Northern England – Farndale, North Yorkshire
Distance: 17km/10½ miles
Time: 5hrs
Type: Valley, moorland ridge and woodland
Where: Circular walk from Low Mill, Farndale, in North York Moors National Park.
Start/End: Low Mill (SE672952).
Terrain: Paved path, moorland tracks and farm lanes. Includes a steady climb and numerous stiles.
Maps: OS Explorer OL26; Landranger 100.
The lovely Dove Valley is renowned for its countless wild daffodils, which blanket its flanks in yellow each spring. But it’s thanks to the campaigning efforts of West Riding Ramblers that this beautiful part of Upper Farndale isn’t submerged beneath the waters of a vast reservoir. Proposed by the regional water board in the late 1960s, the plans were successfully seen off by the Ramblers and other groups after three years of parliamentary lobbying (see p8 for more details). This circular route shows why the tranquil dale has been so popular with walkers for decades, rising from Farndale to offer immense panoramas across endless seas of heather. With its lattice of grey stone walls, the landscape is a patchwork of pastures, pocket woodlands and bold ridge-tops. The red-pantiled cottages, farms and barns give a hint of Tuscany on the hottest days; age-old hamlets, mills and villages are linked by sinuous lanes and tracks shimmer in a purple haze.
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