National Trail Guides UK
NATIONAL TRAIL GUIDES Footpath Guides : Dales Way : Day 5
Contents : DALES WAY
Introduction Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 THE DALES WAY RUNS FROM ILKELY (YORKSHIRE) TO BOWNESS (LAKES)
NATIONAL TRAILS GUIDES UK - DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS & GALLERIESDay 5 :: Into Cumbria :: Holme Hill to Dent :: 10 miles
The start of today's walk over Blea moor Leaving Blea Moor at the gate to the Newby Head roadWhen we reached the end of Blea Moor, after about 2 miles, we turned left onto a minor road (Newby Rod) leading to Cowgill and Dent. The Dales Way follows this road for a considerable distance. At a point just before the road, the Dales Way crosses into Cumbria. We joined the road at a gate through a barbed wire fence.
On the road we passed Mossy Bottom, a conifer plantation on our left and then walked downhill, with an attractive view of the hills far into the distance. After a short while the Dent Head Viaduct came into view, far below us and far in the distance. The road seemed to go on forever, but eventually we passed beneath the arches of the viaduct and the road leveled off. There was scaffolding around the base of one of the pillars to support some work that was obviously going on there.
View of Dent head Viaduct from the Newby Road Scale Gill Bridge over River Dee near CowgillAfter a while the almost completely dried up River Dee appeared on our left, exposing smoothed stones and rocky waterfalls (small ones). We stayed close to the river for the remainder of the walk. I am sure it would have been very pretty had there been some water in it. The River Dee eventually joins the River Lune to flow through Lancaster.
There were many attractive bridges crossing the river, one of which had a wall missing and looked very dangerous. After a long trawl along the road it eventually curved westwards circumnavigating Langhaw Wold, rising high above us to our left.
At this point we entered Cowgill, passing a well populated pub on our left and then leaving the road via a stile which took us to Ewegales Bridge. We then took a very small road where we saw some interesting and unusual South American farm animals in an abutting farm.
Dried up river bed of the River Dee Ewegales Bridge (or part of it)
The village of Dent Fountain stone commemorating Alan SedgwickWe then passed through farmland and Little Town forestry plantation and then through many fields of rough pasture, the path through them not being easy to follow. This eventually brought us back to the River Dee where we followed the river bank for a short distance only to be deflected uphill at Tommy Bridge and again through fields of rough pasture up to Mill Bridge and then immediately back again to the river.
We soon came upon a camp site, and found tents strewn right across the path. After a short distance we emerged at a bridge and onto the road once moor and into the village of Dent. Dent is a charming town with cobbled streets. It was bustling with activity.
On the whole this part of the Dales Way was not as enjoyable as our four previous days, being spoiled by the amount of road walking. However, the scenery was still attractive and the walk still enjoyable. Perhaps we had just been spoiled by the quality of the Dales Way which we had already traveled.