Ingleton Glens, Kingsdale and the Turbary Road.
Start. Ingleton Waterfalls Trail car park.
Route. Ingleton - Swilla Glen - Thornton Force - Raven Ray - Kingsdale - Keld Head - Turnbary Road - Shout Brow - Kingsdale Road - Braida Garth Farm - Wackenburgh Hill - Twisleton Scar End - Twisleton Hall - Beezleys - Beezley Falls - Ingleton.
Notes. This was a walk of stark contrasts, from the crowds flocking to explore the Waterfalls Trail to the desolate, lonely moors and limestone scars above Kingsdale. If you prefer the quiet then park at the junction of Kingsdale Road and the lane leading to Twisleton Hall, my preference is the quiet but the 4½ miles Waterfalls Trail is guaranteed enjoyment, despite the crowds, follow in my footsteps and soak up the best of both worlds. The privately owned Waterfalls Trail offers some of the most spectacular waterfall and woodland scenery in the North of England, opened in 1885, tourist flocked in by rail, tens of thousands invaded this small corner of Yorkshire. Todays visitors arrive by car to explore the water filled glens. In contrast Kingsdale is silent, wind swept and lonely, serviced by a single track gated road, visited by few, it welcomes the odd walker plus a large slice of the caving community, boasting some of the most complex cave systems in the Dales.
My walk started in the busy Waterfalls Trail car park, walking with the crowds following the River Twiss up stream, I passed through glens sandwiched between precipitous limestone cliffs, oak, ash, birch and hazel blanketed the valley floor and cliffs tops. I ascended above thundering waterfalls passing a small tea cabin en route, , this is a commercial enterprise. After ascending above Thornton Force the path climbed to the old Roman Road linking Kingsdale to Twisleton Dale, for waterfalls walkers the path turns right in the direction of the River Doe, the return route, for me it went left into the deserted valley of Kingsdale.
After crossing Kingsdale Beck just before it morphs into the River Twiss at Raven Ray, I reached the tarmac road leading through the dale, to my left a few paces up the hill a finger-post invited me to Turbary Road, I obliged. Ascending over wonderful limestone scars, ladder stiles carried me across a couple of walls before my route crossed a vast tract of limestone upland, on the other side of the field I stepped onto the Turbary Road, road in name only. Once used to transport peat from pastures above Yordas Cave, it gently follows a sloping limestone shelf below the steep grassy slopes of Gragareth. Several fields later with the weather on the turn I decided it was time to head back, the first drops of rain accompanied me to the valley floor.
Walking back along the valley road I almost missed the path to Scar End, the finger-post caught my eye at the last minute, I descended to a splendid foot-bridge spanning Kingsdale Beck. Now wandering through meadows alive with sheep and friendly cows I strolled onwards, the path passed Braida Garth before carrying me under the cliffs of Braida Garth Scar, the oddly named Botany Bay followed before George's Scar. Eventually a stile lead onto Twisleton Scar End, I descended to gain access to the Roman Road that previously carried me into Kingsdale. Now heading east back on the Waterfalls Trail I passed the buildings of Twisleton Hall before the path dropped through fields to Beezleys and the new Refreshment Centre. The final two miles followed the gorge cut over many millennia by the River Doe, lots more to see if you haven't had your fill of waterfalls and woodland, at least there was a modicum of shelter from the now torrential rain, eventually I stepped out of the gorge at an old limestone quarry, all that remained a short walk through the streets of Ingleton.
Swollen after a night of heavy rain the River Twiss.
Above Pecca Falls.
Roaring and majestic, Hollybush Spout.
Thornton Force powerful after heavy weather, at around 50ft in height the highlight of the Waterfalls Trail,
Raven Ray above Thornton Force, with no sign of the drama out of shot to the right, this also marks the section of river where Kingsdale Beck transforms into the River Twiss.
The dramatic rock scenery of Keld Head Scar.
Views over Kingsdale Beck, looking to the head of the dale.
My route over the beck.
Ascending Keld Head Scar with views over Raven Ray to the White Scars slopes of Ingleborough
Ascending the limestone scars on Low Plane looking to the west.
One of the grandest objects in the Dales, dark against the sky Ingleborough.
In the pastures above North End Scar with Whernside rising across the dale.
In sunlight and shade the steep grassy slopes of Gragareth.
On the Turbary Road with a panorama across the head of Kingsdale, dark to the right, Whernside.
Under a rather ominous looking cloud, Whernside as seen across Kingsdale.
Rowten Pot, it sounded like there was an awful lot of running water down there.
From the Kingsdale Road views to the valley head, with rain on the way.
Seen across Kingsdale, Wackenburgh Hill and George's Scar with the pastures below Braida Garth bathed in sunlight.
Let the Kingsdale Road and beck carry your eye down the dale to the hills of Bowland.
Rising from Kingsdale the scars of Green Laid and Shout nestle under the slopes of Gragareth.
As seen from near Twisleton Scar End, Gragareth.
Swathed in cloud and swirling mist, Ingleborough seen across Twisleton Dale.
The cataracts of Triple Spout.
Rival Falls, it is clamed some of the pools in this stretch of the River Doe are 80ft deep.