Nidderdale & Washburn Walks
Braithwaite Moor
Date: 2nd April 2010
Distance: 6 miles
Ascent: 600 feet
Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
With: Lisa
Start Grid Ref: SE155637
Walk Summary:
A misty walk across Braithwaite Moor to Palleys Crags before returning via Guise Cliff and Yorke's Folly.
Route Summary: Nought Moor - Raven's Gill - Flat Moor - Palleys Crags - Braithwaite Moor - Foldshaw Lane - High Crag Ridge - Guise Cliff - Yorke's Folly - Nought Moor
Pictures:
1. By the waterfall on Raven's Gill
2. Lisa on Braithwaite Moor
3. Gritstone boulders on Palleys Crags
4. Lisa on Palleys Crags
5. Cold Stones from Braithwaite Moor
6. Heading across Braithwaite Moor
7. Looking back at Braithwaite Moor
8. Lisa by the trig point on High Crag
9. On Guise Cliff looking north up Nidderdale
10. Lisa sat by Yorke's Folly
Walk Detail: For most of the week the Met Office had been forecasting Good Friday as the best day of the Easter weekend so Lisa and I organised for Rhiannon to visit her Nanny so that we could enjoy a rare trip out.
As it turned out we awoke to thick fog, optimistically we still headed off only to arrive at our destination in even thicker fog just as it started to rain. We sat in the car for five minutes before deciding to go for it regardless and as it turned out we were both glad we did, this despite an almost complete lack of visibility during the first half of the walk and some very soggy walking conditions.
The initial path along Nought Moor gave a taste of how wet underfoot the walk was going to be, as did the wet crossing of Raven's Gill. After crossing the gill we climbed up to the bridleway where we enjoyed for a while a dry path before heading across Braithwaite Moor making a detour up to the rocks of Palleys Crags.
While exploring the many gritstone boulders on the summit of the moor the hill fog finally began to lift and we got views to Cold Stones to the north and west to Heyshaw Moor. The subsequent trek across Braithwaite Moor was very wet underfoot but by this time we were in high spirits and just enjoying each other's company.
To finish the walk we visited the trig point on High Crag before following the edge of Guise Cliff (which provided good views into and up the valley of Nidderdale) and Yorke's Folly.
For the last hour of the walk Lisa had become increasingly obssessed with food as I'd foolishly only brought a choc a pain each for us. Fortunately it was only a short drive home so I was able to make things up by treating us both to a nice chip butty!
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