BB2416 : Goodbye
Occupation Road
Thursday 16th
May
2024
I
know it's daft but I couldn't
help thinking about Elton John.
You
may remember that at one time
he was Chairman of Watford Football
Club.
You
probably remember that one of
his biggest hits was Goodbye
Yellow Brick Road.
So
popular was he that the town
changed the name of the street
on which the ground is situated
to Yellow Brick Road.
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![](bb2416/gyb.jpg)
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What
had it been called previously? Occupation
Road and that's where were going today.
Not the Watford one but the one in
Dentdale though it seems likely that the
names had the same origins.
The
Occupation Road above Dent is in effect
the access track through lands that had
been partitioned into large fields for grazing
following the Parliamentary Enclosures Act.
The road itself is much older, being
the droving route between Barbondale and
Kingsdale (near Ingleton).
It
was Robin who mentioned Occupation Road.
I hadn't heard of it though we had
previously travelled part of it, heading
south from above Dent, on BB2327.
On the OS map it's just called Green
Lane. Robin's plan was to head north this
time.
![](bb2416/bb2416-(2).jpg)
To
reach Occupation Road we walked through
Dent. It seemed somewhat strange that
next to the Zion Chapel is the Congregational
Manse followed by the Methodist Manse.
As
before when alongside the beck
we stepped onto the Dancing
Stones. However, this we time
didn't venture far- the recent
rain had left them exceedingly
slippery.
So
much so that I must have wobbled
when I took the photo, judging
by its lack of clarity despite
the best efforts of Photoshop.
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![](bb2416/bb2416-(8).jpg)
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Instead,
we followed the regular path, passing the
Wishing Tree (and its siblings) where you
are asked not to insert coins as they can
kill the tree, though why there should be
a problem escapes me. Does Dent have
no enterprising young children to remove
them?
We
emerged at the tiny farming museum barn
then, a little further on, the viewpoint
with its orientation panel.
![](bb2416/bb2416-(21).jpg)
On
reaching the Occupation Road we turned right,
heading towards the Barbondale Road. In
the far distance we could see Megger Stones
that we had visited last time here.
![](bb2416/bb2416-(23).jpg)
Ahead
of us were the slopes of The Calf, on which
were some remarkable stone walls built,
centuries ago, on impossibly steep terrain.
Robin reckoned that the stones had
been taken up by horses. How they
coped with the terrain baffles me.
![](bb2416/bb2416-(25).jpg)
We
said Goodbye to the Occupation Road and
continued north, looking back at the upper
reaches off Dentdale....
![](bb2416/bb2416-(28).jpg)
.....
then down a lovely path to and past Combe
House.
![](bb2416/bb2416-(33).jpg)
At
Dillicar Farm a really ugly brute of a dog,
(was it a cross between a Border Collie
and a Pit Bull?) had a go at Holly before
being called back by its owners. What
a tip of a farm. We should have listened
to Mike who had wanted to take the road
route. Poor sheep.
![](bb2416/bb2416-(38).jpg)
Down
at the river was the perfect lunch stop.
The sun came out and Martin donned
his mirrored, magnetic sunglasses, bought
so that he could admire young ladies without
being suspected.
![](bb2416/bb2416-(39).jpg)
We
then followed the Dales Way, noting the
many small plaques marking the route.
Eventually
we reached Dent.
![](bb2416/bb2416-(61).jpg)
It's
an ancient village, looking very much like
a film set.
Unfortunately
neither of pubs were open. Consequently
we had to jump into the cars and finish
our outing in the usual fashion in a wild
flowers beer garden in Sedbergh. I
suppose you could call the drive to the
Black Bull as us our way of saying Goodbye
Occupation Road!
Don,
Thursday 16th May 2024
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