Friday 14 June 2024
4.5 miles Leader Gerry W.
Weather 13°C. showers at times
No. on walk 13 + 3 Dogs
A really super walk over some lovely desolate moor land and wild flower meadows, easily equivalent to what Wharfdale can offer, only on a lot smaller scale, but great to see and walk along the faint field paths, bordered by dry stone walls.
Starting from the small community car park in Bonsall, we made our way up The Dale, passing by many eighteenth and nineteenth century built dwellings, some restored and some in need. You’ll see one of the pictures above with a cat, posing in front of the lens. I was just to snap the 1728 workshop in the background when this fury thing jumped up from behind the wall, so an unintended picture is before you. We continued climbing, the first mile all uphill, reaching and turning onto the Limestone Way by Bonsall Wesleyan Reform Chapel. On reaching the top of the climb on moorland, we turned right, to head for Bottom Leys Farm, a quite magnificent, restored former farm house. We passed by it and headed up Green Lane, turning south, until Parallel with Leys Farm. Here we stopped for our morning break, a herd of cattle away to our left, keeping a wary eye on us, well several eyes actually.
With the break over we continued ahead, reaching the tree line of Ible Wood, here turning left, if we had carried on ahead, we would have found ourselves on Via Gellia. We were now on sheep pastures, soon to arrive at the sharp bend on Leys Lane, which we crossed, onto Slaley Moor. To our great delight, we found many hundreds of Pyramid Orchids, which our leader tells us weren’t in flower two weeks, ago when he did his pre-walk, so a surprise for all. We carried on across Bonsall Mines, turning to pass by Slaley Farm, steadily down-hill to Study Farm. A steep downhill, leading us out, conveniently, at the Fountain Café, where most stopped for a lovely coffee, some even couldn’t resist the wonderful cheese scones, with all the trimmings, finishing just about when a rain shower appeared. Great walk Gerry, thank you.
