Winder

Winder is a small hill standing behind Sedbergh, in the county of Cumbria, but the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

It’s quite hard to find information on the hill; it’s the local hill rather than one of big fells, and there are a few places called Winder about. But it seems that in this part of the country, ‘Winder’ is generally agreed to have come from Old Norse words for ‘wind’ and ‘hill pasture’. There’s also a Middle English origin for the name, but in the north of England, it’s more likely to be Norse influence.

Sedbergh’s name is also from Old Norse, in this case meaning ‘flat topped hill’. There are many fells about here, but as I’ve said, Winder is the local one.

Sharp Haw

I’ve written more than once about Sharp Haw; this is another variation of a familiar walk. Instead of going up and down the same way as usual, I went over the top and down the back. I may have been this way before, but I’m not sure, and if I have it was a very long time ago.

The easiest way I can describe the starting location is to leave Skipton via Grassington Road, turn left onto Bog Lane, then stop at a bend in the road where there’s a gate on the right, and some space for parking.

High Seat

High Seat is a mountain in the part of the Yorkshire Dales that is in Cumbria. It’s not the only mountain with that name; there’s one in the Lake District, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others. It seems like the kind of name a lot of places would end up with.

This one is the highest point on an area called Mallerstang Common, which stands over the Mallerstang Valley, which I walked up from.

I drove quite a way to get there. The last settlement I passed through was a village called Aisgill, and I continued most of the way to the next village, Outhgill. But before getting there, I reached a dirt parking area on my right with space for a few cars. I started from here.

Castle Crag

The second walk I did while in Keswick was a climb up a hill called Castle Crag. I didn’t start from Keswick, instead driving to a nearby village called Rosthwaite.

Off the main road, by the village institute, is a National Trust carpark. So I parked here, then walked past the institute and up the narrow road they’re on.

The road passed a farmhouse bed and breakfast, then became a track, which I continued along. It brought me down to the River Derwent at a point where stepping stones cross it, which I thankfully didn’t have to use. Instead, I turned right and continued along the track, which became cobbled after a little while, then eventually went over a bridge.

Rogan’s Seat

I’ve been walking in Swaledale again, this time up a mountain called Rogan’s Seat. The name is thought to mean ‘Rogan’s Upland Pasture’, but I suppose exactly who Rogan was has been lost to history.

I started from the hamlet of Keld. It’s only little, but it’s home to a campsite which has a carpark with an honesty box that walkers can use. And there are two lots of toilets, one in the carpark, so it’s all very convenient.

Yarlside

I’ve been in the Howgills again, this time climbing Yarlside. I was actually going to do a second summit, Randygill Top, but that ended up not happening.

The potential name origin I’ve found for Yarlside is that it comes from words for ‘Earl’ and ‘hill pasture’. It’s not an entirely unique name – for one thing there are a ‘Great’ and a ‘Little’ Yarlside elsewhere in Cumbria. But this mountain is what comes up when you Google the word.

To get to the fell, I drove to and through Sedbergh, leaving by the A683 on the far side of the town to me. I know that’s not the most helpful description, but I’m not sure what else to say, because I didn’t pass through any more towns or villages. But I kept going until I reached the Cross Keys Temperence Inn, very shortly after which there’s a small parking area.

Warrendale Knotts Round Walk

I wasn’t sure whether to do a post about this walk, because I’ve written about Warrendale Knotts before, and I did go up by the same route, which was in itself an extension of a walk to Victoria Cave I’d written about previously. So it feels like cheating to write about it again.

But last time I went up and down the same way, and this time I made a circular of it, and the extra bit was actually very nice, so I wanted to write about it. So I’ll think of this as more of an update post.

Rivington Pike

Rivington Pike is a hill in Lancashire. Actually, it appears to be part of another hill called Winter Hill, but it does seem to be classed as a separate summit. It stands over the town of Rivington, and it wasn’t far to the top, but as I’ll get into, I did a lot of meandering.

The name ‘Rivington’ probably comes from Anglo-Saxon words that basically mean ‘farmstead in a rugged place’, but it could also be something to do with rowan trees.

I started from the car park behind the Great House Barn off Rivington Lane. That’s a sixteenth century building which is now a tearoom, and next to it is a visitor centre. The visitor centre was closed when I was there, although the toilets were open.

Smearsett Scar

Smearsett Scar is a small hill near Stainforth in North Yorkshire. It’s another of those walks I did a lot when I was a child, but I think it’s been over a decade since I last went up there.

I started from the carpark in Stainforth, and went the same way I go when I visit Stainforth Force. I left the carpark by a path leading under a road bridge, then to a track where I turned left and crossed the railway, before turning right as the track became a path.

Beamsley Beacon

I wrote about Beamsley Beacon years ago, and have walked up a few times since then, but always by the same route. That being the shortest one, taking the main path up from a point that’s already partway up the hill (last time I incorrectly referred to parking at the bottom, but it really isn’t).

I call the entire hill Beamsley Beacon, but I’m not sure if that’s technically correct, or if that’s just the one point on it. Other names that can be used for the hill seem to be Howber Hill and Old Pike, but I think most people do call it Beamsley Beacon.