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Cross the road and across the stile into the field. This field always crops - no danger of livestock. Follow the pathway along the river bank. Fantastic views of the Penines, especially Melmerby Fell, across the river on your left. I think the best view in England - but I love open moorland, fells, wide open spaces.... In a couple of hundred yards, you reach the point where the path from Eden Hall joins again, but for now keep going straight. You pass through another field (again crops) and then leave that for a woodland path. Until this point, it is easy for dog to get down to river for a drink/splash. The woodland path is less even, and goes up and down hill a bit - but always fairly easy going for anyone with reasonable mobility and comfortable shoes. River still on your left, but steeper banks here.
Follow woodland path until it runs out! Turn right into field and follow the path through it until it emerges beside the Eden Hall Church. This field sometimes has livestock - dog might need to be on a lead here. Never happened to us, but it clearly does have livestock in it at times (we found the evidence....). There is plenty of room for car parking here at the church, if you want to start the walk at this point.
On leaving the field, turn right and follow the road into Eden Hall village. At the T-junction (where there is a memorial, I think it is a plague cross) turn right again. As you walk along this road, you pass the Eden Hall hotel on your left (drinks, food, dogs allowed in beer garden, not sure about hotel itself - we never tried). The village is pretty quiet, but you might want dog on lead walking through it. We do with Meg, but only because she is so nosey she would be inclined to walk up somebody's garden path... Again plenty of parking in village.
Not far past the hotel, you pass some children's swings on grass verge on the other (right) side of road. The public footpath leads through the gate into the field just beside these. Follow the path through the field until it rejoins the path by the river (this field is the same one as you started in - again, crops so no worries about livestock. Of course, no playing frisbee into the barley...). From half way through this field, as you top the hill, you will see the iron bridge you started from.
The circular tour is maybe 2.5 miles. It takes us about 45mins to walk, but we stop often to allow Meg in the river, and to let her sniff and explore.
Fabulous walk - many thanks for sending this in Vi. |
