White Peak Walks: The Southern Dales. Mark Richards

White Peak Walks: The Southern Dales

About the Author

Mark Richards’ transition from full-time farmer to full-time outdoor writer and broadcaster has been a gradual one. In 1973, with the encouragement of Alfred Wainwright, he wrote his first walking guide to the Cotswold Way. Since then he has indulged his pleasure in exploring rural Britain by creating a range of walking guides. In 1980 he began his three-part guide to the Peak District for Cicerone Press, and in 1987, with Chris Wright, wrote a guide to walking around the former county of Westmorland. This book sowed the seeds of a dream, to be fulfilled some 14 years later, when he and his wife moved to Cumbria. Here he developed a passion for the finest of all walking landscapes, held within and around this marvellous county. Mark is author of the best-selling Great Mountain Days in the Lake District and is working on the next two books in his series of eight Fellranger guides to the Lakeland fells and a new guide to the Dark Peak. Now living in what was once the Barony of Gilsland, Mark is also close to Hadrian’s Wall, enabling him to renew a fascination first kindled when he prepared a guide to walking the Wall in 1993. He has now published two books on Hadrian’s Wall for Cicerone.

Other Cicerone guides by the author

High Peak Walks

White Peak Walks – The Northern Dales

Great Mountain Days in the Lake District

Hadrian’s Wall Path

Lakeland Fellranger:

The Central Fells

The Near Eastern Fells

The Southern Fells

The Mid-Western Fells

The Spirit of Hadrian’s Wall (with Roger Clegg)

WHITE PEAK WALKS: THE SOUTHERN DALES

Mark Richards

2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY

www.cicerone.co.uk

Second edition 2009

ISBN: 978 1 85284 518 6

First edition 2004

ISBN-10: 0 902363 88 3

ISBN-13: 978 0 90236 388 5

Printed by MCC Graphics, Spain

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.

This project includes mapping data licensed from Ordnance Survey® with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Licence number PU100012932

Dedication

To Rory Emerson Thompson, my grandson, born 12 December 2008 as I was completing this book. Rory, I wish you a happy and healthy life, with plenty of opportunities to develop your own passion for the great outdoors.

Advice to Readers

Readers are advised that, while every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of our guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of a particular edition. Please check the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk) for any updates before planning your trip. It is also advisable to check information on such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2, Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY.

Front cover: The Manifold valley from the top of the Thor’s Cave outcrop

CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

Bronze Age to barn conversions

From protests to the Park Authority

Walking in the White Peak

The Southern Dales

What to take

Local services and transport

Using this guide

THE WALKS