Day 1. Just after 7am on the 10th September 2024 and we set off for Keld in the Yorkshire Dales. Our preferred route is M69, M1, M18 and AIM to Scotch Corner and then through Richmond to Keld but the satnav seems to prefer the M6. Given our requirement to stop for a Greggs breakfast at Donnington Services we ignore the satnav and are soon devouring an "All 3" and a bacon bap. All goes according to plan until we get to Reeth where signs advise that the road ahead is closed. We detour via Tan Hill and eventually arrive at Park Lodge Farm and put £3 in the honesty box for parking.
Our plan is to do a circular walk to Muker and back. We attempted this on our last visit but were unsure of the route so didn't complete it but by following what is sometimes referred to as "the easier route" (avoiding the "Corpse Trail") which is south of River Swale it should be more straightforward. We set off towards East Gill Force but instead of going down the steps towards the waterfall we go slightly uphill. Its cold and windy enough for us to be wearing snoods despite it being September! The first part of the walk is fairly miserable; rocky underfoot and in the shade of trees. We pass a sign for Kisdon Force but decide not to detour on this occasion. Eventually we break out into the sunshine with the Swale down to our left. It is a pleasant walk to Muker with numerous photo opportunities, especially of derelict buildings. We cross the river by the bridge at the end of the Muker meadows and set off back towards Crackpot.
Mrs. M. is struggling with a sore knee but we press on and eventually drop down to East Gill Force for the obligatory slow shutter-speed images. It's then a steep climb up the steps and back to the farm. This walk comes highly recommended! We're hungry but by now it's mid-afternoon and no pubs are serving food. We decide to check into our lodge at Aysgarth Lodge Holidays, stopping along the way for a few images of the "famous barns view" and a complete rainbow. First impressions are good but Mrs. M is less impressed by the menu at the on-site Falls End restaurant which is restricted to pizzas and burgers (although we did take them up on their offer of a free drink!). We put Plan B into action and drive to Leyburn, parking right outside the excellent Campbell's store where we get provisions for the stay and then walk down to the Golden Lion for dinner; pie and chips for me a a fish platter for Mrs. M, ok but not exceptional. It's then back to the lodge for the night.

Day 2. On the 3rd September the Channel 5 programme Our Great Yorkshire Life covered the Snaizeholme Red Squirrel Trail which happened to be about 10 miles from Aysgarth. It is in a remote location typically reached on a "White Bus" from the Hawes National Park Visitor Centre. There are also 2 car-parking spaces which can be pre-booked through the Centre at the absolute bargain price of £5. Given the TV publicity I expected the parking spaces to be in short supply but a call to the Visitor Centre the day after the TV programme established that both spots were free on the 11th so I booked a 8:30 to 13:00 slot. After a minor detour we were parked up at about 9:00 and deposited a £5 note in the honesty box. I had downloaded the leaflet with a map of the Trail. The directions were a bit sketchy but after about 20 minutes I spotted a red squirrel scurrying along a wall right next to us. Unfortunately at this point Mrs. M was busy adjusting her hat and missed it leaving me to hope that it wasn't our only sighting! A short distance further on and there was a sign to The Red Squirrel Viewpoint. There were already two people there with impressively long lenses on their cameras. I asked if they had seen any squirrels and they pointed at one about 6 feet away from us! We spent about an hour watching around half a dozen squirrels, often only a couple of feet away and on a couple of occasions clinging to the trousers of one of the photographers! Photography was not easy; the light under the trees was poor and the squirrels move incredibly fast and are rarely still. I was mainly using my 100-400 zoom (200-800 35mm equivalent) and pushed the ISO to 6400 to try and freeze any movement. I finished up with about 10 decent images but I think that printing at A4 will be about as good as it gets..... but what an experience. We drove back to Hawes. Mrs. M purchased a pair of walking poles to help with her dodgy knee and then it was lunch at The Fountains Hotel, fish and chips for me and lasagne for Mrs. M, again ok but not exceptional. This was a disappointment for me as I had previously had fish and chips (presumably in the pub next door) that were so good that I'd had them 2 days running!

Day 3. We had no firm plans but I decided that we would take the scenic route to Barnard Castle as I hadn't been there before. This turned out to be far from straightforward as the first road that we needed was closed and then our preferred detour via Leyburn was blocked by an accident. After a tortuous detour we eventually headed over Arkengarthdale towards the "Herriott" water-splash. The presence of a convoy of 4x4s reminded me that it was "The Glorious 12th" (the first day of the grouse shooting season) and we do indeed see plenty of grouse as well as some amazing scenery as we cross Arkengarth and Scargill Moors. I manage to get some half-decent images. Arriving in Barnard Castle we park up and have a quick walk around before heading back, this time through some torrential rain along the A66 before dropping down to Hawes where we picked up some sandwiches in case lunch eluded us again and then back to Aysgarth. Once again we had missed lunch but I had noticed that the George and Dragon in Aysgarth served food from 2pm to 8pm so we pulled into the carpark....where a coach was parked and the pub was packed. We waited for a few minutes but gave up and returned to the lodge and the Falls End Restaurant which was serving a full menu and we enjoyed an excellent meal, a burger for me and a chicken concoction for Mrs. M; the best meal of the trip!

Day 4. I decided that we would return home via Hawes, Ribbleshead and down the M6. We filled up with petrol at The Dalehead Garage where the price was very competitive but as the kiosk was closed we had to use an antiquated "pay at the pump" system which wasn't actually at the pump but by the kiosk. With a bit of assistance from the previous user we mastered the system and filled up. After a brief stop at Ribbleshead (no trains) we had lunch at Stafford Services of sandwiches bought in Hawes the previous day and arrived home mid-afternoon on the Friday. An excellent few days away, there are some images in the Yorkshire Gallery.