W22: Birks Fell and Firth Fell - NEW
Leave Station car park at 9.00am. Start Buckden National Park Car Park (Charge) (GR: SD 942 774, What3Words: ///baking.tomato.confirms) at 10:00am. 11 miles, 1,400’ of climbing. Hard. £7
The highlight of our walk today is the ridge of the fells separating Langstrothdale from Littondale, and we will get great views each way during our walk. We start in gentle fashion as we make our way alongside the youthful River Wharfe via Hubberholme to Yockenthwaite.. From here we follow The Dales High Way, climbing steeply to the ridge, with a quick visit to Horsehead (1,985’), before we start the ridge walk to Birks Fell (2,001’) and Firth Fell (1,991’). Then it is a steep but easy descent back to the valley to the banks of the River Wharfe, and Buckden.
W23: Sustainable Arkengarthdale Discovery Walk - NEW
Leave Station car park 9.15am. Start at parking opposite CB Inn, Langthwaite DL11 6EN (GR: NY 999 031, What3Words: ///push.prom.swarm) at 10.00am. 8.5 miles. Moderate. £7
We will visit some of the many sites in Arkengarthdale where volunteers from the Sustainable Swaledale Group have carried out work to increase biodiversity, and to develop a natural method of flood management. We will be accompanied by Rob Macdonald from the Group, with opportunities to ask questions about our own gardens/land and about the work of the Group. From our start we follow the valley down to Heggs Farm where Liz Sutcliffe will provide a guided tour of the Heggs-Castle renaturing project (https://heggscastlecluster.org). After the tour there is a steady climb up to Low Moor, providing a bird’s eye view of the area covered by some of the projects, before turning downhill to Eskeleth Bridge and a final section north along the valley.
Supported by both Sustainable Swaledale & The Heggs-Castle Renaturing Project
E18: Forgotten Forests - Jonathon Mullard and Oaklore - Jules Acton
Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL| 4:00pm | £15 includes tea and scones | refreshments | bookstall | disabled access
Two writers present their recent books on the importance of trees in this double presentation.
Jonathan Mullard is an author, biologist, and was Britain’s first senior officer for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. He is the author of the New Naturalist titles Pembrokeshire, Brecon Beacons and Gower, and he is also a keen photographer. Jonathan will discuss his new book Forgotten Forests: Twelve Thousand Years of British and Irish Woodlands, drawing on the latest scientific understanding of our natural history, as well as a fascinating journey through the forests, landscapes and human history of Britain.
Jules Acton lives and breathes trees. She works for the Woodland Trust and is currently a spokesperson for the Tree of the Year campaign. She encourages walkers to switch off their air pods and concentrate instead on the sounds of nature. Ancient woodlands now only cover 2.5% of the UK – and her book, Oaklore, is a clarion call to care for those we have left. She also explores the incredibly diverse history of the oak tree: from a source of food and shelter to its use in literature as a plot device and muse, its role as an essential ingredient in ink, and in mythology from across the British Isles as a sacred plant and precious resource.
E19: Peter Robinson Memorial Event - Rising Stars of Crime Fiction
Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL| 7:30pm | £10 | refreshments | bookstall | disabled access
A must for fans of crime fiction - this event will showcase the work of up and coming writers in this ever popular genre.
Further details of the authors and their works will be available on this webpage as soon as they are available.