Richard

Richmond – Reech Road – Green Lane – Whitcliffe Farm – Whitcliffe Scar – Williance’s Leap – Deepdale – Marske – Appelgarth – Lownethwaite Farm – Richmond

Good weather and visibility.

Richard, Diane, Michelle, Ron, Sandy, George, Ken.

Ashley - Getting injections for big-toe-itis

Bernie - Having a week’s holiday in Bamburgh

Comments

From the expensive car park by the river it was hard to find the starting path and we had to push our way through the undergrowth to re-gain the road before we found the required path. There was lots of discussion on navigation. It proved too hot for going uphill and several layers had to be removed. Richard called Ken “a cheeky monkey”. There were some excellent views including that of Penn Hill.

We stopped for a few minutes to examine the monument at Williance's Leap, before stopping a short distance further along to chat to a lady going the other way. We saw the Devil’s Table rocks at the end of the scar. Our lunch spot was at Deepdale, nicely out of the wind.

We dropped down to Marske via a bridge under repair, and passed immaculately cut hedges with the tractor driver drinking coffee as he worked. We spotted a group of shooters with labradors and spaniels in a field being followed by a flock of sheep formed up in a perfect circle. Well-behaved?

We arrived in Marske only to find that the tearoom-cum-pub had closed a year ago. We had a chat with a lady walker and admired the topiary hedges. There was a cow in a field with several calves, one of which had a bad leg. At Paddy’s Bridge there was an odour of apples.

We had to re-trace our steps back up the road until we found the path to Applegarth. At Applegarth we met another shooting party, who had bagged 51 pheasants and a pigeon. They had also found a very small orphaned kitten in the old buildings and did not know what to do with it. We spotted a cave on the opposite side of the river as we came back towards Richmond.

Fauna/Flora: Tupping was in progress. Pheasants, buzzard, rabbit, wren, robin, furry caterpillar, three skylarks. Sloe Berries, apple trees.

Bowes Incline

October Walkers

Yes, we are in Richmond!

Swaledale

Sunny Swaledale

Williance's Leap

Table Rock

Nosey Sheep

Mum

Very young calf

Nice bit of topiary

Cultivation terraces

Last climb from Paddy's Bridge

Another view of Swaledale

Leaf Kickers