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Nidderdale & Washburn Walks

Kettlestang Hill

Long Rod

Date: 29th April 2006
Distance: 7.1 miles
Ascent: 876 feet
Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
With: Lisa
Start Grid Ref: SE199706

Walk Summary:
A walk up on to the moors west of Kirkby Malzeard including a visit to pretty Dallowgill and the top of Kettlestang Hill.

Route Summary: Bonfire Hill - Dallow - Bents House - Potter Lane Farm - Dallowgill Moor - Kettlestang Hill - Dallow Moor - Bonfire Hill

Pictures:

1. Greygarth Hill

2. Lisa on a bridge over South Gill

3. Looking over Dallowgill to Kettlestang Hill

4. The tarn by the shooting house

5. The trig point on the top of Kettlestang Hill

6. Kettlestang Hill from Dallow Moor

7. Long Rod

Walk Detail: My reasoning behind picking this particular walk was that I’d heard good things about the bluebell woods in Dallowgill but as it turned out the bluebells were a little late flowering so we didn't see any, one this walk anyway.

However there were some nice surprises on the walk. By the shooting house on Kettlestang Hill there were a couple of sizeable pools, unmarked on my OS map at the time, which had attracted a sizeable number of birds including black headed gulls, two species of goose and a crack squadron pigeons. The geese and pigeons in particular are unusual to find in such places.

In fact the birdlife on view was the real highlight of the walk. In addition to the above we saw a mother duck and her brood of ducklings, oyster catchers, skylarks, pipits, a snipe (my first since the Cairngorms the previous year) a merlin and a kestrel. There was also a plentiful number of my two perennial favourites the lapwing and in particular the curlew.

The view from the moor was surprisingly extensive and included the Cleveland and Hambleton Hills, Menwith Hill and Stainburn Moor, Greenhow Hill, Simon’s Seat, Meugher, Great Whernside, Buckden Pike and Little Whernside. However the vast sweep of moor in the foreground meant there was little depth to the view.

A nice and gentle walk but if I was to go back I’d have to time it better for the bluebells and also try and visit the monument on Greygarth Hill.


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