2024

Sedbergh and Winder

Moderate

7.7 miles | 12.4 km | 438 m Ascent | 9.9 Naismith miles | Valerie Eccles & Mary Pickstone

Sedbergh is a great place to use as a base for a walk – and it is location that Bentham Footpath Group have used a number of times. The usual choice is between quite steep walks on the Howgill Fells, or gentle riverside strolls. This excellent walk offers both on a route that delivers great views, trig points to tick off your list, a toposcope, disused railway lines, grand buildings, weirs, impressive Victorian bridges, a monument of disputed function, a lost mansion, and a stroll through the town centre, with opportunities for ice cream.
Add in the sunshine at the end of August when the first hints of autumn colours are starting to show, and this could well be a perfect walk.

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Askham

Moderate

8.6 miles | 13.9 km | 317 m Ascent | 10.2 Naismith miles | Susan Badley
As a group, we put a huge amount of effort into researching our walks and scheduling them such that we make the most of the seasons. That diligent planning ensures that when we set out for the Levens Estuary (as we had always planned for this day), we do so safe in the knowledge that we will be enjoying the mid-august sunshine in complete safety.
Sometimes though, the weather doesn’t match our plan, and we find ourselves facing flood warnings on the route we had chosen: We are lucky that our walk leaders have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the area and can create a fresh walk out of thin air at short notice. This walk therefore is just such a piece of magic – a reprise of one that we did a few years ago which feels just as fresh and well prepared as usual. Keep checking the website to see whether we re-run the Spark Bridge and Levens Estuary walk, but in the meanwhile enjoy this excellent alternative.

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Cunswick and Scout Scars

Easy

7.2 miles | 11.5 km | 298 m Ascent | 8.6 Naismith miles | George Sheridan
A quick glance at an OS map centred on Kendal shows a viewpoint just to the west of the town – not far from Underbarrow. This walk gave us the chance to see that view – and much more besides.
We start at a convenient free car park on the Underbarrow road, and head out along the top of Cunswick scar, with great views across Cunswick Fell to Kendal and beyond. We then drop down through Scar Wood, to skirt the edge of Cunswick Tarn and stroll past Cunswick Hall before taking a variety of woodland paths to Underbarrow.
From here we see Scout Scar looming ahead before climbing it at Barrowfield. Once at the top, we enjoy views across to the Lakeland fells, and Morecambe Bay before heading along the top of the scar to the viewpoint where we find an historic shelter and helpful graphics to identify the numerous hills we can see. A brief stroll downhill returns us to the car park.

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Train to Horton-in-Ribblesdale then walk to Settle

Moderate

8.6 miles | 13.8 km | 429 m Ascent | 10.7 Naismith miles | Sandra Craggs
Most of the walks that Bentham Footpath Group offer are circular – that’s not a policy, just a practical constraint. However, the fact that one of the most scenic railway lines in the UK runs through “our patch” offers the opportunity to add linear walks where we let the train cover one half of a larger loop.
This walk does just that – we start from Settle and then take the train to Horton in Ribblesdale, before walking back.
There are many ways we could plan a walk from Horton to Settle, and in this case we opt to take a route via Brackenbottom and Dub Cote, before picking up the Pennine Journey and then Ribble Way paths to take us to Stainforth. We then climb Stainforth Scar past Lower Winskill, and then descend into Langcliffe before taking a quiet lane back into Settle. This involves a number of ascents – none of them too challenging, but together placing this walk at the top end of our “moderate” category.

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Ravenstonedale and Newbiggin-on-Lune

Easy

6.9 miles | 11.1 km | 199 m Ascent | 7.9 Naismith miles | Alison Kinder & Colin Stroud
In a recent group trip to Kirkby Stephen, we enjoyed a great walk along a disused railway line. A quick glance at the map shows that the fantastic Smardale viaduct which we visit today is not far from there – and unsurprisingly it’s on the same disused line, so if you wanted to join the two routes you could.
The viaduct alone is worth the trip, but this walk offers much more: Great views back to the Howgills and Wild Boar Fell, industrial archaeology, wildflowers, lizards, and free parking within walking distance of two award winning pubs.
Much of the route is on accessible paths so although it’s close to our 12km threshold for an easy walk, this one is well worth considering for those wanting a gentler stroll.

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Kentmere circular, low level

Easy

6.9 miles | 11.1 km | 291 m Ascent | 8.4 Naismith miles | Don Cartledge
Staveley and the River Kent have long been a favourite of the Bentham Footpath Group – it’s an easy place for us to get to and there are some wonderful walks in the area. This time though, we go through Staveley and venture further up the valley.
Starting at Green Quarter, we stroll down to Kentmere, and then follow the river upstream past the imposing Rainsborrow Crag and as far as the reservoir that was built to control the flow to the mills downstream. We then cross to the east of the river and come back on a route tht gives us great views of old quarrying works.
The last part of the route back to the parking is a steep climb, so although this is an easy route overall, expect to be out of breath at the end.

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Whelp Stone Crag from Rathmell

Moderate

7.9 miles | 12.7 km | 307m Ascent | 9.4 Naismith miles | David Longton
One of the benefits of living in Bentham is easy access to the Yorkshire Dales, the South Lakes, and the Forest of Bowland. That means great scenery – but at times, significant numbers of visitors. As this walk demonstrates though, think beyond the obvious honeypot locations, and it’s still easy to find a great walk which can be enjoyed in solitude, or with your favourite walking group.
From the easily accessed village of Rathmell, we head out on minor roads to Higher Lumb Gill Wood then stay on lanes to the oddly named Ragged Hall, before arriving at Whelpstone Lodge. From there we climb to the Trig point at Whelp Stone Crag – where we have our passports ready for a brief entry into Lancashire, before returning via Brayshaw, Boostagill and Cappleside. There are great views along the way, and because much of this route is on minor roads, the going is generally easy.

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Hutton Roof Crags

Easy

3.9 miles | 6.3 km | 175 m Ascent | 4.8 Naismith miles | Valerie Eccles & Mary Pickstone
Bentham Footpath Group try to hold a few evening walks each year – typically during the summer months. Evening walks are accessible to those who have commitments during the day, and because they are typically shorter in length, they are suitable for those unable to join us for our more challenging offerings. Summer evenings can also provide great clear skies with pink sunsets, making for stunning views, although as our pictures show, that can be something of a lottery.
Even in the rain and mist though, this is a great walk – Hutton Roof is a favourite place to start a walk and is a location that we have used before. This time we start in the village centre and take a path up the edge of Hutton Roof Crags heading toward Newbiggin Crags, before heading back past Whin Yeats, and then taking quiet backroads to St John’s church, where we see the memorial stone for Bentham’s best known war hero.

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Kirkby Stephen poetry stones and river walk

Easy

6.9 miles | 11.1 km | 199 m Ascent | 7.9 Naismith miles |Terri Kwiecinska
In April 2023, Bentham Footpath Group enjoyed a great walk in Ravenstonedale and Smardale, where we explored a disused railway line and crossed the magnificent Smardale Gill viaduct. At the time, we made a mental note to come back and explore other parts of this line, and so when one of our group members suggested a walk at the poetry stones in Kirkby Stephen, we grasped the opportunity to combine the two. This walk visits the poetry stones on a route that includes parts of that disused railway line, and two more viaducts. We add interesting geology, a lovely riverside section, and Kirkby Stephen town centre – all crammed into a relatively short and easy walk.

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Malham Tarn and the Monks Road

Challenging

9.3 miles | 15.0 km | 392 m Ascent | 11.3 Naismith miles | Sandra Craggs
Malham is one of the great attractions of the Yorkshire Dales, and with good reason: Malham Cove is a spectacular sight – as are Goredale Scar, and Janet’s Foss. Slightly further north, and less crowded, is Malham Tarn – one of a very small number of bodies of water in the Dales, and it is from the car park at the Tarn that we set out on this walk.
We head up Great Close Hill for views of the Tarn and as far afield as Pendle Hill before picking up the Monk’s Road near Middle House Farm. We then head north toward Arncliffe passing a wonderfully atmospheric ruined farmhouse before pausing to look at some of the best limestone pavement in the Dales. From there we follow the Monks Road along the edge of the steep Yew Cogar Scar until we have a spectacular view over Arncliffe and the Littondale Valley. We take in the views over lunch then return along much of the same route but come back to the Tarn via a different path with a pleasant lakeside end to the walk.

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