Leave Station car park at 9.00am. Start at Birkdale – roadside parking at B6270 junction to Ravenseat (GR: NY 858 016, What3Words: ///models.rested.rehearsed ) at 10.15am. 13.5 Miles. Hard. £7

Last year we were not able to complete our Monday walks programme due to the Queen’s funeral.  To complete our coverage of the watershed of the River Swale, our walk takes us up Little Sleddale on rough tracks to ascend Hugh Seat at the southern end of Mallerstang Edge. Here we can enjoy stunning views east and west. High Seat at 709m provides the summit for the Edge. After reaching High Pike we descend through grouse moor before joining the Coast-to-Coast route to Ravenseat, the hill farm featured on so many TV programmes with Amanda and Clive Owen. Please note that parts of this walk are over rough ground and will be boggy in places.

Leave Station car park 9.00am. Start at Lofthouse car park (GR: SE 101 735, What3Words: ///forever.sleeps.blunders) at 10.00am. 10 Miles. Moderate. £7

We follow a loop of the Nidderdale Way and visit a reservoir which provide water to West Yorkshire and Ripon.  From Lofthouse we take the road past the picturesque How Stean Gorge before climbing field paths to Middlesmoor.  We climb steadily on a moorland track before descending to the impressive Scar House reservoir.   After crossing the dam wall, we climb a little, continuing on the Nidderdale Way, and enjoy beautiful views as we walk above the river back to Lofthouse.

Leave Station car park 9.15am. Start Jervaulx Abbey car park (GR: SE 169 857, What3Words: ///brink.nowadays.station) at 10.00am. 10 Miles. Easy. £7

Our walk takes us through the parkland of Jervaulx Hall. Wide views of Wensleydale open up before us, including iconic Penhill. Thornton Steward is an attractive Yorkshire village with many interesting buildings. Passing isolated St. Oswald’s Church we emerge into the park of the imposing Danby Hall. After a short walk alongside the lovely River Cover we crest a rise for a spectacular view of Middleham Castle, the boyhood home of Richard III. Our return takes us back to Cover Bridge and an afternoon stroll along the banks of the Rivers Cover and Ure back to the ruins of 12^th century Jervaulx Abbey in time for a visit to the abbey itself. Entrance here is by a suggested donation of £5 in the honesty box. Please note that whilst a walk of 10 miles this is a very easy “pastoral” walk with no significant ascents or descents.

Meet outside the Town Hall at 2.15pm. Free but donations to Richmondshire Museum most welcome.

This walk explores Richmond’s Wynds and Lanes offering big views, intriguing nooks, secret places and a chance to hear of the people who lived in them. The walk is mostly on pavements but also has some steep slopes and steps.

Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL | 7:30pm | £10 | Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose family roots are in Yorkshire, became a national icon after venturing on four epic voyages of discovery to the Antarctic a century ago, including the famous Endurance expedition. Polar historian Michael Smith tells the compelling story of a complex and charismatic man who touched greatness on the ice but struggled to come to terms with a messy personal life.

The recent discovery of Endurance after 100 years beneath the ice adds new urgency to a powerful story of ambition, courage and survival. Michael’s book, Shackleton – By Endurance We Conquer, is the first major biography of Shackleton for 30 years and has received strong critical acclaim. 

Michael Smith is an authority on Polar exploration whose books have sold over 300,000 copies worldwide. He has appeared in TV and radio documentaries and lectured at many prestigious venues. Michael is a former award-winning journalist with The Guardian and The Observer.

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