Ralph's Rambles: Gargrave and the Pennine Way (8 miles)

Date: 27th November 2016

Starting point: Car park on North Street, Gargrave.

Description: Nice walk from Gargrave to Airton, mostly on country lanes. Return to Gargrave through fields following The Pennine Way.

The walk: From the car park turn right and go over the canal road bridge. When the lane swings right go straight up the "no through road" with the high wall of Gargrave House on your left.
Follow the country lane past Gargrave House Gardens . The lane past Gargrave House is single track, traffic free and after a while is unmade.
Continue along the track to descend to Bell Busk. Cross a bridge with a datestone 1837 and then another bridge and here turn along the road into the village (do not turn right up the road signposted Airton and Malham).
After about 300 yards turn right down the signposted bridleway. Cross a stream by a bridge and then, on passing a barn on your left, keep along the fence on your left, ignoring the vehicle track on the right. Follow the fence through a gate and bear rightwards along a good path. Go through a gate and on past a barn to follow another walled track, Kirk Syke Lane.
The track becomes tarred and leads into Airton. At the T junction turn right into the village..
Cross the main road and walk down past the village green, descending the lane to the infant River Aire.
Continue down the hill, cross the bridge and then turn right along the signposted Pennine Way riverside path. Follow the path to a footbridge. After crossing turn left, then right up the hillside with the wall on your right.
From here follow the Pennine way signposts all the way back to emerge in the lane of the outward journey. Turn left to Gargrave, the finish.

The pub: The Masons Arms. A short walk through the centre of Gargrave. Cross the main road and then go over the river bridge onto Church St. to reach the pub. I enjoyed a refreshing pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord.