Yorkshire Dales Walks
Mastiles Lane & Kilnsey Moor
Date: 1st December 2006
Distance: 8.4 miles
Ascent: 1531 feet
Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
With: On my own
Start Grid Ref: SD976674
Walk Summary:
A fine walk along the historic route of Mastiles Lane with a detour up to the trig point on Holgates Kilnsey Moor.
Route Summary: Kilnsey - Mastiles Lane - Holgates Kilnsey Moor - Mastiles Gate - Bordley - Higher Heights Hole - Green Haw Hill - Mastiles Lane - Kilnsey
Pictures:
1. Kilnsey Crag
2. Looking up Mastiles Lane to Kilnsey Moor
3. Looking back down Mastiles Lane to Coniston
4. The trig point on Kilnsey Moor looking to Great Whernside
5. Looking back up at Holgates Kilnsey Moor
6. Mastiles Lane again
7. Kealcup Hill and Bordley
8. Limestone on the unnamed top south of Malham Moor Road
9. Looking south to Threshfield Moor
10. Looking down into Threshfield Quarry
Walk Detail: It was a really nice day with plenty of sunshine tempered by the patchy cloud that I like so much. The walk up Mastiles Lane was most pleasant although I was disturbed quite early on by the numerous bull in field signs. In fact as it turned out nearly every gate in the vicinity had this sign on.
Strangely enough there was a lot of cattle on the higher pastures which I thought quite unusual, especially for the time of year. When I got up towards the highest point of Mastiles Lane looking north east I did actually see something large on opposite hillside which did look like a massive bull. This made me very cautious.
I was also a bit concerned about whether there would be a handy stile or gate to get me over the wall from Mastiles Lane on to the top of Holgates Kilnsey Moor. Luckily I found a section of wall which had collapsed allowing me to squeeze between the wire above the wall and the wall itself. The view from the top was very good but as with most Dales viewpoints everything was quite distant.
I was going to cut diagonally across the moor to a gate I had seen on the descent of Mastiles Lane. This plan was cut short when I saw a large herd of cattle in my way so I stayed out of sight and took a slight detour around them.
The walk from Mastiles Gate to Bordley was most pleasant and there were some nice views of Weets Top, Kealcup Hill and more distantly Flasby Fell. I made a short detour on to the unnamed top standing at 411m high south of Malham Moor Lane which featured some fine limestone pavement and a very large population of rabbits.
Carrying on I briefly inspected Higher Heights Hole and a nice limekiln before taking the wrong track which brought me out on to Malham Moor Lane a hundred yards further west than I should have been. I also had to by pass some scary looking cows again.
It clouded over a bit on the next stage which saw me make further diversions firstly to the unnamed top with a height of 382m overlooking Threshfield Quarry and then Green Haw Hill. The sudden view down into the quarry from the former was quite impreesive - there were also some more fine patches of limestone as well.
This was a most pleasant walk and if the detours are ignored then it is also all on very nice and easy tracks. The historical route of Mastiles Lane was also quite impressive.
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