Simon's Seat | Saturday 18 January 2020


Walk Leader: Andy Ward
Participants: 14
Mileage: 18 miles
Ascent: 3,080 ft
Walk Register: Yes
Walk Report: Robert Cope

 

Cold and a bit windy, but lots of sunshine and no sign of rain.  What more could you hope for in the middle of January?  Well perhaps not the icy flagstones half-way around - more of that later!

Setting off from the suspension bridge in Addingham our route was a long/thin anticlockwise oval aligned almost perfectly on a north/south axis and starting from the southern tip.  First off was a quick sprint up to the summit of Beamsley Beacon - followed by an equally quick retreat to avoid the icy blasts at the top.  Even the group photo unfortunately got blown away!

We then descended via Ling Chapel Farm to cross the A59 before commencing the long haul up towards Lord’s Seat via Boggy Gill and Hazlewood Moor - and then on to our lunch destination of Simon’s Seat.  The last kilometre or so was characterised by those lovely flags which, though brilliant at traversing all the boggy areas, can be treacherous following a heavy overnight frost.  Happily we all made it intact to enjoy lunch in the sun whilst sheltering from the wind.

Heading south now we took the “tourists' route” down to the Bolton Abbey Estate via the Valley of Desolation and for a quick stop at the Cavendish Pavilion.  The Dales Way then took us all the way back to Addingham alongside the River Wharfe.

Thanks Andy for a great day’s outing - and a couple of decent climbs to stretch the calves.


Photos by Robert Cope