Harewood to Ripley 19/08/17

12.6 miles, via Harewood Bank & Bridge, Lane Ends, North Rigton, Briscoe Ridge,
 Beckwithshaw, Pot Bank, Oaker Bank, and Killinghall.

Summer marches on at a pace, and we've already come to the last of the trips that I had planned for the second phase of the High Season's wanderings, and after all those early starts and complicated arrangements to get to get to my jump-off points up Wharfedale, it's good to have a nicely straightforward ride that doesn't require a super-early start, as the #36 can be ridden out to Harewood, and the eastern end of the dramatic stage of the valley of the Wharfe, hopping off at 9.45am. The theme for the day, aside from Wharfe to Nidd for the final time, is model villages, not the miniature kind and a completely unintentional theme that only came after I been drawing more lines on the map, and even with the distance for the day being a modest one and not having a firmly set finish time, I still make no effort to take a tour around John Carr's planned village from the mid 18th century, the Harrogate Road fronts being familiar from my previous visits, but those along Harewood Avenue still remaining unseen as the path for the day leads northwards. So away from the Harewood Arms, the modest and tasteful council estate around Spring Gardens, and the mixed vintage cluster at Bondgate to meet the views of the part of Wharfedale that hasn't been seen in a while, as the A61 picks its path down Harewood Bank, a route I pick for today as it's one I'd rather experience for the first time going down rather than up, and at its top we meet the north westerly wind that has been blowing for a full month now, sure to keep this Saturday's weather  as changeable as all the ones that preceded it. On foot, the curve of the bank seems more harsh than the incline as we sweep westwards around the outer perimeter of Harewood Park, the densely wooded corner that conceals Harewood Castle, the ancient ruin that still seems neglected and forgotten about when it surely ought to be a cherished attraction, and again the views forward suggest angles across Wharfedale that I'd allow myself to forget about in the time spent in its many other corners. Descend to Harewood Bar and sweep north with the A61 as it passes the shed and gazebo manufactory and meet the passage across Harewood Bridge, over the Wharfe and soon to be greeted by the bridge house and the courtyarded apartment complex that used to be a hotel, settling onto a course along the main road that will have us walking against the traffic for more than a mile and testing our progress by counting the editions of the #36 bus that pass us as we go.

The Harewood Arms, in the heart of the Village that I still haven't toured properly.

Harewood Bank, steep, curved and traffic jam free!

Harewood Bridge, my third passage over the Wharfe.

Thankfully, the sightlines are good and the verges wide enough to retreat onto as we pace up along a lengthy section that doesn't really go through anywhere, undulating on a generally rising trajectory as it passes among various farms, notably Wharfedale Grange and Moor End, and a bunch of Lane Ends, those to Dunkeswick, Kirkby Overblow and North Rigton, and thankfully it's not a tough challenge along the Leeds & Harrogate turnpike as the last Lane End sets us on a quieter course on Dunkeswick Lane in the direction of North Rigton, obviously. Another gently undulating track that leads us towards Dunkeswick Lodge farm, with Almscliff Crag teasing an appearance much further up the ridge, and the route takes us around the edge of Healthwaite Hill, a grassy prominence that rises some 50m above the valley floor that doesn't appear all that impressive from up close, but gains stature as the lane rises further away from it, a hill tagged for a future visit. Rise beyond Swindon Beck as the lane pulls up to Rigton Crossing, over the Harrogate - Leeds line, and then meet the other Harrogate Road in short order, the A658 on its long way over to Bradford, and Hall Green Lane then gives us a steeper track to walk, as well as more traffic, as we press on to North Rigton, gaining an impacted footway along the verge as we rise up to the village, soon arriving by a bench that offers a fine view over the lowest stretch of Wharfedale, ideal for those walkers who aren't feeling too intrepid. The village lies beyond Hall Green Farm, and the school, and it's not dressed up for Flowerpot Festival anymore, but still looking like a fine getaway spot among these farmlands and moors that consume so much of this landscape, a good spot to find a bench across from the village stocks and the Square & Compass to take elevenses, enjoying the sunshine before the cloud comes over to bring more waterproofs weather. Push on up High Moor road among the cottages and farmsteads to then follow the lane as it descends into the lower branch of the Upper Crimple valley, taking looks to Leyfield farm in the valley on one side, and over to the hidden angles of Almsliffe Crag on the other, angling with the lane uphill past Beck Close farm as the weather hits a bright spot and start on the ascent up to Briscoe Ridge, with the weather turning again on the periphery of Rigton High Moor, where Moor Hill farm makes sense existing on these high fields, but Almscliffe manor, an ersatz new build of questionable taste, does not, as this might be a fine high viewpoint on a nice day, but not so much when the rain sweeps over from northwest.

Among the Lane Ends on the Leeds & Harrogate turnpike.

Dunkeswick Lodge farm, and Almscliff Crag. 

North Rigton, Hall Green farm and the CofE school.

Moor Lane to Briscoe Ridge.

The ridge top, and the views previously seen to the north come on more quickly than expected, and from almost 200m up, it's pretty hard to tell what the weather is going to do as dark cloud rules the skies over distant Nidderdale, whilst remaining more broken close too, and so we keep the waterproofs on to keep the wind off and start to descend down Shaw Lane to the upper branch of the Upper Crimple Valley, tracing more than 60m down as views to Harrogate's periphery are picked out, and the outsized gates to Tatefield Hall are noted at the roadside. Bottom out at the beck crossing and rise with the lane to finally find a viewpoint that gives Briscoe Ridge some kind of profile, rising through the loose association of farms that maps both old and new call Shaw Green, even though there's nothing on the ground to bring them together other than a footway that will lead us on to Beckwithshaw. It's always fun to burn a trail over a bunch of previously encountered paths, and this occasion does a lot to stitch together these lands to the west of Harrogate, bizarrely under-populated as they are, and our way on to the village is clear ahaead, to arrive by the workshps that look like they have a sports field or mini-golf course in their back yard, stopping just short of the B6161 Otley Road when a bench presents itself for lunchtime. Move on with the lane, as the day suggests it might stay sunny, rising to the village that has clearly had three phases of growth, two in the late 19th and early 20th centuries tp provide homes for the workers on the neighbouring Moor Park estate, and a third in the late 20th as suburban living came calling to the village, altogether a compact place with a pub school and church to serve not more than 40 total dwelling. Charmed by this most modest of model villages, we move on along the B-road, keeping on the hard pavement that lasts as far as Beckwithshaw Cricket Club, home to the Airedale & Wharfedale league champions of 2016, before the woods of Cardale estate come right up to the roadside and we start the steep descent down Pot Bank, getting some familiar views to the north before we pass the cottage at the top of the sweeping curve that swings down to the passage over Oak Beck. Rise on along the other side, another wide verge offering safety as we get fine views down the wooded sides of Oakdale, approached from two different angles already and finally seen properly from without, rising on to the milepost that indicates the passage of the Dudley Hill, Harrogate & Killinghall road, which really seems to make no sense at all in its path across this landscape.

Shaw Lane from Briscoe Ridge.

Beckwithshaw 'Model' Village, servicing Moor Park.

Pot Bank, with startling descent and sharp curve.

Looking back to Pot Bank and the woods above Oakdale.

The rise of the lane brings us up to Penny Pot Lane island, where this oddest of country lanes starts its arrow straight path westwards with no particular destination in mind, while up close on the far side we meet the Hildebrand Barracks of the Army Foundation college, which along with its companion at Uniacke Barracks have been providing military training on this site through a variety of guises since 1947, another couple of sites acknowledged from a distance and now seen up close. Tramp on along the verge as the lane crests and starts its gradual decline across Killinghall Moor, open fields which can barely be seen through the dense hedges, and there's little to see out to the west as we start to run closer to Lower Nidderdale, with the Knabs Ridge windfarm already behind us, the lane bottoming out for the crossing of Saltergate Beck before hitting the suddenly sharp pull up Oaker Bank by the white farmhouse. It seems that the very outer suburban edge of Harrogate has crept out here, barely hidden by trees and still developing by the looks of it, which should at least ensure that the Old Spring Well pub should retain its business, sat by the A59 island which arrives on our trail almost abruptly, and another immediate point of interest there is the workshop of a metalworker who produces sculptures that would surely charm any garden. Press on past Moorland farm, passing over the high level fields of Warren Top, which would appear to be earmarked for future suburban growth, but for now provide a clear view over to Harrogate town centre, revealing its familiar high points and making me wonder just how much more it might have to offer me in future trails, as I'm sure there must still be plenty of sites over there that are yet to be revealed, despite my increasing familiarity with it. Store that idea for a future winters day, and keep on to the end of Lund Lane, which is about as close as we'll be getting to darkest Nidderdale in reality as this is where the #24 bus emerges coming up from Hampsthwaite, and so attention goes forwards to Killinghall, which must be the last major settlement in this quarter that hasn't seen my attention so far. Gain a footway to meet its suburbian outer edge, still growing as we speak, and its southern face offers little of interest as I've already expressed by disdain for urban living in the countryside in many ways, but as we move north it reveals much to charm, from the school house to St Thomas's church, and from the village hall to the parish rooms, along with lovely mix of old cottages and terraces.

Penny Pot Island and Hildebrand Barracks.

Oaker Bank and Killinghall Moor Farm.

Harrogate revealed to the East.

Killinghall Village, the Parish Rooms at centre.

Meet the A61 again, having blazed our own western bypass around Harrogate, joining its side by the inns The Three Horseshoes and The Greyhounds, available for new tenants if you're interested, and head north on the final leg, past Westfield House, the war memorial and the Low Hall, and its associated farms and cottages, which has me wondering if there ever was a Killing Hall, as no maps indicate that one ever existed. Sadly, the day's sunshine departs as we start the swing down out of the village, finally getting some revelations towards Clint Bank and Swarcliff as the Nidd valley arrives directly in front of us, coming down from the west and we separate from the A61 to pass down over the old Nidd Bridge, superseded by the high arched bridge carrying the contemporary road, not because it was too narrow but because it was too low down and formed a bottleneck in an unusual way. Now on the north bank we meet the end of the Nidderdale Greenway, which was once the Nidd Valley line coming up from Ripley Junction on the equally missing Harrogate - Ripon line, and the sting of the lost railway can be felt as the industrial park on the far side of the A61 is still called Station Yard, the former home of Ripley Station. Move on towards our destination on the side of the A61, passing the monumental sculpture installed to celebrate the visit of the Tour de France in 2014, and as we pace on to the Knaresborough Road junction, the feeling of familiarity can return thanks to our multiple trips through Ripley back in May, passing the car park and the horse pasture to run into the bottom of the village. all sights along Main Street and around the Market Cross have been seen before, in both kinds of weather, and thus, we need to seek out the only road not previously visited. That's Back Lane, which contains the main entrance gates to Ripley Castle, which give this modest stately home the kind of protection more suited to a Crusader fortress, now providing the focus for those seeking gift shops and tea rooms whilst on their tourist trips, it's also home to the contemporary housing, all well-hidden away from the model village, made over in the 19th century in a French Gothic style, surely unique in these parts. So back to Main Street, past the Hotel de Ville and only a few steps away from making a quick getaway homeward on the #36 bus again, and brews or beer in The Boar's Head or any other tea shop would be tempting, the simplicity of getting back to Leeds in a single bus ride is much more tempting, and so the bus shelter is met at 2.45pm, just as the rain comes on again, with the next one less than a quarter hour distant.

Low Hall, Killinghall.

The old Nidd bridge, between Killinghall and Ripley.

The Horse pasture, and 'Model' Village, Ripley.

Ripley Castle Gatehouses, built to repel who, exactly?

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 2965.2 miles
2017 Total: 400.2 miles
Up Country Total: 2705.7 miles
Solo Total: 2708.9 miles

Next Up: As much of Nidderdale as I can manage when travelling from home!