Gunnerside, meadows alongside the River Swale, Ivelet, Gunnerside Lodge, Gunnerside Gill, Blakethwaite Gill and dam and back to Gunnerside on the Gill's lower path. This walk is unusual in our collection because it does not feature a pub stop half-way round. However, it's such a good one that it’s worth taking some cans and/or bottles and supping them when you have a break.

 This walk can vary from damned hard work to sheer joy, mostly depending on the weather. Gunnerside was at the centre of the lead mining industry that made some families rich, but left many more without a bread-winner, so hard was it on the men (and boys) who worked in it.

Gunnerside Gill itself (above) is now a beauty spot, but it was once an industrial centre. Take a walk up and down it now and the remnants of that ancient industry have an air bordering on the beautiful. Basically, after a twiddly bit at the start, this walk is an out and back along the course of the Gill, which is a tributary of the Swale running through a deep valley. 

It can be completed either way, but we prefer to leave the village along the B6270 as it turns south after crossing the Gill, and quarter of a mile after leaving the village, go through a narrow gate on the right just before the bridge over the Swale. Follow the meadow path west with the river on your left for less than a mile before it climbs sharply to your right, the river falling away to the left.

This is part of the “Corpse Way”, along which the dead were carried from up the dale to the consecrated ground at Grinton, near Reeth. A headless dog is said to haunt the path, but we have never seen it. Perhaps it only comes out at night.

Follow the path across half a dozen fields until a footbridge over a small, but deep valley takes you into the hamlet of Ivelet. A hundred yards further on, near the phone box, turn right and follow the road uphill towards Gunnerside Lodge. It used to be the home of Lord Peel, whose grandad (or possibly great grandad) invented the police, but now it’s owned by some rich bloke who made his money in the Far East. He lets other rich blokes use the thousands of acres of moorland he owns to go out armed to the teeth in four-wheel drive vehicles, usually used for city school runs, and shoot killer birds.

However, rebellious thoughts on why they should be allowed to do so in a civilised society must be kept to yourself in this area, or the new aristocracy will take pot shots at you.

With the entrance to the Lodge on the left, avert your eyes, keep your head bowed with hand ready to tug forelock if you see any of the idle rich and follow the road as it turns sharp right and head back towards Gunnerside.

Just after the first farm buildings on your right, a broad track leaves the road on the left. This is used to ferry people who think nothing of spending thousands of quid on a 12-bore shotgun out to the moors, where they shoot the birds. Some of these animals can weigh up to a three or four pounds and can be almost a foot long. They are obviously very dangerous when angry and clearly need to be kept in check.

Follow the track as it climbs and then curves left and the Gill will start to come into view below to your right. The track goes North for more than a mile of easy walking before a side valley forces it to take a sharp left through a gate. After crossing the stream, turn right onto a path that heads back towards the Gill and then drops sharply past the old Lownathwaite lead mine and arrives at the side of the Gill itself. Follow the path with the Gill on your right and eventually you’ll have to cross to the other side. The track becomes a bit difficult and very clarty after rain, but stick with it … as the valley begins to curve away to your left you’ll see what’s left of the Blakethwaite lead mine and its dams, used to provide power when mining was at its peak here.

One of our number has decreed that his ashes be scattered here when he eventually goes to meet his maker.

If the weather’s wet you might start to feel a bit sorry for yourself, but spare a thought for the men who used to walk this far in all weathers, sometimes in the dark, just to go to work down a damp, dangerous lead mine, before walking back home again in the rain, snow, sleet and dark. So as not to waste their time, they used to knit socks as they walked (honest).

Follow the track as it hugs what’s now turned into Blakethwaite Gill and after passing one dam, a steep climb takes you to the top of another (below), a silted up former lake, a stone pavement and what looks like the stonework for a water wheel. What better place to have a pie or two washed down with a bottle or two of Old Speckled Hen or a can or two of Bass?  Perhaps a bag or two of pork scratchings wouldn't go amiss, either?

On one occasion a small party did this walk and the sun came out as we arrived here, providing the sort of stop that made more than one of us wish we’d brought a tent so we could stay the night. It’s not exactly Monument Valley, but you won’t see as many American tourists with fat arses or Japanese with cameras worth more than your house.

However, it’s not always deserted and on the day in question we were approached by a mad woman with a Lancashire accent who asked what all the ruins were. We told her it was a former gold mine, but it wasn’t clear whether she believed us.

To return, you can retrace your steps for a mile or so and then follow the path on the East side of the Gill back to Gunnerside. Or while you are still on the top, spot the dolomite track to the East and follow it as it curves South above the Gill, passing a stone-built shelter where the nobs have their guns reloaded by the servants, scoff their game pie, swans’ testicles and llama’s tongues, washed down with posh wine during breaks from the hard work of killing the wildlife.

Just as the track begins to curve left away from the Gill, look out for a zig-zag footpath that takes you down to the Gill-side path mentioned above.

Enjoy the breathtaking views as you follow this back to Gunnerside, appreciating the ruined former lead-mine buildings on the way before the path becomes a bit tricky through woods and on into the centre of the village. If you’re thirsty, go into the King’s Head for a pint … but only if you’re very thirsty.