Nidderdale & Washburn Walks
Guise Cliff
Date: 11th May 2014
Distance: 4.80 miles
Ascent: 950 feet
Time: 2 hours 30 mins
With: On my own
Start Grid Ref: SE156649
Walk Summary:
A nice evening walk from Bewerley through Guisecliff Wood before carefully exploring the outcrops of Guise Cliff.
Route Summary: Bewerley - Bayliss Gap - Guisecliff Wood - High Crag Ridge - Guise Cliff - Yorke's Folly - Skrikes Wood - Bewerley
Photos: Click on the photos below to enlarge.
Video:
Walk Detail: Now that it is the middle of May I can once again begin to take advantage of the longer days to go out for some evening walks. On this occasion I drove out to Bewerley to do a shorter version of a walk I'd first done almost exactly nine years ago (where does the time go!). In particular I was hoping to get some nice pictures of Nidderdale from the dramatic rocks of Guise Cliff.
Leaving Bewerly initially on a roadside footpath I then briefly followed the minor road to Glasshouses before heading across several fields to reach a track that took me to the outskirts of Guisecliff Wood. Immediately upon entering the woods I was greeted by a lovely display of bluebells. A bit further into the woods I made a short detour to visit the shy but attractive Guisecliff Tarn before continuing along the track to eventually exit the southern edge of the wood.
There had been sunny spells for most of the day so it was somewhat typical that shortly after exiting the woods there was a sudden downpour. I waited it out in the shelter of the wall near the mast atop Guise Cliff. When the rain abated I was treated to a superb rainbow and some nice views from the nearby edge.
Rather than immediately continuing along the path running above Guise Cliff I first made a detour to the High Crag Ridge trig point on Heyshaw Moor. At the trig point it began raining again and indeed it rained on and off for the rest of the walk. On regaining the path along the edge of Guise Cliff I was at least treated to a few more bursts of sunshine in the valley before the skies clouded over completely.
The darkening sky was a bit of a shame because some of the panoramas from Guise Cliff are absolutely superb. It is worth noting though that a great deal of care needs to be taken when exploring the cliff edge, there are numerous crevices some of which are hidden by thick heather.
Continuing along the path I reached Yorke's Folly, known also as Two Stoops. There were originally three towers but one of them came down in a storm in 1893. By this time the skies were very dark and grey so I didn't linger long but followed a nice path down Nought Moor and briefly through Skrikes Wood to reach Turner Bridge from where I walked back along the roadside path into Bewerley.
This is a lovely walk and despite not quite getting the photos I wanted from Guise Cliff I was still treated to some lovely views and a few spectacular rainbows.
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