Summer Holiday in the Yorkshire Dales 2

For our second walk, we ventured into Swaledale proper, and walked from the village of Keld, to another village, Muker. Tin mining took place here in the past; it must have looked quite different then, and been much more heavily populated.

This barn is noteworthy as it has a stone lintel dating to the late 1600s. A mystery, as most of these barns were built in the mid 1700s - perhaps the lintel was reused?

The weather was fine - very hot and sunny.

The first part of the walk was the steep bit - the valley opened out before us.

This was the famous "corpse path" - the local churches did not have graveyards, and bodies had to be taken down the valley to the church at Grinton to be buried. The path was steep and narrow, and the journey took 2 or 3 days. Eventually, the smaller churches got their own graveyards...

The valley, with a very low River Swale at the bottom...

More fingerposts...

The track as it approaches Muker....we had lunch and a drink at the Farmers Arms there...

Then, back up the other side of the valley, a gentler and more level walk.

More stone barns. These protected stock from harsh winter weather. Many animals were slaughtered in autumn, and the animals to be kept on were fed on stored feed throughout the long winter. Barns in each field ensured that the animals did not have to be moved any great distance.

Another fine stone barn...

The Swale, looking very low...

Former mine workings. The water did not have much life to it, and we wondered whether the toxic minerals leached into the water...

Another view along the valley...

Stone walls must have required much labour to build....

On a hot day, it was fun to swim in the river....

Later, we set out for Sedburgh (where I once took a wholecloth course with Lilian Hedley. And site of the famous kicking incident at the local bellringing practice!) A local music day was taking place.

We also went in search of the famous Ribblehead viaduct. On our visit at Easter, we went on the Settle line, but of course when on the train, one cannot see the viaduct! A drone buzzed overhead, as another group made videos of a train departing the station.