One of my favourite walks from Settle is the route up and around Attermire Scar. Lynnie is keen to do stuff around the Unicorn and to wander into Settle so I head off on my own with the boys.
After walking to Settle market square we leave the town via Constitution Hill and follow the road until it reaches the wide footpath that continues steeply upwards between two dry stone walls. Through the gate at the top of the track and then we are soon veering right to continue even more steeply uphill. As I climb I stop to admire the views back behind me. To my left is Settle and Giggleswick and to my right in the far distance is Ingleborough and below in the foreground Langcliffe High Mill.
Entering a field through a gateway I spot obvious signs of recent bear activity and after a few minutes come face to face with a herd that immediately take an interest in Crosby and Dexter. When in unfamiliar areas and when close to livestock I always have the dogs on a lead. So a bear interested in my mates is by default also interested in me. Deciding discretion is the best plan I make a “U-Turn” and walk back at a steady pace to keep ahead of the bears that pursue us at a distance.
Back through the gate it is time to re-route so I return down the hill and turn right to follow the path towards Langcliffe. The views of Pen-y-ghent standing proudly in the distance with the disused Langcliffe quarry in the foreground are stunning.
I follow the path down into Langcliffe and wander around the village green. I have walked through the village many times but not wandered around the green that is overlooked by the Church, the Village Institute and the Old Chapel, a splendid building that has now been converted into a house.
Centuries ago the village is said to have been located further up, under Langcliffe Scar, but after being destroyed by Scottish raiders following the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 the village relocated to its current site. It is reported that locals continued battling with the Scots, nine men from the village are recorded as fighting at the Battle of Flodden.
The nearby Langcliffe High Mill was built in the late 1700’s. It is said to have been one of Yorkshires earliest and largest cotton spinning mills and apparently had 14,032 spindles. In the 1820’s the mill started weaving cotton and continued to do so for over 100 years. A little further down the Ribble valley is Watershed Mill and this dates from 1785 and was built for Arkwright’s spinning machines, (you may recall Arkwright from the blog of our walk to Cocking Tor, close to Matlock on 27th July).
From Langcliffe Village Green I walk down Main Street to the B6479 and turn left towards Settle. Within a few hundred yards I take a left turn to walk along Highway back to Settle. Highway provides some wonderful views and has a proliferation of benches in memory of loved ones. In all the times that I have walked along here I have yet to see anyone sat on any of these benches. As I reach the Settle end there is a planning notice for an application to erect another bench.
(6th October 2014)
[To follow our walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure Map OL2 – Yorkshire Dales Western Area]
© Two Dogs and an Awning (2014)