to, or across, Forest Moor.

Forest Moor Road, Calcutt.

The Nidd Waterfront, take #1, Knaresborough.

The Nidd Waterfront, take #2, Knaresborough.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 2829 miles
2017 Total: 264 miles
Up Country Total: 2584.7 miles
Solo Total: 2572.3 miles

Next Up: Concluding the Ringway through much Virgin Territory.