Map : OL21 - South Pennines
A sudden change in my diary meant I had to meet RFU Council Member, Paul Jackson in the morning. So I changed my destination and went to the Yorkshire Water website. Yorkshire Water, after years of posting signs saying "Private Property" have now opened up areas around reservoirs and other land to walkers etc. and now positively encourage people to wander through their land.
The valleys of West Yorkshire are renowned for their steep sides and so it is with this walk which started at the Car Park next to Ryburn reservoir (GR : 127025). Beware, the turning down to Ryburn is easily missed off the A58 just out side Ripponden and you could, as I did, end up in another car park altogether before realising your mistake !! The other thing about those valleys is that to get any height you go upwards and quickly !! The first couple of kilometres of this walk take you from 170 mtrs up to nearly 400 mtrs. Oh !! those calves and lungs were really screaming by the time I got to the top !
The middle section of the walk along Blackwood Edge Path is absolutely parallel to the M62 and whilst you hear it before you see it, it is a constant companion throughout this section. The other point to be made is that the South Pennines are NOT the Yorkshire Dales and, whilst the path is reasonably clear, it is not the wide black ribbon that one expects in the Dales at this time of the year.
Eventually the walk drops down to the vicinity of Green Withens Reservoir at which point you say good bye to the monotonous roar of the motorway and head around Flint Hill and Warm Withens Hill. Again, the path is reasonably clear, although I did go "off route" at one point. Eventually you drop down to the road that drops to Baitings Reservoir and go further down the valley to a permissive path that runs along the North bank of the reservoir and back to the car park.
A glorious day - we seem to have left winter behind us at last, temperatures were around 12 degrees and my cheek bones and forehead are glowing. Probably, not warm enough for shorts just yet. Good walking through unusually untrod ground, although the mountain bikers had been there before me and had left their usual deep ruts through the peat! I shan't complain - I don't want to get a reputation as a grumpy old man !
I would probably grade this walk as reasonably difficult. Certainly the first part is a good long uphill pull and because the paths are not widely used it is tough on the ankles treading through tussocky grass and peat bog. As always though - whilst the body may be complaining the spirit is soaring.
No walk next week as I put my body through another kind of torture with the Aireborough RUFC "Gentlemans" Tour !! I will leave you to your imagination as to what that entails.
Usual photographs of the walk here.
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