WHARFEDALE WANDER 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 Burnsall in the heart of Wharfedale.
The walk starts and finishes in the lovely village of Burnsall, and takes in some of the very best viewpoints in Wharfedale.
THE WHARFEDALE WANDER
The Wensleydale Wedge is a 20 mile route with 940m of climbing that will take around 10 hours to complete. Essentially, the route follows the moors and hills above Burnsall, Appletreewick and Barden in the heart of Wharfedale, including…
1. Thorpe Fell Top (506m)
2. Carncliffe Top (449m)
3. Simon’s Seat (486m)
THE ROUTE
From Burnsall, we head west across fields and along lanes to the hidden village of Thorpe, from where we climb up onto Burnsall & Thorpe Fell (Trig Point), from where there are extensive views across Wharfedale. We then drop steadily down across Barden Moor, passing two small reservoirs, to eventually reach the wooded banks of the River Wharfe to reach The Strid, a famous narrow river gorge. The then follow the River Wharfe passing the 15th Century Barden Tower, before climbing up again to reach Carncliff Top and then on to the wonderful viewpoint of Simon’s Seat (Trig Point). We then drop down again to join the River Wharfe which we follow back into Burnsall.
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 Wharfedale Wander, 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 Burnsall. Weather forecast, gear check & briefing.
8am – 6pm: Fully guided walk around the Wharfedale Wander challenge walk
6pm: Debrief back at Burnsall, then head home
NB: Distances, heights and finish time are approximate. The route may vary on the day, given weather, terrain and group needs.
