Yorkshire Dales Walks
Newton Moor & Langber Lane
Date: 9th Dec 2012
Distance: 5.5 miles
Ascent: 647 feet
Time: 2 hours 55 mins
With: On my own
Start Grid Ref: SD834582
Walk Summary:
A lovely little walk on to Newton Moor returning to Long Preston via some beautiful beck scenery.
Route Summary: Long Preston - New House Lane - Little Newton - Water Fall Rock - Newton Moor Top - Langber Lane - Bookilber Barn - Bookil Gill Beck - New Pasture Plantation - Long Preston Beck - Scalehaw Lane - Long Preston
Pictures:
1. The maypole and Maypole Inn in Long Preston
2. Heading out of Long Preston on New House Lane
3. A nice stone bridge over Newton Gill
4. Water Fall Rock
5. Newton Moor
6. Looking across to Bookilber Barn backed by Ingleborough
7. By the trig point on Newton Moor
8. Looking north to Rye Loaf Hill and Kirkby Fell
9. Heading towards Bookilber Barn on Langber Lane
10. Bookil Gill Beck
11. Long Preston Beck
12. Another shot of Long Preston Beck
Walk Detail: Apart from peak bagging another of my favourite walking activities is collecting trig points (see my 'Trig Point' board on Pinterest). There are only a handful of trig points within the Yorkshire Dales National Park that I've not been to and the aim of this walk was to visit one of them - the trig point on Newton Moor.
While it is always nice to visit an area of the Yorkshire Dales I'm not familiar with I wasn't, to be perfectly honest, expecting too much from this walk. I was therefore pleasantly surprised at just how good it was.
After an easy start along New House Lane, and then a track to the farm at Little Newton I followed a fine path alongside Newton Gill Beck to a small waterfall and the strangely exposed rocks of Waterfall Rock.
Once on access land I left the right of way and made my way up on to Newton Moor Top and the waiting trig point. It was a bright, breezy day and the views from the trig point on the modest summit of the moor were excellent, particularly looking north to Rye Loaf Hill and Kirkby Fell. To the east there was a wide swathe of the southern Dales including Darnbrook Fell, Weets Top, Flasby Fell and Cracoe Fell while to the south Pendle Hill was silhouetted against the sun. The best view however was north-west where the top of Ingleborough put in a surprise cameo appearance.
From the trig point I descended the moor to a gate giving me access to Langber Lane which I followed west passing on my way Bookilber Barn, surely one of the more remote dwellings in the Dales and, as the only access is via Langber Lane, it surely must also have one of the longest driveways! After continuing on along Langber Lane for a short while I forded Bookil Gill Beck and then followed a pleasant path that contoured above the beck eventually descending into the valley of Long Preston Beck.
The following stretch of beckside walking to Scalehaw Bridge was truly lovely and I'm surprised it is not better known. Having said that it is clearly well regarded by the locals, a number of whom I saw exercising their dogs. About 100 yards before reaching the bridge I sat down on the grassy bank and ate my lunch entranced by the beck burbling along. Although this was hardly the most exciting walk I've done this year it was certainly one of the most enjoyable.
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