Adventures in wet boots

Managed to squeeze in a shortish walk yesterday, to maximise my walking time I decided to stay close to home and explore parts of the Harden Moor area I hadn’t seen yet. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so you’ll have to make do with a crappy map. It was too misty for decent views anyway.

The morning’s fog had given way to pleasant, hazy spring sunshine. I set off from the Catstones edge of the moor towards Airedale, practicing my scrambling by clambering up and among the outcrops and quarry tips instead of following the paths around. There were some nice views over the moor from the top of the higher mounds, but no long range views today. On the upside the place was pretty much deserted.  I continued across the moor through freshly burned heather, the place had a completely different atmosphere on a bright spring day to my last visit - still desolate, but dry and windswept. I hoped to spot a lizard or two but had to settle for the birds calling instead. After a little wandering I climbed a steep bank and dropped down the other side, which revealed a secluded pocket of upland pasture for some stables  - some of these moorland side valleys are real hidden gems. I want to buy Ether Glen house but I suspect my offer might be half a million short.  I crossed a stile off the moor and followed the bridleway downhill and over a stone bank which formed the head of a steep glen with a small beck twisting in the bottom. I left the path and dropped down the side of the glen through a lovely birch and beech wood, crunching through drifts of leaves on my way to the valley floor. I carried on along the stream, dodging the muddy bits, before following a path up the side of the valley, past a little crag, and alongside a dry stone wall up a gentler slope towards St. Ives. The trees thinned out as I climbed back on to the moor edge, quickly passing a car park and picnic area beside Keighley Road. I trogged along a bridleway a little way before crossing the Long Lee - Harden road and entering the St. Ives estate. I now had two options - to follow the bridleway downhill towards St. Ives or pick a route across the heather towards Altar Lane. I attempted the latter briefly, and found that since this area of heath is rather dry and not used for grouse shooting, the dense crunchy heather was tangled through by brambles and other undergrowth and so almost impenetrable. On extricating myself I figured that the ’short cut’ would take me three times as long as going the long way round, so I followed the bridleway instead and took the footpath across the edge of the wood instead before following the track up to Altar Lane. A pleasant stroll along the lane took me back to Keighley Road, where I crossed over and followed another long green farm track/bridleway back towards Hainworth Shaw, with nice if hazy views over the Aire and Worth valleys, before scrambling down a steep stony walled path and along another lane to Back Shaw Lane. Passing a couple of ferocious guard dogs trying to outbark each other I slogged back up to the bridleway at Cradle Edge, and strolled back along the top across the side of the moor, cutting the corner back to the car. I managed to squeeze in about four miles before school kicking-out time, some nice fresh spring sun, and a fair bit of solitude. 

Harden Moor walk

Tags: Hikes