Walk
3 ROWLETH WOOD AND LOW LANE -
GUNNERSIDE TO REETH
A gentle walk through
central Swaledale, again with magnificent views from the valley sides along the
Dale. The route uses several old packhorse tracks and field paths, across
pasture and meadows, terminating at Reeth, the little township and tourist
centre that dominates this part of Swaledale.
Distance:
6½ miles – 10 kilometres
Time:
Allow 3-3½ hours
Maps:
OS Explorer Map OL30 or Harvey Dales North.
Refreshments:
Café, pub in Gunnerside, choice of cafes, pubs in Reeth, which also has a
National Park Centre and a small Museum.
Toilets:
Gunnerside, Reeth
Getting
there:
Take bus
from Richmond Market Place to Gunnerside which leaves at 0900 and 1205 on Mondays to Saturdays (service 30).
Travel time to Gunnerside
is 45 minutes
Coming
back:
Buses leave Reeth Green for Richmond on Mondays to Saturdays at 1405 and 1715.
Emergency
taxi back-up: Phone 01748 825
112 or 822 269
Drivers:
Park in Reeth no later than 20 minutes after the above times from
Richmond to catch the
service 30 bus to Gunnerside, returning to your parked vehicle at the end of the
walk.
Directions:
From the King’s Head Inn
in Gunnerside walk up the road towards Reeth for 120 metres to where, on the
left, a gated road climbs steeply away from the village.
Go through the gate but after a few metres at the first hairpin bend take
the narrow enclosed track straight ahead which climbs sharply above the fields
and wooded site of Stanley Quarry with its ruined cottages, a small interpretive
panel relating their history. As
the old lane turns sharp left towards Heights Farm, go across the stile in the
wall corner to follow a path along the wallside, over more stiles leading into
and through Rowleth Wood
, a lovely semi-natural woodland now being replanted.
Keep to the waymarked path, broadly in the same direction, losing height
slightly before emerging in open pasture, through more stiles, following the
hillside as it curves towards Smarber Farm above.
Follow the wall side to
the farm, and go through the gap left past the old barn and new agricultural
building in front of the farm, keeping on the other side of the wall to a
pedestrian gate that leads to a path which bears right, (not clear on the
ground) across a shallow gill with a tiny stream. Cross, following the grassy
track ahead which swings down the hillside, but soon leaving it to bear right
diagonally down open pasture, heading for the gate in the wall below which
indicates the convergence of two footpaths. From this gate, keep straight across the small enclosure
towards the woodland where alongside the wall on the right you will see a
narrow, earth track following wall downhill. As the main road comes into view,
follow the branching track left down to the road.
Cross to the triangle of grass, which you can also cross to reach the
tarmac lane to Isles Bridge.
Left at the junction along
the cul-de-sac lane to Low Houses, from where 
Low Lane, a lovely unsurfaced
track, curves along the valley opposite Low Row and Feetham, eventually emerging
at Low Whita, south of How Hill, an ancient hill settlement.
Keep the same direction, past the junction with Scabba Wath Bridge,
climbing steadily to eventually cross the cattle grid to enter open moorland on
the left. Where the wall on the left bears away from the road, take the path
also left, which descends towards the river, soon joining the bridleway north of
Stubbin Farm, though gates and stiles. This joins a riverside path indicated by
stiles (not on current maps) which takes walkers directly to the newly restored
“Millennium Project” footbridge over the Swale, a bridge destroyed by floods
in the late 90s but rebuilt as a flagship Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust
Project. Cross the bridge, keeping
to the main path half right as it climbs towards Reeth, soon joining and
enclosed way up to a junction. Right here to the next cross roads, a choice of
ways leading into Reeth with its busy village green and excellent choice of
cafes, inns and shops, not forgetting the village bakery with home made bread
and cakes and where you can buy the superb locally made Swaledale cheese.
© Colin Speakman, May 2005