Walk Summary
A desolate moorland round, mostly on Landrover tracks. Includes the Upper and Lower Barden reservoirs and the dramatic Cracoe Obelisk and Rylstone Cross war memorials. Panoramic views down into the valleys.
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Date: 29/03/2023
Length: 11.719 miles
Height Gain: 419 m
Terrain: Mostly on Landrover tracks. The section on the eastern edge from Rolling Gate Crags to Rylstone Cross, is quite boggy.
Navigation: Reasonably easy since most of the route is on Landrover tracks. The eastern section from Rolling Gate Cags to the bridleway (beyond Rylstone Cross) is a boggy track, but reasonably obvious. A stone wall is a good handrail for most of that section of the walk. Map, compass and gps required due to high and remote moors.
Start: Black Hill (on the road from Barden Scale to Embsay)
Route: Black Hill (on the road from Barden Scale to Embsay), Lower Barden Reservoir, UpperBarden Reservoir, Rolling Gate Crags, Cracoe War Memorial, Rylstone Cross, Brown Bank
Map: OL2 Yorkshire Dales - Southern & Western Area
Weather: Grey skies, occasional light mizzle
Walkers: Nun
Captain's Log
Grey Start
The weather forecast didn't promise much for the day and so I didn't rush to get to the Dales. It did brighten up as I drove through Ilkley, but the sun was still too shy to make an appearance. Today's walk was a tour of Barden moor and included two ticks on my recently neglected Yorkshire Reservoirs Venture: Upper Barden and Lower Barden reservoirs. It also visited two war memorials: an obelisk on the top of Cracoe Fell and the nearby Rylstone Cross . The obelisk is a prominent feature and I'd seen it many times on the skyline when driving between Gargrave and Grassington. Today's walk is on moorland managed by the Bolton Abbey Estate and occasionally it may be closed off so that the Tweed Trouser Brigade can play their games. It is worth checking online if there are any access restrictions before setting out.
Tarmac Walking To Lower Barden
Shelters Near Lower Barden
Lower Barden
A lot of this walk is on Landrover tracks across the moors. Although this can be hard on the joints, it does mean that the mileage is covered quickly. I parked up at Black Hill and followed a road down to Lower Barden reservoir. A crane and a few construction vehicles were positioned near the southern end of the dam. It looked like repairs were being made to its spillway. A few Greylag Geese had congregated at the reservoir's intake. I found plenty of birds on the moor today. There were plenty of unfortunate Grouse, as well as Curlews, Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Meadow Pippits and Merlins. On the return part of the walk a few Black Headed Gulls made their way southwards. Just after the intake of the reservoir I had to cross a ford and I was thankful I'd put on gaiters or else water would have overflowed the top of my boots. I came across two stone cabins that had earth covered roofs. Looking inside I could see some tables and benches. Presumably these were facilities used by the Tweed Trouser Brigade.
Lower Barden Reservoir
Upper Barden
I followed the Landrover track up to Upper Barden reservoir. There were more construction vehicles up here and the reservoir was fenced off. It looked like repairs were being carried out to the spillway, as with the lower reservoir. I continued on a Landrover track northwards. The moors are really quite desolate up here. Looking east I could see Simon's Seat peak on the other side of the valley. A couple of shots rang out, and after a few seconds, a couple more. They came from my left and seemed reasonably close. I scanned the moor and couldn't see anybody. Maybe it was a gamekeeper, just having some fun spooking a lone walker. In fact these were the only shots I heard all day. I came across another reservoir, much too small to appear in my Yorkshire Reservoir Venture, and the Landrover track now headed off westwards. A little further along I came across an intact chimney with a derelict building at its base. The OS maps shows numerous old shafts in this area. It amazes me how high up on the moors you find these remnants of industry. The track brought me up to a stone shooting hut. It had a fine view. I could see Grimworth reservoir to the north and Grassington further west. A light rain started and I put on my weatherproofs.
Moorland Industrial Past
Tweed Trouser Shelter
Rylstone Cross
Memorial Day
The Cracoe Fell war memorial obelisk came into view and I headed towards it on a boggy track. After so much walking on Landrover tracks, it took a while to get my sea legs back. The obelisk was accessed by a stile over a stone wall and was quite impressive close up. It had a plaque commemorating lives that were lost in both world wars. The obelisk had been erected on some large rocks and there was a bit of a drop on the valley side. I made my way back to the stone wall and the path. I'd earlier seen a fellow with a radio and aerial near the stone wall, but he'd packed up and started walking on the descent path by the time I climbed back over the stile. I wasn't getting much chance for chatting to people today. The descent path offered good views along what now had become more of an edge. There were spectacular outcrops of rocks on this section. The path brought me down to another war memorial, the Rylestone Cross, erected on the top of one of these outcrops. The cross was accessed by going over the stone wall via a stile again, and was a lot bigger than I expected. It was certainly a great view down into the valley. I returned to the stone wall and continued my journey downwards until I came to a junction with a bridleway. The bridleway would take me back to Black Hill and my car.
The Edge Between Cracoe Obelisk And Rystone Cross
Long Road Home
The bridleway turned into another Landrover track. It gradually made its way up to the highest point at North Earls. I'd seen a Landrover at this point on the skyline as I approached and I hoped it didn't indicate some Tweed Trouser Brigade activity beyond. When I reached the top, it turned out to be a Bolton Abbey Estate Landrover with a trailer. There was no sign of the driver. Maybe he'd brought an ATV up here and scooted off. I could just see Upper Barden reservoir now. The construction activities looked quite extensive. I watched a concrete lorry make its way down the Landrover track that I'd walked up this morning. From this elevated level, it was quite a good view of Lower Barden reservoir and Simon's Seat beyond.
Upper Barden Reservoir
Cracoe War Memorial Obelisk
The Long Road Back To The Carpark
Steamy Windows
It seemed to take a long time to get back to the carpark...probably because it was a long way. The moors had certainly been desolate on this walk. I really enjoyed the views from the obelisk and Rylestone Cross section though. Two more reservoirs ticked on my Yorkshire Reservoir Venture too. As I approached my car, I noticed a young couple sat on the rear seat of the car parked next to me. Judging by the steamed windows, I presumed they were boiling up some veg on a primus stove on the back seat. I thought about knocking on their window and advising them that this was a dangerous activity, but I thought they might think I was interfering. As I took my gaiters and boots off, and sorted out the boot of my car, I saw the fellow rub a steam free circle on the car window and look out at me. Judging by the look on his face, I'm quite glad I didn't give him my advice about using a Primus stove in the back of a car. It must have been getting a bit hot in the back there since I saw him taking his tee shirt off as I drove away.