Reservoir

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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Stocks Reservoir circular

Moderate

7.8 miles | 12.6 km | 190m Ascent | 8.7 Naismith miles | Valerie Eccles and Mary Pickstone
Bentham Footpath Group members are lucky enough to have the Yorkshire Dales and the South Lakes within easy reach. But our good fortune is not limited to that – we are also on the edge of the Forest of Bowland, which of course includes Gisburn Forest and Stocks Reservoir – which we explore today.
This walk starts from a car park next to the remains of a church that was relocated to enable the reservoir to be built, and then loops anticlockwise around the water – meaning that there is not much climbing.
We have been here before (September 2022) and at that time the water levels were deliberately very low – as part of engineering works to increase capacity in the long term. This time we get to see the levels replenished and the works complete – the contrast is striking. On the way round, we see signs of the buildings that were abandoned to enable construction, traces of the railway that enabled materials to be imported, and foundations for the village that temporarily housed the army of builders, as well as a more recent and very poignant woodland memorial site.

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Giggleswick Scar 2

Easy

5.4 miles | 8.6 km | 249 m Ascent | 6.6 Naismith miles | Sandra Craggs
In recent walks we have travelled further afield and enjoyed some stunning scenery. Sometimes though, it’s nice to remind ourselves just how beautiful our own area is – and this walk is a perfect way to do that.
This easy route is a shortened version of our earlier Giggleswick Scar walk and makes an ideal half day stroll. We start from The Mains in Settle and then head up to Stackhouse via Lord’s Wood. We then take the Pennine Journey path round the back of the scar, as if heading to Feizor, but before we get that far we find a fingerpost which indicates the path returning to the front of Giggleswick Scar.
The top edge of the scar gives us great views to the south and lots of interesting limestone features including caves and cairns, before we arrive at the Schoolboy Tower. We then circle round the now disused quarry and then wrap things up by heading back down to Lord’s Wood and our cars. Two added benefits for this walk are that starting from Settle makes it accessible by Public Transport, and adding Elaine’s Tea Rooms would be an easy (2km) extension.

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Langcliffe to Stainforth Circular

Easy

4.7 miles | 7.6 km | 192m Ascent | 5.7 Naismith miles | Peter Lennard
The Bentham Footpath Group has a tradition of making the walk between Christmas and New Year an easier and shorter walk than usual, so that we can combine it with a meal at a local venue. Our aim is to make the walk accessible to all our members and to ensure that we can be at our venue by lunchtime.
Does that mean the route needs to be dull? Absolutely not – as this walk shows. We start from Langcliffe and then take the path up the western side of the river Ribble as far as Stainforth Force and the historic pack horse bridge. From there we cross the river and take the bridleway into Stainforth village and then over fields to the fascinating Hoffmann Kilns at the old Craven Lime Works. Finally, another short section of field crossings brings us back to Langcliffe.

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Stocks Reservoir

Moderate

7.6 miles | 12.3 km | 329 m Ascent | 9.2 Naismith miles | Don Cartledge
Stocks Reservoir is just a short drive from Bentham over interesting roads with great views, and when you get there, the choice of walks is impressive.
This walk starts from the causeway linking the two parts of the reservoir, and then loops around the southern, and much larger, part of the reservoir.
At the time of the walk the reservoir levels were deliberately very low – as part of engineering works to increase capacity in the long term.
On the way round this relatively flat route, we see signs of the buildings that were abandoned to enable construction, traces of the railway that enabled materials to be imported, and foundations for the village that temporarily housed the army of builders.

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Barden reservoirs

Challenging

11.4 miles | 18.3 km | 469 m Ascent | 13.7 Naismith miles | David Longton
In the summer months, the light allows for walks that are longer, more challenging and which start from points that are farther from sunny Bentham.
This is the case for this varied walk in Wharfedale that covers rough moorland and a pleasant riverside view, with industrial and medieval heritage and wildlife.

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