Last Sunday we spent the day having a relaxing tour of the part of the Yorkshire Dales that lies closest to us and which, in fact, is mostly within Cumbria rather than North Yorkshire. Our day started with a book fair in Ingelton. The Ingleton Book Fair always takes place about now and marks the end of summer, the beginning of the shorter days.
Having enjoyed a stroll around the books we set off to Dent, a tiny village nestled in the dales a few miles north-east of Kirkby Lonsdale. The route we took from Ingleton was fairly unfamiliar to us but we were very glad to have chosen it.
Heading north from Ingleton towards Ingleborough Head, we passed a
very pastoral scene at Thornton in Lonsdale before climbing quite
quickly to Kingsdale. Looking back down the valley we felt that we were
on top of the world as the lower ground, including the Forest of
Bowland, was set out before us.
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| Ingleborough Head, viewed from Thornton in Lonsdale |
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| Pastoral scene |
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| Looking back down Kingsdale towards Ingleton |
The drive through Kingsdale was quite eerie. It is a wide, flat valley with a claustrophobic feel and although the weather was good there was some heat haze which added to the atmosphere.
The road along the dale was interesting with several gates to open and close, much rising and falling and several tricky spots with a sheer drop to one side.
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| Deepdale |
As Kingsdale becomes Deepdale, the valley sides become more steep and the road climbs to a more elevated position. Before long the settlements in Dentdale are visible and the long, twisty descent into Dent village begins
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| The beginning of the descent into Dent |
Although we were unfamiliar with this approach, we know the village of Dent well. It is beautifully preseved with a narrow, cobbled main street and ancient houses on either side.
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| Main Street, Dent, looking west towards Sun Inn |
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| Main Street, Dent, looking east |
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| Pretty flowers which survived the cool, wet summer |
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| The church with Aye Gill Pike in the background. The weather beginning to close in. |
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| Whitewashed cottages line the mainstreet, several now offering hospitality |
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| Even the car park has a stunning view |
Having enjoyed some refreshments in Dent it was time to head home. Rather than return to Ingleton we instead took the more conventional route south-west along Barbondale to Kirkby Lonsdale and then home. A truly memorable day.
