Nidderdale Way: Anyone done it?

Has anyone done the Nidderdale Way?

We're looking at it for three days over the Easter weekend.  In particular are there sensible discrete camping spots?

We were thinking about doing it in three days starting from Hampsthwaite going in a cloackwise direction but any suggestions of how to break it up into three days are welcome.

Thanks.

Thanks Paddy.  It seems that the most recent book is Paul Hannon's (1998) , which is a whopping £3.97 from Amazon.

For those who are wondering what it is:

Devised in the early 1980s, the Nidderdale Way is a 53-mile waymarked route in North Yorkshire. The Way encircles the valley of the River Nidd by means of a wide and varied range of footpaths, bridleways and country roads, taking a course up one side of the valley and returning down the other. As such, the outward and return legs are never far apart, making it very accessible to the day walker: the finest means of tackling it, however, is as a four-day walk.

Nidderdale is the easternmost and probably least known major valley of the Yorkshire Dales, and it concedes nothing to its National Park neighbours. Indeed, the vast majority of the Nidderdale Way is within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a belated recognition of the exceptional scenic qualities of this landscape. The Way enjoys a delightful route that takes in the vast majority of the dale's attractions, including the natural features of Brimham Rocks and How Stean Gorge, the holes of Goyden Pot and Manchester Hole, the reservoirs of Scar House and Gouthwaite, the landmarks of Yorke's Folly and Guise Cliff and the sleepy villages of Ramsgill and Wath."

The Nidderdale Way

Having now plotted the route in Viewranger it seems that the whole thing is well furnished with campsites at sensible points and so though the preference would be for discrete wild spots, we will have plenty of options.

Paddy you omit to say what a nice walk it is.

DD try  v-g.me.uk ,  he has some notes on his trip.

I would look at the map at 18 and 36 miles and see if there are opportunities within a half a mile even off the trail to wild camp. Not so easy for more than one and you do say we.

It helps to think about eating arrangements. If I can I have teatime meal and walk on to secluded spot, then you don't have stoves and noise where you sleep; similar in the morning break camp quickly and breakfast after an hours walking at a nice spot, which is likely to be better than where you where hidden away.

Alternatively pack everything away and then make a brew. Then if asked you can say you just stopped to make a drink.

SD wrote (see)

Paddy you omit to say what a nice walk it is.

The guy's already going to do it, so doesn't need any encouragement from me. I was just supplying a few facts and figures.

I'm not sure it's going to have quite the 'rugged terrain' of the GR20, eh Paddy?!  Writing that trip report I posted the other week has brought back loads of great memories.

But my wife's coming on this walk and we needed something a bit off the peg, doable in three days and close to home.

From the Hillisde Publications website:

 "...the vast majority of the Nidderdale Way is within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a belated recognition of the exceptional scenic qualities of this landscape."

Doesn't look too shabby at all.

Quite bizarre that Nidderdale never got to be part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park... although it is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I wrote a feature about the Nidderdale Way a long time ago and the editor gave it the title... 'The Dale That Got Away'.

There are an awful lot of lambs about on the route!

Because others came, we stayed on sites with a route of:

1. Dacre Banks to Ripley (leaving the car in the public car park next to the pub in Dacre Banks).  Campsite = Ripley Caravan Park.  They take campers but were a bit sniffy.

 2. Ripley to Pateley Bridge. Campsite = Riverside Caravan Park.  They were incredibly friendly and welcoming of hikers.

3. PB to just beyond Middlesmoor.  Campsite = Studfold Farm.

4. Studfold Farm to Dacre Banks.

I should have said that the above route makes it a 3.5 day walk.  We wanted a decent Good Friday breakfast and then to set off after lunch on day one, hence the half day.  For anyone remotely fit 3.5 days will be very comfortable.

Paddy,Iv'e always understood the Uredale Way to be the" one that got away".I did this many years ago following the River Ure obviously ,from the east coast to the west side of the Pennines  past Kirkby Stephen. Reputedly the only river with it's source on the west side flowing into the sea on the east coast. Cheers.

Pathwise maybe but Wensleydale is certainly in the Yorkshire dales

I've done large parts along the Ure too, although only from Kirkby Stephen to just outside York. Probably the wrong way round as there's so much to see in terms of waterfalls in upper Wensleydale but further down is rather less interesting. Not terrible but too much farland/overgrown paths/cows.

Maybe better if I'd managed to fit a diversion to fountains/Studley royal in. Or timed it so that Beninbrough was open!

The source of the Swale is very nearly as far West as the Ure. Which actually suggests a rather logical walk - loop from KS to the confluence of the Ure/Swale along one dale and then back again along the other.

I live in Nidderdale.  I am SO lucky to have this on my doorstep.  Happy to advise anyone about camping, eateries and good beer!