WARNING: PLEASE BE AWARE THE NIDDERDALE CHALLENGE ROUTE
HAS CHANGED FROM PREVIOUS YEARS
MAP:- Ordnance Survey – Explorer 298 Nidderdale
|
Route Mileage |
Long Route 25 miles |
Medium Route 18 miles |
Short Route 8 miles |
|
Pateley Bridge - Heathfield |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Heathfield – Ramsgill |
3 |
3 |
- |
|
Heathfield - Wath |
- |
- |
1 |
|
Ramsgill – Middlesmoor |
3 |
3 |
- |
|
Ramsgill - Lofthouse |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Middlesmoor – Scar House Reservoir |
3 |
- |
- |
|
Scar House Reservoir – Lofthouse |
5 |
- |
- |
|
Lofthouse – Wath |
4 |
4 |
- |
|
Wath – Pateley Bridge |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
TOTAL MILEAGE |
25 |
18 |
8 |
PART 1: 8, 18 & 25 mile routes
PATELEYBRIDGE TO HEATHFIELD AND GOUTHWAITE DAM
Start from the Nidderdale Showground at the foot of the main street in Pateley Bridge, opposite the children’s play area. Turn LEFT up GREENHOW HILL. Turn RIGHT below the Royal Oak Pub where you see the one way sign. Follow the road for a short while past lots of cottages and turn LEFT uphill between the cottages, before the Old Brewery. Continue on path over tarmac, gravel and grass towards wooden gate with a greenhouse on your left. Continue through gate into the field. When you come to 2 wooden gates take the gate farthest away from you. Follow the path past Eagle Hall keeping to the left. At the next gate take the stone steps in the wall, before it on the left. Walk through the trees to the road and turn RIGHT following the Industrial Heritage Trail/Nidderdale Way (NW). PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD AND WALK ON THE RIGHT FACING ONCOMING TRAFFIC. Where you see signpost continue on road following signs to Ashfold Side and Cockhill on the NW. At the next signpost follow public bridleway to Ashfold Side on the NW. Where the track forks head for the single stone pillar (on the same path). Where the path divides in front of a pile of rubble, take the path straight ahead down towards the new wooden bridge with the big pile of rubble to the left. Make your way CAREFULLY down to the wooden bridge. Cross over the bridge and continue to follow the NW. Turn RIGHT when you meet the track. Past the caravan park and farm on your right you will see another signpost. Follow signs to Grange Lane on the NW. Do not take the footpath to Heathfield! STAY ON THE ROAD! At the next set of signposts take the path up hill to Heathfield on NW and Public Bridleway. Walk up towards farm, go through black gate and straight across farmyard. Go through next black gate and continue following path diagonally RIGHT to the farthest gate. Follow path with wall on right. Go through next gate and continue following blue arrows. When you come to the bench you have made it to HEATHFIELD CHECKPOINT! Please check in and grab yourself a well earned bacon sandwich!
HEATHFIELD TO GOUTHWAITE DAM
From the checkpoint follow the road down hill. At junction turn LEFT on to the road. BE AWARE OF TRAFFIC! Look out for a group of windswept pine trees next to a barn on the right. When you get past the barn go through the metal gate below the trees. Walk down hill to a wooden stile and continue on track past house. Follow path carefully down hill. Go through metal gate at the bottom and continue taking the next gate to the right of the farm house. Go through next gate at the bottom of the field and turn LEFT on to the road. BE AWARE OF TRAFFIC! At Gouthwaite Reservoir gate house turn RIGHT onto the dam. At the end of the dam the routes divide.
Part 2: 18 & 25 mile routes
GOUTHWAITE DAM TO PARK HOUSE VIA RAMSGILL
Turn LEFT at the end of the dam following the Nidderdale Way (NW). When you reach the track after a steep climb turn LEFT still on the NW. Turn LEFT at the crossroads at Bouthwaite and walk into the village of Ramsgill. At the road turn LEFT over the bridge and walk into the village of Ramsgill to the Village Hall opposite the Yorke Arms Hotel. Here you will find refreshments and toilets.
Go back through the village the way you came and turn left at the end of the village green and then turn RIGHT through the farm buildings following NW & public bridleway to Stean. Keep to the signed NW route, don’t divert off. Where the NW meets a road with a signpost with 2 public bridleway signs to Stean, take the RIGHT hand path on NW to Stean. Turn LEFT on footpath to Stean on NW public bridleway through STUDFOLD FARM. Turn RIGHT over bridge following road and turn RIGHT again at next road towards LOFTHOUSE. This is PARK HOUSE CHECKPOINT where the 18 and 25 mile routes divide.
Follow footpath to Lofthouse passing by the cricket pitch, straight over the road following the path over the bridge. At the road turn RIGHT into Lofthouse. Enter the LOFTHOUSE VILLAGE HALL for a well deserved drink and biscuit! Exit the village hall via the path that runs beside it, checking OUT as you go. Follow Part 4 of the route notes from here.
Turn LEFT at the layby through the kissing gate up hill towards MIDDLESMOOR. Go through a gate in the wall and continue through next hole in the wall. Come to Halfway House Farm. Walk through the yard and continue up hill towards the church following the arrows. When you reach the church gates continue on the path up hill between the cottages. Turn LEFT at the top of the hill and RIGHT past Crown Hotel. Continue on the main street past Middlesmoor Village Hall where you may like to stop to join in with the Bell Festival! The road soon ‘peters out’ into a track. Carry straight on (ignoring right hand track) and you will come to a checkpoint where you can get a well earned drink! (Unfortunately not an alcoholic one – for this you will have to visit the pub!) Continue following Part 3 of the route notes.
Part 3: 25 mile route
MIDDLESMOOR TO LOFTHOUSE VIA SCAR HOUSE DAM
Continue past the checkpoint on the NW. The route climbs up over IN MOOR to finally drop down a very rough track to the side of SCAR HOUSE RESERVOIR. Turn RIGHT towards the impressive stone dam. Walk over the dam to the SCAR HOUSE RESERVOIR CHECKPOINT on the other side.
From the checkpoint walk up hill passing the stone shelter and turn RIGHT on to the NW which climbs across and up to a wood gate in the stone wall. Pass through the gate and continue on the NW heading for a wire mesh fence on your left. Another gate takes you down in a deep gully and over a wooden bridge. Climb up the track on the other side onto a well defined path. Looking to your right you will see some white topped marker posts and a track leading off towards them. Pass down side of markers, through a wooden gate and following path around to the right bringing you to a second wooden gate and onwards with dry stone wall on your left, follow NW towards the Thwaite House. Come to NW sign on fork and take path LEFT up hill. Once on the main track, follow this for 1.5 miles to Thwaite House. After reaching Thwaite House where there is a toilet for walkers (Ramblers Relief!) pass in front of cottage and turn RIGHT through gate down hill and go LEFT at NW sign. Meet wooden gate and go over rocky riverbed. Once across stream go to left hand side of barn and turn RIGHT through farmyard. Leave via the drive with sheds on right. Just past the sheds leave the drive on a track to the LEFT. Walk past the NW sign and into the field beyond where to your left you will see another stile. Climb over and turn RIGHT following the path between the fence and the river. Go over the next stile on your RIGHT and turn LEFT. Follow the path over the rocky stream bed until it becomes a well defined bridle way into the village of LOFTHOUSE. At the road turn RIGHT into Lofthouse and follow road to Village Hall on left. This is LOFTHOUSE CHECKPOINT - Well done you have reached the penultimate checkpoint! Enjoy some well earned refreshments and a toilet break! Follow part 4 to continue.
Part 4 – 18 & 25 mile routes
LOFTHOUSE TO GOUTHWAITE DAM
Exit LOFTHOUSE taking the path at the side of the village hall away from the road and car park. Opposite the corner of the village hall go through a gap in the wall on the RIGHT into the adjoining field. A few yards along look for a further stile in the wall diagonally on your left hand side, cross the stile into the field and follow the path RIGHT. Go through next stile and head straight on towards a stile in a fence. Turn LEFT when you reach the road. Over the brow of the hill and just over a bridge look for a NW sign on the right heading back into the fields. Follow track down with wall on right hand side for a short while then go DIAGONALLY RIGHT to hole in wall following path to left here on NW. Follow to road and cross continuing on NW to a stile in wall, then bear left up hill following NW.
After walking through woods go through metal gate and where path forks near farmhouse take LEFT path up hill to wall at edge of wood. A short distance along the wall is a gate and sign to continue on NW. Take this and continue. Do not go off the NW. Follow path back to the Dam at Gouthwaite Reservoir continue to PateleyBridge following Part 5 of the route notes.
Part 5 – 8, 18 & 25 miles routes
GOUTHWAITE DAM TO PATELEYBRIDGE
Stay on the NW. Do not take any other paths off it, and you will come into Wath. Cross the road at Wath being careful of the traffic and continue on the NW following the river. When you come to a fork in the path near some houses follow the path behind the new housing estate until you reach the road. Turn RIGHT at the road onto the footbridge to the Showground on the LEFT.
WELCOME BACK!
Please ensure you check in, give your bib back and receive your certificate.
Congratulations on completing Wheatfields Walk & THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!