HAWES - 30th August 2026

 Photo: by Pam T

What a great day for walking with 37 members of the SFWC making the trip from Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Hawes. Most of them were lucky and stayed dry, with a few catching a light shower towards the end of the day. At least the coach journey was uneventful (compared to recent trips) although those who were beginning walks from Hawes didn't begin until after 11 am due to the distance. But no-one complained after a wonderful day walking the Yorkshire Dales.

For Geoff’s group, after a late start at Hawes and the weather looking promising, they set off to Appersett Viaduct then Cotter Force Waterfall which looked very inviting in the by then warm and sunny day. They were very tempted to go in for a swim but declined as they had no towels. Next stop was the Green Dragon pub for an excellent Sunday roast and were surprised to find it was still sunny when they came out to set off to Hardraw Force waterfall. Then a leisurely walk back to Hawes for an ice cream and a quick visit to Wensleydale Creamery. All polished off with a pint or two in the White Hart Inn. All in all a very enjoyable day. 11 miles and 1500ft.

Steph’s group including Pat & Lorna set off with their fingers crossed for some decent weather. They weren’t disappointed. First they visited the fast-flowing Aysgill Force before having lunch in Hawes. Then they walked along the Pennine Way to the beautiful Hardraw Force, where the sun shone brightly on them. As they’d made good time they decided to alter the route and return via the Appersett Viaduct. It was near here that they encountered 'Floosey' a gorgeous three-legged sheepdog who was sitting in her kennel. It was then on to view the viaduct, before the final wet leg into Hawes. The day ended with a cream tea and cheese tasting at the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes.

Paul’s group had a slightly later start than hoped for due to the distance to Hawes, but they set off in jubilant spirits as the possibility of rain had not yet materialised. Aysgill Force was pretty, even though the water flow was light, and then a gentle but long climb started. After lunch the sun came out for a couple of hours, before the threatened downpour came. As they passed the Green Dragon at Hardraw, only 3 of the group opted to see Hardraw Force (which was worth it despite the rain), whilst the rest of the party chose to go directly back to the coach at Hawes. 11.8 miles (less for those missing out the falls!) and 2,000 ft of ascent.

Mike J’s and Gerry’s group was joint led walk by Gerry and Mike. They left the coach on the B6522 at Gearstones, followed the Dales Way to Cam End where they picked up the Pennine Way to follow it into Hawes, and took a detour to the trig point on Dodd Hill fell. They met both Garry’s group and the Oldham’s taking lunch having just come down to the Pennine Way from the trig point. They directed them to the path up to the trig point (very useful).

The group encountered some boggy parts on the top of the hill especially when they took an alternative route down to bring them out further along the Pennine way. On the way down they met Stuart and John heading towards Hawes.

The group remained dry for most of the walk, but got caught in a heavy shower on the approach to Gayle and Hawes. Fortunately the rain stopped in time for a visit to The White Hart.

Stu and John were the only members to alight at Horton in Ribblesdale itself, where they straight away joined the Pennine Way long distance footpath, accompanied by sunshine.

Heading north along this iconic route, the weather remained good, overcast at times but dry.

Great views in the distance of not only the famous Ribblehead Railway Viaduct, but also of all three of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, namely Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough through much of the day.

Plodding on at a good pace, stopping for the odd photograph and for lunch of course, they encountered the Oldham’s coming in the opposite direction, who were bagging a few of the local summits.

A little later, Gerry and Mike J's party converged as they descended from Dodd Fell summit pillar, which was an option for them which we had both decided against, as dark threatening clouds had begun to roll in.

Speeding up again, John and Stu reached Gayle and took the short route to Hawes arriving just as light rain began to fall.

A quick change of footwear at the coach and then off to explore the village and find refreshments.

A slight disappointment to find the old station house cafe closed for refurbishment, but this fabulous and quaint little village has so many attractions and welcoming watering holes, that you cannot be disappointed for long.

A drink in the White Hart Inn (under an umbrella in the beer garden) then cappuccinos and ice cream in the Wensleydale Pantry, rounded off what was an excellent day's walking.

Fourteen miles and about 2,000 feet of ascent, all in the dry, can't be faulted!

So nice too, to see Mike, Anne and Peggy the dog, who had driven over from their new home in Reeth, to catch up with members.

Steve J reported remarkably very few people on the hills and various tracks along his route, although the Oldham group were spotted as he followed the undulations alongside the wall, having descended from Dodd Fell Hill. 

He made his walk a bit longer, to 12.1 miles, having dropped to Burtersett from Drumaldrace.

Keith’s group left the coach at Newby Head Moss and headed straight towards the peak of Redshaw Moss. Unfortunately, there were no paths to the peak so the usual bog hopping and thistle avoidance started quite early on this walk! From here, the group headed back to the nice Ribble Way path and made their way towards Dodd Fell Hill where they bumped into Garry's group.  The two groups merged and were rewarded with great views of the valleys below as they reached the summit together.  Whilst having lunch, Gerry's group turned up and as Keith's group began walking again, they soon bumped into Stuart's party. Dodd Fell Hill was definitely the place to be on Sunday! From here, the group went on to bag the peak of Drumaldrace before heading down to Hawes. Overall a much better day than expected with the rain only setting in as they reached the coach. 14 miles and 2000 ft ascent completed.

Garry’s group set off from the coach with some glimpses of the tops of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, but with expectations of rain later in the day. They kept on leap frogging Mike and Gerry's group to their first deviation away from the major routes to the top of Cam End, a steep bank to an almost limestone plateau above the path. This gave them almost 360 views of the surrounding valleys, and everyone agreed the little steep climb was worth it. Heading towards the climb to Dodd Fell Hill they met up with Keiths group and went with them up to the trig point. The views of Snaizeholmedale on the descent back to the Pennine Way were dramatic. On approach to Gayle and Hawes they headed back up Sleddale to see Aysgill Force. At this point the rain started to attempt to fall and so waterproofs went on. When following the stream down, there didn't appear to be much water, however the waterfall itself was flowing and was still worth diverting to. There was a reasonably constant low level of rain until they entered Hawes proper when the heavens opened. This meant a reasonably rapid pace to the coach, but overall an almost completely dry day with good views all around.

Thanks to Mike J, Garry, Steph, Geoff, Paul C, Keith, Stu & Steve J for their usual dedication and efficient leadership. And to the photographers for taking another set of wonderful shots (especially of Hardraw Force) - Mike J, Garry, Monika, Nancy, Steph, Geoff, Pam T, Paul M, Darren, Susie, Pam B, Howie, Neil O, Claire D, Stu & Steve J.

Click HERE to open up the album.

Click HERE to see Darren's video of Geoff's walk.

Click HERE to see Kevin Costner at Hardraw!!!!

Next Walks:

Sunday 13^th September 2026 – Coniston via Ambleside

5.30 p.m. departure

Northbound to Preston, M6 north to junction 36, A590/A591 past Windermere to Ambleside, A593 to Coniston. Park in Coniston.  Morning coffee stop at Burton services.

Sunday 27^th September 2026 – Ambleside

5.30 p.m. departure

Northbound to Preston, M6 north to junction 36, A590/A591 to Ambleside. Park in Ambleside in the Rothay Holme coach/HGV park which is situated off the Rothay Road (A593), between the bridge/sharp bend where the A593 crosses the river at Rothay Bridge and the centre of Ambleside. Morning coffee stop at Burton services.

Sunday 11^th October 2026 – Llanberis 6.00 p.m. departure

M57, Runcorn Bridge, M56, A55 westbound to junction 11 (the A5), A4244, A4086 to Llanberis. Park in Llanberis. Morning coffee stop at Chester services, M56.