Yorkshire Dales Walk 3: Pateley Bridge and Brimham Rocks

Date: Tuesday 26th July 2011
Route: Pateley Bridge to Brimham Rocks then back alongside the River Nidd
Distance: 9 miles

Probably the longest walk of the week, this is again taken from the Pathfinder Yorkshire Dales guide and has many of the ingredients of a perfect walk - beautiful countryside and views, most of the climbing out of the way in the first part of the walk, interesting stuff to look at (and in this case clamber over), a National Trust cafe on hand for that all-important cup of tea half-way round, then a second half that is pretty much flat or downhill all the way, finishing up with a stretch of peaceful riverside path.

The walk begins from the town of Pateley Bridge, quickly leaving the shops behind to climb up the "Panorama Walk" - whilst this is a pretty taxing uphill start, the views get better and better, the higher you get. A large part of the first half of the walk is on the Nidderdale Way, which is bordered by wild flowers and much greener and less exposed than the Pennine Way of the Pen-y-ghent walk.

After passing through woodland containing Fell Beck, it is not far to Brimham Rocks, an odd collection of giant gritstone boulders which sit amongst the heather in weirdly configured stacks - rather than trying to work out which one is the Dancing Bear and which The Anvil, you may well find yourself wondering why they are still standing and how they keep balanced!

There is, of course, a National Trust giftshop, where no doubt all of these questions can be answered - further down and to the side is the refreshment kiosk where instead of dispensing wisdom and touting jam/ membership, it is more about dispensing cups of tea and pasties to visitors with an eye on the next picnic bench likely to become free. Climbing about on the rocks is pretty much expected and gets you good views both over the surrounding countryside and over the site itself.

Once past the NT kiosk the path leads round to the car park and out onto the road, which is the first place this week that the Pathfinder Guide has (slightly) failed us. Unfortunately, the signpost for Smelthouses, which it tells you to follow, has currently disapppeared, so the only indication of the path is a Nidderdale Way logo on a post. It's easy to miss this if you are looking for a sign to Smelthouses, but luckily the Ordnance Survey map makes it clear that if you've walked down to the crossroads on the road you've gone too far (we did - so we turned round and went back again).

Once back on the right path (which did indeed "wind attractively downhill through woodland and across fields"), the way back was very straightforward, passing Fell Beck again, then joining up with the peaceful River Nidd, which it followed all the way to Pateley Bridge, passing a reservoir and with a few welcome benches en route, just the thing for weary legs.

A highly recommended walk in beautiful countryside with a lot of variety.