Hartington / Biggin Dale / Wolfscote Dale / Beresford Dale

We did a slightly different version of this favourite walk, which involved following Hall Bank, but instead of turning into Reynards Lane, we continued up the hill, past the YHA and turned right into the fields.  This took us across the fields and onto a Highfields Lane, which drops to a lane at the very top of Biggin Dale.  Highfields Lane was often blocked with deep drifts of snow.

 

 Snowdrifts blocking Highfields Lane.

Once in Biggin Dale itself, we followed it gently downhill past a water treatment works and into a field, where the valley continued.  There was a dew pond on the right and sadly several large and very deceased toads, apparently drowned when ice entirely covered the pond.  In this area there is a move to put dew ponds back in working order so that amphibians have several to choose from that are close enough together for them to move between.  I definitely approve!!

We continued down the valley to where Reynards Lane joins the dale and then on down past what is marked on the map as a cave, but is actually a mine trial.  We have explored it before, so we continued to the bottom of the dale and our usual 'picnic' site.  On this occasion we weren't alone as several men with lurcher type dogs and guns were floating around the bottom of Biggin Dale and into downstream Wolfscote Dale and along the valley side to Dove Valley Farm.  I don't know what they were after, but it didn't bode well for something cute and furry.

 The view from our picnic spot into downstream Wolfscote.

We turned upstream and followed the water's edge.

 Wolfscote Dale, shortly upstream from where Biggin Dale joins.

Further upstream, we passed the Frank o' the Rocks caves high up on the eastern side of the valley.  Again, we'd visited them before several times, so we continued on past some springs and into the rather boggy fields beyond.

 

 Frank o' the Rocks Caves.

At the far side of the fields, we crossed a bridge and effectively left Wolfscote Dale and entered Beresford Dale, but still following the river.

 Beresford Dale.

Beresford Dale has a very different feel to Wolfscote Dale and the house perched up on top of the crags to the western side of the valley gives it a feel of a private valley somehow.  At the upstream end, we crossed one of the many wooden bridges and up a small rise into the last few fields back into Hartington.

Looking back across the fields to Beresford Dale, hidden in the trees.