Storth and Arnside

Easy

7.4 miles | 12.0 km | 183 m Ascent | 8.3 Naismith miles |Sue King
Arnside is a firm favourite of the Bentham Footpath Group, and this is the second walk in this area in the 2023 spring program. So why do we like Arnside so much?
Well, where else can you find an easy walk that combines a sandy estuary with a backdrop of the Lakeland fells, a disused railway track bed converted into a safe and accessible path, industrial archaeology, beautiful riverside meadows, a country house and deer park, an ancient corpse road, atmospheric paths through rock fissures, a pele tower, and a seaside town with a unique railway viaduct.
The entire area is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) so expect to see interesting flora and fauna too.

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Furnessford & Hindburn Bridges

Moderate

8.5 miles | 13.6 km | 361 m Ascent | 10.3 Naismith miles | Susan Badley
Bentham Footpath Group Walks generally start within an hour’s drive of Bentham – there is so much wonderful walking country within that radius that we are always spoiled for choice. This excellent walk – aided by near perfect weather – highlights the fact that Bentham itself is a great place to start a walk.
We start in low Bentham and cross the Wenning at the pedestrian bridge were the Silk Mills once stood, and then head up Mill Lane as far as Kirkbeck where we take paths across fields to Mewith lane and then across to Spens Farm.
We cross the Hindburn for the first time at Furnessford Bridge, and then head over to Cragg Hall, before descending back to the river to cross at Hindburn Bridge. From there we head up to Mealbank and take paths across fields to follow the Wenning Valley upstream with great views across to Ingleborough and Whernside along the way. Passing Robert Hall, we head down Eskew Lane and back to Low Bentham.

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Sedbergh Riverside and the Lune Viaduct

Easy

6.3 miles | 10.1 km | 248 m Ascent | 7.5 Naismith miles | Peter Lennard
The Dent Foot walk that we completed on 17/03/23, connected with two of the three rivers in and around Sedbergh – the Rawthey and the Dee. This walk completes the set by adding the Lune.
We start by heading out onto the fells at the base of Winder, with great views over to the Lune Valley and the disused railway viaduct. We then cross farmland to pick up the Dales Way and have a close look at the spectacular viaduct.
From there we follow the Lune downstream before cutting back to Ingmire Hall. Next, we head down to the beautiful Friends Meeting House at Brigflatts, and finish by following the Rawthey upstream back to Sedbergh. The walk is classified as easy – althtough there is a bit of a climb at the start.

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The Two Langdales

Moderate

8.8 miles | 14.2 km |462 m Ascent | 11.1 Naismith miles | Alison Kinder & Colin Stroud
The two Langdales referred to in the title are Great Langdale and Little Langdale – in effect two parallel valleys separated by Lingmoor Fell.
Starting from Elterwater, we head up the valley along the gentle woodland paths of Great Langdale with Lingmoor Fell on our left and Chapel Stile on the right across a surprisingly flat valley with very steep sides. We then follow the direction of the beck upstream to Oak Howe where we pick up the Cumbria Way enjoying fantastic views of Dungeon Ghyll Force as we follow the path round the back of Side Pike to cross over a short but steep ridge into Little Langdale.
Pausing at the top of the ridge we have great views up Langdale and Oxendale, before we follow the path round and descend into Little Langdale, passing Blea Tarn on the way. A short road section on the Wrynose Pass road takes us down to Fell Foot Bridge where we head across fields to Slater Bridge and Little Langdale Tarn before we pick up a track back to Elterwater.

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Dent Foot

Moderate

8.1 miles | 13.0 km | 234 m Ascent | 9.3 Naismith miles | David Longton
Sedbergh is a favourite location for The Bentham Footpath Group, as is Dent, so surely there’s a walk based between the two that captures the best of both? There is – and this is it -typical Yorkshire Dales walking but with views of the Howgills.
We start next to the River Rawthey, just north of where it merges with the Lune, and track upstream toward Sedbergh, passing the confluence with the Dee, but staying with the Rawthey at first. We then cross the river and head to Millthrop, to pick up the Dales Way path which takes us down to Gate Manor in Dentdale. We then cross the Dee to return along the other side of Dentdale via Rash and Dent Foot, before skirting Holme Fell to arrive at Middleton Bridge via a Roman road. A short stroll back along the Rawthey concludes the walk.

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Sabden Valley

Moderate

7.8miles | 12.6 km | 325m Ascent | 9.4 Naismith miles | George Sheridan
Bentham Footpath Group is lucky enough to have easy access to The Yorkshire Dales, The Lake District, and as for this walk, the Forest of Bowland. This 803km2 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) features a southern section known as the Forest of Pendle, which includes Pendle Hill, and the Sabden Valley. Pendle Hill is a great walk, and one that the Footpath Group have walked before, so this time we explore the Sabden Valley.
We start at the Nick of Pendle, taking a South-westerly route down one side of the valley before crossing the Sabden Brook, and returning to Sabden Village on the opposite side. The second half of the walk takes us out to the East as far as Dean Farm from where we return via Churn Clough Reservoir.

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Sharp Haw and Flasby Fell

Easy

7.1 miles | 11.5 km | 374 m Ascent | 9.0 Naismith miles | Sandra Craggs
Living in and around the Dales means that we often drive through Gargrave, and as we exit the town on the Skipton side, we see an attractive fell ahead of us with a wooded side and a ridge that looks inviting as a walking area.
That’s our destination for this walk: The woods are Crag Wood, and the peak behind them is Sharp Haw and Flasby Fell. Rather than approaching them from Gargrave though, we head over to the B6265 Grassington Road so that we approach Sharp Haw from the Southeast on the Dales High Way. This route keeps more of the spectacular view over the Ribble and Aire Valleys hidden until a big reveal at the peak of Sharp Haw. We then continue round Flasby Fell to Flasby Village and return via forestry tracks through High Wood and Crag Wood, enjoying excellent views over Gargrave toward Clitheroe.

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Dalton Crags

Easy

6.5 miles | 10.5 km | 283 m Ascent | 7.9 Naismith miles | John Smithson
The triangle formed by the pinch point of the M6 and the A65 is often overlooked as a walking area – it’s not the Yorkshire Dales, and it’s not the Lakes – it’s not even the Forest of Bowland. But it is easy to reach, it offers great walks and not surprisingly then, is popular with The Benham Footpath Group.
This relatively easy walk focusses on Dalton Crags – the area of limestone pavement to the South of Hutton Roof. We start at Plain Quarry car park and then meander South through the rolling hills around Dalton Old Hall before heading back up to Burton-in-Kendal where we pick up the path along Slape Lane and into Pickles Wood, before taking a track through Storth Wood. This takes us part way up Dalton Crags, where we have a good look at the limestone pavement before heading back down to the car park.

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Arnside

Easy

6.4 miles | 10.3 km | 236 m Ascent | 7.5 Naismith miles | Don Cartledge
Arnside is a favourite with Bentham Footpath Group – this small and very accessible area provides a huge variety of interesting features such as The Knott, a tidal bore, estuary views, a Pele tower, a Marylin, a wonderful railway bridge, Victorian architecture, rare butterflies, atmospheric distorted trees, and a seaside promenade.
This walk forms a figure of eight shape, so there is a good opportunity to approach it as two smaller walks, or because there are so many paths in the area, there are many ways that it could be combined with other BFG walks in our library to make a more challenging route.

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Selside and Ribblehead

Easy

5.9 miles | 9.5 km | 181 m Ascent | 6.8 Naismith miles | Graham Cooper
Just a short distance from home, this walk is easy and short enough to do in a morning or afternoon when the opportunity arises, and the weather promises fine views.
It features great views of the three peaks, a heronry, wild deer, a bailey bridge, listed buildings, nature reserves, academic research sites, and given that it runs along the Settle to Carlisle railway, the off-chance that you will see a steam train or be buzzed by the RAF.
What more could you want in less than 6 miles?

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