A forecast of fog and mist in Hawes appeared to be accurate as we saw the town almost lost in ground-hogging mist as we approached in the car. Above the mist, the top of our objective, Stags Fell, was also topped with a blanket of mist, reminiscent of the famous “table cloth” cloud which often obscures the summit of Table Mountain above Capetown.
The forecast the night before had led me to send out a somewhat pessimistic email as to the prospect of good views, so it was perhaps my own fault that there were only 5 of us who met up at the National Park Centre car park in Hawes. However, as we prepared to set off, the mist quickly burned off to reveal blue sky and sunshine which, with little wind, felt increasingly warm as the walk progressed.
We headed North, over the Ure bridge and through fields up to Sedbusk. Just a few dry days had much reduced the mud factor, though the high debris “tide mark” and damaged walls indicated the level of flooding in the valley in recent weeks.
We proceeded up the walled track of Shutt Lane, then left up a bridleway to a coffee stop at a little copse with lovely views across the valley to Wether Fell and other moor tops on the South side of the dale. Climbing again we eventually hit a vehicle track and turned West, and, after about half a mile, a short detour took us to the cairn at the high point of our walk. This was not the true top of Stags Fell, but of the escarpment which forms the southern edge of the bleak and boggy Stags Fell and Abbotside Common moor. But it does command lovely panoramic views across and up and down Wensleydale with Ingleborough just visible in the distance through the haze. After a photo stop, we continued along a grassy path to the sheltered little ravine of Shivery Gill where we took lunch – without really the need for any shelter in warm sunshine.
We then dropped down to the Buttertubs road and walked down it to a stile onto field paths to High Shaw. Then a lovely stone-flagged path through woodland alongside the pretty, tumbling Shaw Gill. We emerged onto the road just West of Simonstone Hall before dropping down to Hardraw accompanied by the roar of Hardraw Force waterfall just over the wall to our right. From Hardraw we made our way back to Hawes along flagged field paths which had been under water when I’d done my reccy a few weeks before.
A coffee in the café and bike shop attached the Dales Museum completed a delightful walk on a lovely day.
Richard Wright.