WENSLEYDALE WEDGE YORKSHIRE DALES CHALLENGE WALK
With Mark Reid FRGS – author of ‘The Inn Way’ & Mountain Leader
The Wensleydale Wedge is a NEW full day walk, and one of the Yorkshire Dales Challenge Series, devised by Mark Reid. This walk traces a high-level route around the hills and moors above Semer Water, Raydale and Wensleydale.
The walk starts and finishes in the lovely village of Bainbridge, and takes in some of the very best viewpoints in Wensleydale.
THE WENSLEYDALE WEDGE
The Wensleydale Wedge is a 20 mile route with 1,010m of climbing that will take around 10 hours to complete. Essentially, the route follows the moors and hills above Semer Water, Raydale and Wensleydale including…
1. Addlebrough (481m)
2. Stake Moss (552m)
3. Drumaldrace (614m)
THE ROUTE
From Bainbridge, we head up onto the summit of Addlebrough, with its prehistoric rock art, Bronze Age burial and incredible views along the length of Wensleydale. We then drop down, passing Iron Age settlements, to reach the hidden farmhouse at Carpley Green, from where we head south up onto the expansive moorland of Stake Moss to join the line of the old Roman Road between Ilkley and Bainbridge, evidence of which still exists beneath our feet. We follow this Roman Road down into beautiful Raydale, with waterfalls and incredible views towards the glacial lake of Semer Water, and the hamlets of Stalling Busk and Marsett. We then climb steeply up onto Wether Fell and its summit of Drumaldrace, with extensive views across the rising and falling hills, from where we join Cam High Road, an amazing Roman Road that once connected Bainbridge with Ribchester, which we follow back down into Bainbridge, a superb way to end this walk with Wensleydale laid out before you in all its glory.
It is a demanding walk that requires a good level of fitness and so must be approached with preparation and training, but it is also a rewarding walk that will be remembered for many years for its variety of incredible views, amazing landscapes and diverse terrain. The walk mostly follows good paths and tracks across farmland, hills and moorland, with some rougher terrain through the old lead mines and across some of the hills.
This is a beautiful remote challenge walk, away from the crowds.
Mark Reid knows the Yorkshire Dales like the back of his hand and will guide you around this route (whilst also sharing his knowledge of the area), so that you can forget about navigating and concentrate on enjoying the walk instead!
This guided walk is designed for solo or small groups of walkers who want to take on the Wensleydale Wedge, but don’t want to worry about route finding.
- Fully guided walk with Mark Reid (Mountain Leader)
- Experience the comaraderie of walking a challenge route with other like-minded walkers
- Discover the history, heritage, flora and fauna of the Yorkshire Dales
- Share your sense of achievement with your fellow walkers
- Small group sizes – maximum 10 people per walk
- You are GUARANTEED not to get lost on our guided walk!
OUTLINE OF THE DAY
7:45am: Meet at Bainbridge. Weather forecast, gear check & briefing.
8am – 6pm: Fully guided walk around the Wensleydale Wedge challenge walk
6pm: Debrief back at Bainbridge, then head home
NB: Distances, heights and finish time are approximate. The route may vary on the day, given weather, terrain and group needs.
