Westmorland Way

WW02: Rutter Falls to Gaythorne Hall

Wednesday 21st April 2010

We shouldn't have been here today. Had it not been for an Icelandic incident, Margaret would have been in Germany attending to the outcome of a different Icelandic incident. I refer of course to the volcanic ash that grounded so many flights and to the imminent baby that was initiated not far from that volcano on daughter Emma and Scott's Icelandic honeymoon.

However, here we certainly were and on a stunning day even if there was a rather cold breeze. We parked at the almost appropriately named Drybeck, a pleasant hamlet of old, attractive houses.

A Drybeck house.....

..... and another

After wandering down the old lanes, we renewed our acquaintance with Rutter Falls.

What a difference eleven days has made.

Less water in the beck so that only half the Force was overflowing but the cherry blossom in full bloom. An ideal place to stop for lunch even though we had only gone just over a mile.

In the ford, a small fish was sunning itself. I have no idea what it is but no doubt Tony will be able to identify it

Rutter Force Mill

Margaret looking lumley

What is it, Tony?

The Wway heads south, firstly along the side of the beck but after Howe Slacks it joins the farm track and then the minor road to Great Asby. As we approached, we could hear a distant booming that we though might be a quarry. There was also a lot of military planes flying by, celebrating the end of the no fly skies.

Ironically, there is another Scandinavian ash connection in Great Asby- the name derives from "askr" which is Norwegian for "ash", but presumably the tree not the cinders.

Great Asby cottages

This is a delightful village with a stream running through the length of it.

A stream runs through it

It is full of quaint old dwellings, a church (St Peter's) and two chapels, a hall, a pub that is actually open, a spring, an ancient bridge and a very friendly retired academic type.

He told us that the spring has never been known to dry up even though the beck does, that it is one of the few villages where there is no downhill way out of it, that the noises we had heard were from the army practicing with live rounds on Warcop Fell and how to avoid going wrong on the path to Gaythorne.

Asby Hall

St Peter's Church

Team picture by the spring

The ancient bridge

Unfortunately, that last bit didn't sink in and we, or to be more precise, I lost our Wway. Perhaps I was distracted by the sheep that adopted Margaret. I knew from the map that where we left the track we had to head for the tip of the wood across the fields and we set off confidently for it, only to find there was no legitimate exit from the field. In due course it sank in that I had aimed for the wrong wood, the one I should have targeted had been hidden in a dip.

And everywhere that Margaret went.....

The talking donkey

Once corrected we rounded the hill and dropped down to the huge old Gaythorne Hall.

Gaythorne Hall

After talking with the donkeys, Margaret observed that the building reminded her of Levens Hall and it transpires that there is a connection- it was bought by Alan Bellingham of Levens Hall in 1538.

Gaythorne Hall

Wildfell Hall

The local friendly molecatcher told us that it had been used as the film set for the TV mini series The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I thought it looked vaguely familiar!

The molecatcher's favourite view.....

..... and his handiwork

We left the Wway at the Hall and followed the farm track back to Drybeck and the car. On the horizon, the Pennine Hills looked splendid, as they had done throughout the walk. Another cracker! And so many sets of washing!!