Yorkshire Dales Walks
Haw Crag
Date: 22nd August 2009
Distance: 5.1 miles
Ascent: 435 feet
Time:3 hours 20 minutes
With: Lisa and Rhiannon
Start Grid Ref: SD932543
Walk Summary:
An easy walk through pastures to the modest top of Haw Crag finishing with a section of canal towpath at Gargrave.
Route Summary: Gargrave - Pennine Way - Haw Crag - Mark House Lane - Leeds/Liverpool Canal - Gargrave
Pictures:
1. Cracoe Fell
2. Looking towards Pendle Hill
3. The sheep infested Haw Crag
4. The trig point on Haw Crag
5. Looking back to Haw Crag with the quarry in front
6. Waving to the ducks by the canal
7. Moorhen
8. By the Anchor Inn lock
9. Stepping stones across the River Aire
Walk Detail: I picked this walk as it visited one of the few trig points I'd not been to in the Dales while at the same time there was not much climbing if I had to carry Rhiannon. Besides I'd wanted to go to Gargrave for some time after driving through it so often.
It was a beautiful day for walking but unfortunately when we got off the road and in to the pastures Rhiannon didn't want to walk probably because the grass was quite long. This meant Lisa and I had to take it in turns to carry her most of the way to Haw Crag.
The pastures were full of cows, sheep and their natural waste. Variations on the phrase, 'smelly moo cow poo', became a regular part of Rhiannon's vocabulary in the weeks following this walk.
Haw Crag itself is set just above a small quarry on an attractive knoll. Unfortunately it was also popular with sheep and as a result everywhere was covered in sheep poo. While we enjoyed our picnic we did manage to get poo smeared on boots and bags.
As Rhiannon still didn't show any sign of wanting to walk I carried her in the back pack and she quite quickly went to sleep. We woke her up again when we reached the canal which we followed to the A61 before walking into Gargrave where we finally walked over those stepping stones I have seen so often.
Rhiannon who hadn't really enjoyed the very beginning of the walk was by now, after her picnic and snooze, in a much better mood and we had great fun playing on the grass on the other side of the Aire. Finally we had a rather tasty ice cream to finish off the day.
This was not a walk I would probably have done on my own but it proved to be just right for a family day out.
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