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Swaledale Outdoor Club |
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Swaledale Outdoor Club |
| > Home > Newsletter > Walking > Masham |
Masham17 members gathered in Masham market place on a grey and dismal November morning with a light drizzle in the air but the forecast was for drier weather later in the day. Members who had been on a previous walk with me politely noted the similarity in the weather - we got very wet on that occasion. Leaving the market place we followed the Ripon Rowell, a new long distance route that we would frequently come across throughout the day, past the brewery visitor centre (without losing anyone) and headed for open country. Our route took us along the Burn valley where we admired the remaining autumn colours in the surrounding woodland. We stopped for coffee just before 11am and being Remembrance Sunday a silence was observed on the hour. A little further up the valley we crossed the river Burn, left the Ripon Rowell and after passing through a small side valley ascended into the scattered village of Ilton where we rejoined the Ripon Rowell and headed across the moor towards Bramley. The early drizzle had by now become heavier and poor visibility prevented us enjoying the views that are possible in better weather. Leaving the Ripon Rowell once again we left the moor and headed for Nutwith Common where the woodland provided us with shelter from the continuous drizzle for a well earned lunch stop. Thus fortified we made for the river Ure and joined the riverside path, once again linking with the Ripon Rowell, and headed upstream. We kept close to the river, passing a curious echo stone on the river bank, as we made our way back to our starting point in Masham. A striking feature of the day for me was the variety of stiles. There are low ones and high ones, flat steps and round steps, wobbly ones and rickety ones. Stiles with steep approaches and stiles with steep drops after them, stiles with “limbo” bars and stiles with painfully high rails (especially for short legged gents). An easy and enjoyable ten miles despite the drizzle, in a pleasant area not often used by the SOC. Alan Turner |