North Yorkshire

The other very popular circular walk in Hawes is to Aysgill Force; we do this, but with extensions east and west to incorporate the Hawes Mosaic Trail (see next FP post).

We leave Hawes and follow the footpath to Burtersett, known for being the seat of the Hillary family with connections to Sir Edmund Hillary, the famous mountaineer. The weather is overcast, but there are still good views over Upper Wensleydale with lots of sheep in the fields.

From here, we walk up Shaw Lane towards the small hamlet of Gayle. Here, we cross the bridge and follow the path along Duerley Beck to Aysgill Force, a small but spectacular waterfall. After a while, we double back north towards Low Bands Farm via Bands Lane. We pass Thorny Mire house and turn up towards Appersett, going under Appersett Viaduct; this used to carry trains over the Beck from Garsdalw to Hawes, but was totally closed in 1964.

From Appersett, we cross the bridge over the River Ure and walk up over fields (in the rain!), eventually bearing east towards Hardraw (see last post). From here, we follow the Pennine Way back to Hawes to complete an interesting 11-mile walk.

We enjoy a lovely meal at The Fountain Inn later on. It's been a good weekend in Hawes.Read more