Richmond Walking and Book Festival

Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL. 7.30pm. £10. Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

Dr Emma J. Wells is an award-winning historian, author and broadcaster. She is Lecturer in Ecclesiastical and Architectural History at the University of York, and a regular contributor to television and radio. She writes for publications such as BBC Countryfile, TLS, BBC History and History Today. Her first book, ‘Pilgrim Routes of the British Isles’, was published by Hale in 2016. ‘Heaven on Earth: The Lives & Legacies of the World’s Greatest Cathedrals’ is published by Head of Zeus in July 2022.

Leave Station car park 9.15am. Start at National Park Centre at Aysgarth Falls (£5 charge applies) (GR: SE 012 888) at 10.00am. 11 Miles. Moderate. £7

Our walk takes us to Aysgarth Upper Falls and Aysgarth Church before heading east along the southern bank of the River Ure. After passing Aysgarth Middle and Lower Falls we follow pleasant field tracks to reach Redmire Falls. Leaving the river we climb, initially gently and then steeply, to reach the ruins of the Knights Templar Chapel, before making our way to the falls and village of West Burton. Heading over field paths to Thornaby, the return to Aysgarth village involves some “ups and downs”, including one steep section, but all on good paths, before a short walk over fields takes us back to our starting point. 

Meet at Altberg Factory shop on Gallowfields Trading Estate DL10 4TG at 10.00am. 6.5 Miles. Moderate. £7 

Our traditional “Start of Festival” event is always popular. Altberg is the last remaining boot manufacturer in England, and we will start the day at the factory to see how the boots are designed and made - for walking, the army and biking. There’s time for a cup of tea and a look round the excellent factory shop before a walk along Whitcliffe Scar, with great views over lower Swaledale, to hear about the famous but gruesome legend of Willance’s Leap.

Sponsored by: Altberg

Richmond Library DL10 4AE. 2.00pm. £3 per child; £5 for two children; accompanying adults free. Disabled access.

This event is suitable for 8 to 11 year-olds who bring their own grown-up.

Local author, Gabriella Gordon, brings her latest children’s detective novel to life through a series of crime-busting activities for 8 to 11 years olds. ‘Sweet Crime, Sweet Justice’ is a mystery full of crazy plans and Fab ice lollies! The first of a series set in North Yorkshire in which two best friends build a secret headquarters and create ingenious traps to catch all the bad people in the world. The first baddie is a curious thief who steals unusual things. But perhaps their biggest mystery is the unexpected arrival of a strange third detective who appears out of nowhere one day…..   Bring a magnifying glass, if you have one!

Sponsored by: Catterick, Richmond and Colburn Community Libraries (CRACCL)

Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL. 7.30pm. £10. Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

Michael Stewart is Head of Creative Writing at the University of Huddersfield, and author of ‘Ill Will’, the story of Heathcliff’s missing years. He created the Brontë Stones project, four monumental stones placed between the birthplace and the Parsonage, inscribed with poems by Kate Bush, Carol Ann Duffy, Jeannette Winterson and Jackie Kay. While researching ‘Walking the Invisible’ Michael found himself falling further into the Bronte lives and writings than he could ever have imagined. He walked the paths they trod while writing their most famous works, discovering fascinating echoes of the siblings' classic novels in the landscape.

Sponsored by: Millgate House

Leave Station car park at 9.00am. Start at lay-by above Thwaite (GR: SD 892 981) at 10.00am. 10 Miles. Hard. £7 (£6 if all 6 stages booked)

We start with the highest Fell of this year’s set, Great Shunner Fell, which at 716m is the third highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales. We leave Thwaite village following the Swale tributary ‘Skeb Skeugh’ and pass through the little hamlet of Angram before heading over Angram Moor and joining the Swale at High Bridge. After a short way we branch off along Great Sleddale Beck and follow the old miners’ track through several shallow fords to the elaborate Sleddale House Sheep Folds. Next it is Bleaberry Beck which takes us up the flanks of Great Shunner Fell. This section is steep and has no path but we will skirt the boggy section crossing the heather covered and grass tussocky Black Hill. We soon reach the summit of Great Shunner Fell with its small shelter and great 360 degree views. The route down follows the Pennine Way and is mainly paved across the worst of the boggy sections. The lower half is on a good track which is steep in places.  There is a short road section back to Thwaite village.

Sponsored by: The Sirius Group

Leave Station car park 9.00am. Start Middleton in Teesdale. Car park on Newbiggin Road on the right over the bridge adjacent to the Working Mens Club (GR: NY 946 257) at 10.00am. 10 Miles. Moderate. £7

From Middleton we head south past the cattle mart to join the Pennine Way. A gentle ascent takes us past Kirkcarrion (an ancient chieftain’s burial place) before we cross an open high moor with views down to Grassholme and Selset reservoirs. Leaving the moor we head north towards Holwick Scar - the impressive outcrop of the Whin Sill, before descending to the River Tees at Wynch Bridge and Low Force. We follow the Pennine Way again as it follows the river downstream back to Middleton.

Leave Station car park 9.00am. Start at Buckden National Park Car Park (£5 charge applies)  (GR: SD 942 773) at 10.00am. 7.5 Miles. Easy/Moderate. £7.

This lovely walk is at the easy end of our moderate grading and is on good paths and tracks throughout. We start with a short climb on a good track through woodland before emerging onto Buckden Rake – with fine views on all sides. Descending gently we reach the waterfalls above Cray and then take a lovely panorama walk on the flank of Yockenthwaite Moor as we walk west with splendid views of Langstrothdale. Reaching Yockenthwaite you will be forgiven for thinking the farm here looks familiar – it is Helen’s home in the current series of “All Creatures Great and Small”. Dropping down to the River Wharfe we follow the route of the Dales Way as it makes its way down the valley past Hubberholme, with its lovely Norman church which is the resting place of J B Priestley’s ashes, and back to our start at Buckden.

Meet outside the Town Hall at 2.15pm. Free but donations to Richmondshire Museum most welcome.

This walk explores Richmond’s Wynds and Lanes offering big views, intriguing nooks, secret places and a chance to hear of the people who lived in them. The walk is mostly on pavements but also has some steep slopes and steps.

Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL.7.30pm. £10. Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

Among foreign observers, seventeenth-century England was nicknamed ‘Devil-Land’: a diabolical country of fallen angels, sedition, extremism and royal collapse. Clare Jackson’s dazzling account of English history’s most turbulent and radical era tells the story of a nation in a state of near continual crisis. ‘Devil-Land’ reveals England as, in many ways, a ‘failed state’: unstable and rocked by devastating events from the Gunpowder Plot to the Great Fire of London. Named as a ‘Book of the Year 2021’ by the New Statesman, Times Literary Supplement, The Daily Telegraph and The Times, ‘Devil-Land’ provides a spectacular reinterpretation of England’s past and is now short-listed for the 2022 Wolfson History Prize.

Sponsored by: Millgate House

Leave Station car park at 9.00am. Start at Birkdale – roadside parking at B6270 junction (GR: NY 858 016) at 10.15am 13.5 Miles. Hard. £7 (£6 if all 6 stages booked)

Our walk takes us up Little Sleddale on rough tracks to ascend Hugh Seat at the southern end of Mallerstang Edge. Here we can enjoy stunning views east and west. High Seat at 709m provides the summit for the Edge. After reaching High Pike it’s a descent back to the road. Shooting butts abound, indicating how important grouse shooting is to this upland area. Ascending north of the road we’re on rough moor again and follow the Coast to Coast option to Ravenseat, the hill farm featured on so many TV programmes with Amanda Owen and family. A short road section takes us back to the start. Please note that parts of this walk are over rough ground and are boggy in places.

Sponsored by: The Sirius Group

Leave Station car park 9.15am. Start Jervaulx Abbey car park (GR: SE 169 857) at 10.00am. 10 Miles. Easy. £7

We pass the ruins of 12^th century Jervaulx Abbey, before crossing the parkland of Jervaulx Hall. Wide views of Wensleydale open up before us, with iconic Penhill always in the centre of the picture. Thornton Steward, our first destination, is a typical Yorkshire village: a collection of attractive stone cottages either side of small greens running the length of the village, complete with village pump, tiny former village school and Village Institute. Passing isolated St. Oswald’s Church with its Norman remains, we emerge into the park of the imposing Danby Hall, where a broad track leads us to Ulshaw Bridge. After a short walk alongside the lovely River Cover we crest a rise for a spectacular view of Middleham Castle, the Neville’s stronghold and boyhood home of Richard III. A loop takes us back to Cover Bridge and an afternoon stroll along the banks of the Rivers Cover and Ure back to Jervaulx in time for a visit to the abbey itself if you wish. Entrance here is by a suggested donation of £5 in the honesty box.

Leave Station car park 9.15am.  Start at Cordilleras Farm (GR: NZ 096 037) at 9.45am. 8.5 Miles. Moderate. £7

We have featured this walk for a number of years, with two parties going clockwise and anti-clockwise round the route and it continues to be very popular, so if you are interested in joining it please book early. We have special access to the MOD Feldom Ranges land, rarely walked, a mixture of heather moorland, scattered woods and deep cut valleys. This is an Army training area, not otherwise known to the rambler, and rich in archaeological remains, including a fine Hill Fort with impressive views to the northern dales; and some of the best cup and ring stones in the area.

Sponsored by: Purple Creative

Start at the bus stops outside TESCO on Catterick Garrison (GR: SE 180 978) 10.15am 4.6 Miles. Easy. Free just turn up on the day.

This walk is part of the Ramblers Wellbeing Walks programme. It winds through the woods of Leadmill Gill before crossing over onto Catterick Golf Course.  We climb the short ‘Heartbreak Hill’ watching out for golfers, before entering the MOD Wenlock Plantation. We venture out across the open training area on Scotton Moor, before returning to the golf course past the curious Druggon Hill.

The Station, Richmond DL10 4LD. 11.00am – midday. £8. Café/restaurant, bookstall, disabled access

North Yorkshire-based author Jessica Redland writes emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community. Her home in Scarborough inspired the creation of the fictional seaside town of Whitsborough Bay, and the stunning countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds inspired the bestselling Hedgehog Hollow series. Richmond played an important part in her writing journey because she started her debut novel while managing a specialist teddy bear shop on Finkle Street. She’ll talk about her journey to publication, the themes of her novels - seventeen so far - and the joys and challenges of being an author.

Sponsored by: The Station

Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond DL10 4DW. 7.30pm. £15 from www.georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk.  Bar, bookstall, disabled access.

Bestselling author and columnist Sally Coulthard has spent the last two decades writing about nature, history and craft.  Many of her books delve into the traditions of rural life – the people, plants and creatures that make the countryside tick.   Sally’s work often weaves together different disciplines, pulling threads from social history, anthropology, archaeology and nature writing to bring her diverse subjects to life.  Her latest book, ‘The Barn’, uncovers the fascinating history of a barn on her North Yorkshire smallholding. Waterstones has dubbed it ‘a masterwork of research and non-fiction storytelling. Sally will be in conversation with Pam Royle, a multi-award-winning television journalist and presenter.

Tickets will be available from the Georgian Theatre Royal in July

Leave Station car park at 9.00am. Start at Birkdale – off road parking (GR: NY 859 015) at 10.15am 12 Miles. Hard. £7 (£6 if all 6 stages booked)

Meeting once again at Birkdale we will explore the seasonal alternative sections of the Coast to Coast path. Nine Standards Rigg at 662m is an easily recognisable Fell from the Eden Valley where it’s 9 stone pillars stand proud. It is less so from Birkdale where we start today’s Challenge Walk. A short track from the old quarry leads us up to the well-hidden Birkdale Tarn. We skirt the many boggy streams which drain into Whitsundale to the North East, and briefly join the Walk 2 path before heading up the millstone grit Coldbergh Edge and the featureless White Mossy Hill. A paved path takes us to summit of Nine Standards Rigg and on to explore the mysterious stone pillars. We briefly retrace our steps but soon turn left down the alternative Coast to Coast path across a boggy moor to Backstone Beck, which leads us on down the pretty Whitsundale. Crossing the Beck we join the track passing The Owens’ Ravenseat Farm gates. A short lane section to Black Howe, then good path down to High Bridge and back along the Swale Banks before a short very steep track takes us back to the cars.

Sponsored by: The Sirius Group

Leave Station car park 9.00am. Start car parking area on moor edge just off the road from Kirkby Malzeard to Dallowgill (Shown as an Information Point on the 1:25k OS Map) (GR: SE 179 726) at 10.00am. 7 miles. Moderate. £7

This walk was enjoyed by all who did it last year so we are repeating this as a mid-week option in 2022. The walk is situated in the area around Dallowgill, west of Kirkby Malzeard. In the late 1990s, as part of the celebration of the designation of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB), a group of local people, led by an expert, and calling themselves the Crackpots created a series of 22 mosaics to provide points of interest round a walk that passes through a number of different landscapes and pretty hamlets. A lovely countryside walk is enhanced by these mosaics which reflect the flora, fauna and history of the area. Although a shortish walk please note there are a number of ups and downs on the route, and some of the tracks can be muddy in wet weather.

Leave Station car park 9.00am.  Start at sheepfolds at junction of the Gilbert Lane Track with the B6160 Bishopdale Road near Kidstones (GR: SD 943 803) at 10.00am. 6 Miles. Hard. £7

Hill walkers spend hours of their life walking across upland peat bogs. But have you ever wondered what is under your feet, why they are important and increasingly in the news, and what makes a good bog or a bad bog? Join the Yorkshire Dales National Trust Ecologist and Rangers for a walk in Upper Wharfedale across Cray Moss and beyond with a focus on upland peat bogs. We’ll help you identify bog flora and indicators of bog health, and you’ll see first-hand why these environments are critical in the fight against climate change and lowland flooding. If you want to develop your appreciation for those wet areas that suck at your boots then this is the walk for you! Please note that the grading of this walk reflects the fact it will largely be off-track, across open access bog and upland pasture so plenty of scope for hidden holes, tussocks, the usual off-path hazards.

Supported by: The National Trust

Bolton Castle DL8 4ET. 11.00 am. £25, inclusive of visit to Castle and lunch. Bookstall. Bus transport to and from this event will be available from The Station, Richmond leaving at 10am and from Leyburn Market Place Bus Stop at 10.20am. Return transport leaves Castle at 2.30pm. Please indicate when booking if you intend to use this service. (Bus part funded by Richmondshire District Council, donations welcome on the day.)

Joanne Major writes historical non-fiction for Yorkshire-based publisher, Pen & Sword Books. Her latest publication recounts the history of the Bolton Dukedom, their ancestors, descendants and the part Bolton Castle played in this fascinating story. Successive Dukes were central to political intrigue, wars, and rebellion. They formed one of the country’s foremost dynasties and fell in and out of favour with the monarchy. However, it was the women – actresses and aristocrats alike – who shaped the family.

The book talk will start at 11am and will be followed by a book signing with the author and a light lunch in the Great Hall of the Castle. Participants are then invited to take a tour of the Castle and gardens independently (normal entrance fee £12.50). Please arrive in plenty of time for the 11am start. Please note there are some steep steps in the Castle.

Sponsored by: Bolton Castle

The Station, Richmond DL10 4LD. 7.30 pm. £12. Café/restaurant, bookstall, disabled access.

Published on the 100th anniversary of the moment that Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon broke open Tutankhamun’s tomb, Toby Wilkinson presents a riveting account of the treasures they found, in his new book ‘Tutankhamun’s Trumpet’. He takes the objects buried with the king as the source material and inspiration for a fascinating portrait of ancient Egypt – its geography, history, culture and legacy. Artefacts from the tomb are allowed to speak again – not only for themselves, but as witnesses of the civilization that created them in this illustrated talk.

Sponsored by: The Station

Book Now

Richmondshire Cricket Club DL10 4AR. 7.30pm. £7. Bar, disabled access

There will be an opportunity for people to participate in an ‘open mic’. Poetry or prose can be shared (max three poems or one short piece of prose: 5 mins per-person). Please email office@booksandboots.org  in order to reserve a place. Priority will be given to those who email in advance.

Gill Lambert has been published online and in print and her collection ‘Tadaima’ was published by Yaffle in 2019. She runs online poetry workshops as well as working with people in the community from various backgrounds.  Her latest collection is called 'A Small Goodbye at Dawn'.

Simma Singer is an acoustic artist and singer-songwriter dubbed ‘Newcastle’s Acoustic Hero’ by Metro. He is also a performance poet. His collection of comic poetry called ‘Last Night I Married the Audience’ was released to great critical acclaim from many media sources including BBC Radio 4.

Steve Urwin is from Consett, County Durham. He works as a freelance creative writing facilitator. His books include ‘Tightrope Walker’, ‘Hypomaniac’ and ‘So Much for the Sunshine’. His latest collection ‘Laughter to Split Glass’ is available from Red Squirrel Press.

Leave Station car park at 9.00am. Start at Rukin’s Farm campsite in Keld (£3, toilets available) (GR: NY 892 012) at 10.00am 11Miles. Hard. £7 (£6 if all 6 stages booked)

We start with a visit to the beautiful Kisdon Force where there will be time to take photographs. Our route then takes the north bank of the Swale past Catrake Force and Currack Force before climbing north to the isolated Farmhouse of Ravenseat, as featured on so many TV programmes. The track is now over rough boggy moor to Robert Seat at 549m. We leave the lead mining history of Swaledale and Keld to see the remnants of coal mining as coal measures run just under our feet.  The welcome sight of England’s highest pub, the famous Tan Hill Inn provides an irresistible refreshment stop. Our return is south via the Pennine Way to Keld.

Sponsored by: The Sirius Group

Leave Station car park at 9.15am. Start Langthwaite car park (charges) (GR: NZ 005 023) at 10.00am. 7 miles. Moderate. £7

This year our walk, led by a member of the team at the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, will be in Arkengarthdale. From Langthwaite we will walk downstream alongside Arkle Beck, where the Trust are involved in a partnership project to implement natural flood management interventions, and we will learn how these will assist in an area of the Dales that was badly affected by the floods of 2019. The walk will take us up Fremington Edge, walking west, down again and through the delightfully named hamlet of Booze before returning to Langthwaite. Whilst “moderate” please note there are some steep climbs and possible stepping-stones (weather permitting and with a short diversion if the river is high).

Supported by: The Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust

Leave Station car park 9.15am. Start Greta Bridge roadside parking by the bridge (GR: NZ 086 132) at 9.45am. 6.5 miles. Easy. £15 to include the guided tour of Rokeby Park

The history of the Rokeby Estate and the families who have lived there, including the current owners the Morritt family, is fascinating – and links to a number of important places that we will visit on our walk.  Starting at Greta Bridge we will have an opportunity to learn something of the roman settlement and fort that existed there alongside the old roman road.  We will then start our walk into the Rokeby Estate and learn about the history of Mortham Tower. We will share the connections to Sir Walter Scott and JMW Turner and the romantic setting of Waters Meet, before starting our walk along a delightful wooded stretch of the River Tees as we make our way towards Eggleston Abbey – once owned by the Morritt family. Returning to Rokeby Park, the main part of the afternoon will be taken up by a guided tour of the house and the fascinating history of the families who have lived there. We will be able to walk back to Greta Bridge along the carriageway that led to the house in times gone by – emerging at the old gatehouse in time to visit the Morritt Arms and hear about further links to the history of the Estate, and a chance to see Gilroy’s famous wall mural whilst no doubt refreshing ourselves with a drink at the bar or in the delightful garden of this well-known coaching house. With the walk and visit this will be a full day – and you are sure to learn something new.  We will be joined for the whole day by one of the guides from Rokeby Park who will be able to share with us the connections between the landscape and the history of the estate.

The Station, Richmond DL10 4LD. 11.00am – midday. £8. Café/restaurant, bookstall, disabled access.

Chris is Chief Feature Writer for The Northern Echo and The Darlington and Stockton Times and a former North East Journalist of the Year. He writes about local history and politics - has interviewed every Prime Minister since John Major and was the only journalist in the Sedgefield pub when Tony Blair dined on fish and chips with George W. Bush. He has featured twice on Michael Portillo’s ‘Great British Railway Journeys’. ‘Secret Darlington’ is his ninth book about the Darlington area.

Sponsored by: The Station

Meet outside the Town Hall at 12.00 noon. Free but donations to the Richmond Mayor’s Charity most welcome.

Your costumed guide, a Richmond policeman of 1842, takes you for a walk back in time lasting just over one hour.

Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond DL10 4DW. 7.30pm. £15 from www.georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk  Bar, bookstall, disabled access

A thrilling account of the first major expedition by data gatherers and qualified observers to Peru to discover the shape and magnitude of the Earth. Previously it was impossible to produce accurate maps and sea charts, without which thousands of lives would continue to be lost and exact locations of cities, roads and rivers would never be known. This fascinating and dramatic story weaves scientific rigour, egos, funding crises and betrayal with sea voyages, jungles and volcanoes. Author Nicholas Crane is an award-winning writer and geographer, well-known for his television work as lead presenter for BAFTA winning series Coast as well as Great British Journeys, Map Man, Britannia and Town.

Sponsored by: The Fleece Hotel

Tickets will be available from the Georgian Theatre Royal in July

Leave Station car park at 9.00am Start at Public Car Park Muker  (GR: SD 911 978 ) at 10.00am 15 Miles. Hard. £7 (£6 if all 6 stages booked)

This walk starts with a steady climb up the side of Kisdon Hill, which we skirt around and on to Catrake Force below Keld. We cross the Swale and follow the track up past Crackpot Hall and into the unmistakable Swinner Gill. A steep climb takes us onto the moor top and then along to Rogan's Seat at 672 metres. We descend through peat hags to reach the Blackethwaite dams, left behind by Swaledale lead miners. A tricky section gets us into the top of Gunnerside Gill and we follow this down through the lead mining scars and ruins. We then head west high above Ivelet and back round to Muker.

Sponsored by: The Sirius Group

Leave Station car park 9.15am. Start at Carlton in Coverdale Village Hall (GR: SE 069 847) at 10.00am. 8 Miles. Moderate. £7

As an early sell out in 2021 we thought this was one to repeat in 2022. Based on a Yorkshire Dales National Park community history project this 8-mile walk explores some of Coverdale’s dairying heritage from ancient times to the present day as well as sampling the delights of the Coverdale countryside, it’s pretty villages and monastic past. Starting from Carlton, the principal village, the route takes us up onto the moor below Penhill before making a circuit of both sides of the valley. Whilst often a gentle ramble the route does involve a couple of steeper sections when we access vantage points from which, weather permitting, there are exceptional views across the dale.

Leave Station car park 9.15am.  Start at pull in parking on moor edge south-west of Barningham (GR: NZ 080 101) at 10.00am. 7 Miles. Moderate. £7

This walk on Barningham Moor promises open skies and good views north towards the valley of the Tees. We will use tracks and cross open moorland. During the walk we will see something of the rich archaeological history of this area including examples of Rock Art, and the remains of a bronze age village and stone circle.

The Station, Richmond DL10 4LD. 11.00am - midday. £8 plus £2 for an optional walking masterclass either from 9:30am to 10:00am or 10:15am to 10:45am. Café/restaurant, bookstall, disabled access.

Annabel Streets writes highly researched fiction and non-fiction and is a founder of the blog https://agewellproject.com/ . ‘52 Ways to Walk - The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellbeing and Joy, One Week at a Time’ is her second book on the subject of walking.  It examines the science of different ways of being on foot - from walking at altitude and in forests, to going backwards and barefoot – and everything in between.  Explore what happens to our bodies and brains when we use vista vision, nasal breathing, fractal-finding and the perfect gait.

Join Annabel for an optional 30-minute Walking Masterclass – this will be active and mobile...and very hands-on.

And why not make a day of it? Our 4.5 mile walk ‘H2: Iron Banks and Park Wood’ sets off from the Station at 13.00pm and is part of the Ramblers Wellbeing Walks.  An ideal way to spend your afternoon after learning the benefits of walking in the morning!

Sponsored by: The Station

Start at the picnic tables at The Station. 1.00pm. 4.5 Miles. Easy. Free just turn up on the day.  

Our afternoon start time and starting point for this walk will allow people to go to this morning’s book event at the Station and take part in this walk as well. The morning talk is by Annabel Street on her book “52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellbeing and Joy, One Week at a Time”. What better way to make a day of it than join this afternoon walk organised as part of the national Ramblers Wellbeing Walks.  We will walk along both banks of The Swale past the ruined Easby Abbey until we reach the Coast to Coast path. We follow this through the lovely Iron Banks wood where part of the route is perched high above the river. We cut back across the fields through Park Wood and can then look back on the fine views of Richmond before descending the cycle track back to The Station.

Influence Church, Richmond DL10 4AS. 7.30pm. £15. Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

Oliver Condy, author of ‘Symphonies for the Soul: Classical Music to Cure Any Ailment’ is a musician and editor with 20 years of experience in music publishing. A former Editor of BBC Music Magazine, where he oversaw more than 200 issues, Oliver will be joined on stage by James Naughtie, one of the country's best-known broadcasters, a Radio 4 presenter of ‘Today’ for 21 years and ‘Bookclub’ since the programme began in 1998. He is also a writer, with books about music and politics, an account of travels in the United States over 50 years, and three espionage novels. ‘The Spy Across the Water’, will be published later this year.

Their conversation will include musical pieces chosen for the occasion by Oliver Condy.

This event is run in partnership with Richmondshire Concert Series

Sponsored by: Millgate House

Leave Station car park at 9.00am Start below Fore Gill Gate where there is plenty of room to park beside the Ford (GR: NY 993 009) at 10.00am. 12 Miles. Moderate. £7 (£6 if all 6 stages booked)

Those with a long memory will recall the ford at our starting point from the opening credits of the original James Herriott TV series. The area was lead mining country until the start of the 20th century, with a major vein running under Great Pinseat. Though the tracks we use are now important for farming and particularly shooting, their origins lie in the extraction of lead. A brief road section takes us above Surrender Mill before we take a turn up to the Old Gang Smelt Mill. An example of a self-draining mine entrance is passed, along with the peat and explosives store and remains of the flue. Leaving good tracks we traverse rough and boggy moor to the trig point at Great Pinseat at 583m before descending the post-industrial spoil to Whaw in Arkengarthdale. A pleasant riverside path takes us to Langthwaite (toilets available). A final ascent up Fore Gill returns us to the start.

Sponsored by: The Sirius Group

Leave Station car park at 9.00am. Rendezvous at Reeth Village Green outside the Burgoyne Hotel (GR: SE 039 993) at 9.30am for private transport to Keld and our start. 14 miles. Hard. £7 (Includes the minibus transfer to Keld which is free thanks to support by Richmondshire District Council).

This linear walk takes us from Keld to Grinton. For much of the way we will follow the traditional route of the Corpse Way down Swaledale, and then onwards to Reeth and our starting point. Until 1580 Grinton was the furthest point up the Dale with consecrated ground for burials, and a number of routes existed in the upper part of the Dale that were used to bring coffins to the church. Our route is based on the main artery of the Corpse Way starting in Keld.  As well as the history of the route and some of the stories attached to it, you will, of course, be passing through some of the very best scenery in the upper dale. We start our walk on the bridleway from Keld, round the side of Kisdon Hill, to Muker. Leaving the traditional route for the next stretch allows us to avoid some road walking and take in the delightful riverside path along the Swale. We will also visit picturesque Ivelet Bridge, which is on one of the side branches of the Way, and see one of the coffin-resting stones used in those times.  We regain the main route as we follow the old road along the side of the valley to Gunnerside. Continuing down the valley we pass Blades, with the remains of the Coffin House used as an overnight resting place, and on to Healaugh where we drop into the valley bottom and walk to the lovely old church at Grinton.  A walk through the fields and alongside Arkle Beck takes us back to Reeth.

Sponsored by: Purple Creative

Leave Station car park 9.30am. Start at Aske Stables (GR:NZ 180 037) at 10.00am. 7 miles. Easy. £7

We are pleased to be able to take you into parts of Aske Park that are off rights of way and therefore unknown to walkers using the public footpath through the Estate. Almost as impressive as Aske Hall itself is the former Stable Block.  It is here that we will start and finish the walk.  The first part of the walk takes us into the private part of the estate, through woodlands and along tracks until we reach High Coalsgarth at the half way point of the walk.  From here we return to the Hall using public footpaths returning across the racecourse and the golf club before regaining the Park. There will be time to look round the imaginative Stable Block conversion into a thriving business and retail setting including an excellent coffee shop, Mocha, and for those in need of an improved night’s sleep – a visit to Kiss the Moon.

Sponsored by: Purple Creative

The Station, Richmond DL10 4LD. 11.00am – midday. £8. Café/restaurant, bookstall, disabled access.

All the world's cultures have special relationships with trees and forests.  They have drawn on them for shelter, food, medicine and materials, and for spiritual inspiration.  From wood working they learned how to become technologists and to master their environment. In a lively illustrated talk, Max Adams, the archaeologist, woodsman and inveterate walker, explores some of the fascinating stories from his 2019 book, ‘Trees of Life’, and from his new book, ‘The Museum of the Wood Age’.

Sponsored by: The Station

Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL. 7.30pm. £15. Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

Trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly circled the world faster than anyone ever had in 1890. Travelling alone with just a Gladstone bag, she shattered the fictional record of Phileas Fogg, returning in 72 days. Awed by her achievement and shocked by its present-day obscurity, Rosemary J Brown re-traced Bly’s global voyage 125 years later. Their journeys are captured in ‘Following Nellie Bly: Her Record-Breaking Race Around the World’. London-based journalist Rosemary is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2019, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research initiatives in Greece and Ireland helping refugees to rebuild their lives.

Jacki Hill-Murphy MA, FRGS, is an explorer, writer and speaker who has travelled to some of the most inhospitable places on earth to re-create the journeys of daring women adventurers from the past. In tracking valiant women, like Mary Kingsley and Isabella Bird, she pays tribute to their invincible spirits and achievements. Jacki’s journeys in the footsteps of Victorian explorers have taken her across the Digar-La in Ladakh, India; to the summit of Mount Cameroon; by public transport from Moscow to Siberia; Eastern Nigeria; and from source to sea along the Amazon River.

Sponsored by: Millgate House

Leave Station car park 9.15am. Start Bainbridge Village Green (GR: SD 933 902 ) at 10.00am. 9 miles. Moderate/Hard. £7

This is one of the classic walks in the upper part of Wensleydale.  We start on the lovely village green at Bainbridge and, reflecting the grade we have given to the walk, we begin our steady climb up the first stretch of the Cam High Road, following the straight line of the old Roman Road as it climbs towards Whether Fell. We get good views to the north into Upper Wensleydale on this stretch.  Leaving the old road we head south to gain the ridge before our steep descent into Bardale and a path which takes us through the villages of Marsett and Stalling Busk nestled in the Dale, with great views of Semerwater.  This is the largest natural lake in the County and was formed at the time of the last ice age. We will walk alongside the lake and share some of the legends surrounding this place before walking back towards Bainbridge alongside the country’s shortest River – the Bain. As we approach our start we will be able to see Brough Hill – site of the Roman fort which stood here for over 300 years and explains the existence of the road on which we started our day.