Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter at Hillcrest Cottage

 A wander through the seasons at Hillcrest Cottage in Swaledale .

Hillcrest Cottage

Which is YOUR favourite?

SPRING

It doesn't get much better than spring in Swaledale.  New life, new born lambs, vibrant birdsong and slowly but surely, as if by magic, new colour in the garden at Hillcrest.

 

 

A tunnel of young green on the approach to Low Row as the dale bursts to life.

It is no wonder that the spring season is so popular with visitors and why Hillcrest gets booked up so quickly.

SUMMER

From early June the flowers come!  The sheep are taken out of the meadow fields so that the grass can grow for hay. Swaledale is renowned for it miles of dry stone walls, its many little stone buildings known as cow'uses and for its spectacular flower filled meadow fields.

As spring gives way to summer the garden at Hillcrest is filled with a riot of colour.  Under unbroken skies, farmers up and down the dale cut and gather their vitally important hay crop and the landscape takes on a patchwork of greens and ochres.

Summer is the season for picnics and paddling and time to explore; on foot, by bicycle or by car.  Hillcrest has safe cycle storage and car parking.  There are guides and leaflet galore in the cottage plus a portfolio of recommended walks.  When you book to stay at Hillcrest you will receive a digital guest welcome guide containing lots of suggestions of where to go and what to do including local markets, museums, eateries, galleries and shops.  Enjoy! 

AUTUMN

Autumn can only be described at amazing!  The colour palette Mother Nature choses as the leaves fall and the days shorten is nothing short of spectacular.

Autumn is the season to don your boots and a warm woolly hat and on a bright November day explore one of the many nearby circular walks before collapsing next to the fire back at the cottage.  Or would the temptation of early doors at a welcoming dales pubs like the Punchbowl Inn be too much to resist?  The Punchbowl is YOUR local when staying at Hillcrest.

WINTER

Winter is for warming up by the fire and watching the world go by from behind the window!

Imagine spending Christmas or New Year here.  Carol Services and silver bands playing Christmas tunes and traditional carols, an old fashioned pantomime at the Georgian Theatre in Richmond, pick up provisions at a proper butcher and busy market stalls plus a superb gastro pub only a stroll away from the cottage.  What more could you want?  Only to to book early!

Autumn Walking in Swaledale - Reeth to Langthwaite & return

 Reeth to Langthwaite following Arkle Beck 

7.5 miles of easy walking however please always wear strong, preferably waterproof, footwear.

Park on Reeth Green and pick up any provisions you require.  There is a pub at the half way point in Langthwaite however although the Red Lion has a good supply of crisps, chocolate, muesli bars etc they do not serve meals.  We packed our own sandwich and enjoyed it with a drink sitting outside the pub on their comfortable seating.

Walk downhill off the green following the B6270 until you come to the bridge over the river.  After crossing the bridge take the first public footpath fingerpost on your left signposted Langthwaite 3 miles.

Walk upstream following the path across the fields, past a field building or 'cowus' with a painted yellow arrow and onto a gated stile. From here bear right, up hill, as if you are heading for Fremington Edge.

The path is well signposted all the way with finger posts, waymarkers or hand painted arrows and yellow circles.  Once you get your eye trained to spot the yellow markers, stiles or gates, the path is plain sailing.

Don't worry you are only walking up hill to the top of the field not climbing all the way up to Fremington Edge!  From here look back at the view towards Reeth and the opposite side of the valley.

Squeeze through the squeeze stile (literally!) and turn left along an old metalled track / bridleway.  From hear the track winds its way through pretty woodland and down towards the beck.  

At the junction keep right on the bridleway across fields to Heggs House.  Shortly after Heggs House the path descends once again to the beck side and another bridge across the Arkle however do not cross the river here instead carry on across two fields to Storthwaite Hall which sits next to a ford with good stepping stones.

From the ford, climb the concrete track to a junction.  Here you have a choice of routes a) turn right signposted Slei Gill and after 100 yards bear left towards the hamlet of Booze before dropping steeply to the village of Langthwaite or b) carry forward along the track which descends to a clear path that runs adjacent to Arkle Beck and into Langthwaite and the famous All Creatures Great & Small bridge and the welcome sight of the Red Lion pub.  You have reached half way.

The Red Lion sells hot drinks as well as the usual alcoholic beverages. The pub was used extensively for the BBC tv series, All Creatures Great & Small and for fans of the James Herriot stories has an interesting display of photographs of the filming and stars.  Having rested a while begin your return by walking between the cottages opposite the pub and picking up the path alongside the river (as in the photo above).  If you entered the village by option b) you will be retracing your steps.

 Follow the path along the river to a wooden footbridge.  Cross the bridge and turn immediately left.  The path clings closely to the beckside until it comes to a gated stile with a fallen tree forming a low bough.

From here follow the path across pastures, looking out for where it passes through gaps in the wall, through gates and over stiles.  After a while the track comes to a junction.  At the junction do not take the track uphill but drop down and walk past a large farmhouse with attached buildings.  Pass through the five-bar gate and take a track immediately right (look out for a low waymarker pointing the way).

From here the path is easy to follow across pastures & fields.  Landmarks to look out for are waymarked stiles, a large power line structure with a yellow circle on and finally a large white house.  Pass through the gated stile at the side of the white house, turn left and follow the road for the last 1/4 mile of the walk back into Reeth.  Enjoy a well earned ice-cream from the Ice Cream Parlour or cup of tea at one of the many tearooms / cafes / take-out outlets. 

With thanks to Jonathan Smith and Where2Walk.  Jonathan produces a walk for our local weekly paper, The Darlington & Stockton Times.  If it is relevant to our area its cut it out and laminated for the use of my guests at Pry House Farm and Hillcrest Cottage.  There is a portfolio of local walks at both Pry House Farm B&B and Hillcrest Cottage but take a look at the Where2Walk website for other areas.  

Smardale Gill Circular Walk

 Smardale Gill & Smardale Gill Viaduct Walk

In 2016 the Yorkshire Dales National Park was extended westward to take in some of the eastern edges of Cumbria including the Howgills and the Eden Valley including Smardale.

An approximate 25 minute drive from Pry House Farm, this 4.5 mile circular walk, on very easy going, is a relaxing ramble through Smardale Nature Reserve along the disused railway line and back through pastures and tracks that provides spectacular scenery and a wealth of fauna & flora to enjoy.

Take the A685 Kirkby Stephen to Tebay road.  Shortly after the sign for Newbiggin-on-Lune is a right hand turn signposted Great Asby.  Turn right here and immediately turn left and park up.  Walk up the road to Great Asby for approx 100 yards and turn right into the entrance to Brownber Hall.  On the left of the stone gateposts is the very attractive Lodge House.  There is a private, no entry sign on one of the gateposts but this is for vehicles, not walkers.

  Follow the driveway for a short distance to the entrance of the Nature Reserve and the old railway line.  Once on the railway line carry on along the track until you arrive at the viaduct bridge.  This is a very pleasant and relaxing stroll with an abundance of wildflowers, birds and butterflies to spot and some wonderful scenic vantage points to pause and take in the fantastic views. 

Fairies live here!

Trees provide welcome shade.

Scandal Beck flows beneath Smardale Bridge.  If you take the circular route you will cross this bridge towards the end of the walk.

Smardale Viaduct is am imposing structure and on a bright sunny day produces fabulous shadows.

Having crossed the viaduct you have two choices - a) continue along the railway path to discover even more wild flowers, birds and butterflies then turn round and return the way you came or b) at the end of the viaduct bridge take the stile on the right.  Follow the path through pastures until you come to a second stile. After crossing the stile turn right and follow the track to Smardale Bridge.

This is the bridge you have seen from the railway track early in the walk (photos 1 & 5).

From the bridge follow the track up the other side through to Friar's Bottom Farm.  Opposite the farmhouse is a stile and fingerpost marked Bridleway.  From here the track rises up over a small hill and soon meets the railway line.  Turn left and follow the railway track back to your starting point.

The linear walk (option 1) is suitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs and is a lovely safe walk for children.  The circular walk does have some uneven surfaces & inclines but is still classed as an easy walk. For more details and a map click here Smardale Gill Walk  

Summer in Swaledale and at Pry House Farm

 Summer in Swaledale and all that goes on at Pry House Farm during the summer.

One of the features of Swaledale that has visitors returning time and time again are our hay meadows

At Pry House Farm we take great pride in our traditional hay meadows which produce some of the finest hay imaginable.  These fields of gold are exactly that to upland farmers.  Once made into hay it becomes an invaluable resource that will sustain our sheep throughout winter and lambing time.

     A baking hot hay day on home field at Pry House Farm

The most important task in summer for farmers everywhere is gathering in the crops and that is certainly true in the dales.  It is important that we get our hay when its ready and we judge that by quality and quantity.  The grass has to be long and thick enough to produce a decent crop but not 'old grown'.  The flowers in the meadows have to have gone to seed in order that we get the same flower and herb rich crop year after year after year.  Another vital ingredient to making good hay is summer    sunshine.  We need plenty hot, dry sunny days to be sure  to get all the fields cut, strown, rowed up and baled.  This  year the weather is well and truely on our side.  We have  made and safely gathered in over 3000 small bales with  the rest of the grass being made into good quality round    bale silage.              

But not all our meadow flowers are in the meadows! We have the most beautiful display of meadow flowers and grasses right outside the farmhouse dining / kitchen window.  I have long since given up on trying to cultivate a lawn and instead allowed nature to take its course and wow .... its given us a magnificent show of colour and movement.

 
Summer is also when our sheep get sheared (or clipped).  The hoggs are clipped first.  Hoggs are young sheep, sheep that are being sheared for the first time.  Shearing hoggs is harder work than shearing the older ewes.  Its a new experience for them and their fleece is generally tighter.

I expect Heidi and Hetty, my Herdwick ewes, will be glad to be rid of their coats in the next day or two.  However even on the hottest of days they don't suffer proving that wool really does keep you warm in winter and cool in summer.

The pet lambs are enjoying being outside in the little field next to the farmhouse.  They have shelter, a plentiful supply of water and supplementary feed to make sure they thrive.

   

Summer is also about holidays and for those seeking privacy, peace & quiet, space, huge skies, endless scenery then the Shepherd's Hut on home field is dream come true.  Watch the birds, watch the clouds, watch the lambs, watch the hay making action - every visit is different.  The bed & breakfast rooms in the farmhouse have the same wonderful vista with the added bonus of breakfast being made and no washing up to do!

Happy times, happy days!