Start at lay-by 2. 067 767 Dam 1 South side 3. 044 783 The gate to moor 4. 048 813 Horsehouse village 5. 062 846 Carlton village 6. 019 856 Road after descent 7. 017 856 Bridleway 8. 033 799 Braidley
9. (same as 3.)
10. 066 772 Nidderdale Way 11. 107 772 Shooting house 12. 102 751 Thrope farm
1. (0 miles) Start from the lay-by just NW of the village of Lofthouse, on the road to Middlesmoor. Go right from lay-by, road soon becomes a steep climb up in to the village of Middlesmoor. Go straight up through Middlesmoor village, road becomes unsuitable for motors, a rocky farm road. Follow to rocky switchback down to Reservoir dam.
2. (3.0 miles) Bear right on to road then immediately left across dam. Left from the end of the dam up rocky climb on double width track, which follows the left side of the reservoir. Continue to T junction, turn right following the wall on your right. Up hill then straight on at gate across moor.
3. (4.9 miles) Continue on good rocky track which bears right then left and becomes very rocky. Go straight on through metal gate next to cattle crush as you drop down in to Coverdale bear right through metal gate and go through farm yard then over small stone bridge, go 200 yards then turn left over stone bridge (river Cover) heading for West Scrafton. Straight on through -
4. (7.4 miles) Horsehouse. Soon passing Thwaite Arms on right and on in to village of Carlton, take first major road left turn after about 50 yards, soon passing -
5. (10 miles) unsuitable for motor vehicles sign. After 250 yards turn right up stony double track which zigzags up hill, follow up through a metal gate and then past the right hand boundary of a shooting lodge crossing a small ford then turns right. Continue up hill on to moor on rutted track. Through another metal gate continue on, sometimes boggy track to -
6. (13.4 miles) rocky descent with gate down to road. Continue on road to top of steep climb turn left at -
7. (14.7 miles) wooden bridleway sign up rocky double track. Go up through gate and follow track up on to moor, through a second gate, trail bears right and is a bit more solid. Through a ford on a bend then bear left up past stone shooting butts. Trail becomes less distinct but just carry on straight across moor top with view to left down Coverdale. Go through gate, trail drops down then bears right over several boggy stream crossings and eventually to 5 bar wooden gate in stone wall on left. Through here track bears left then follow steepest route down hill to tarmac road at -
8. (18.1 miles) Farmhouse (Braidley).Turn left on road then soon after take first right signposted Arkleside Only. Bear right over stone bridge following river on your right, then bear left through metal gate bearing right soon after ignoring footpath marked double track. Follow back across moor, through gate -
9. (20.6 miles) down hill, turning left, back along doubletrack towards lower dam. About 200 yards before lower dam -
10. (22.6 miles) bear left up double track which climbs then descends towards a railway sleeper bridge with impossible rocky climb up other side. Straight through 6 bar wooden gate with shooting house on right. Follow trail as it bears left up hill then bear right as you join a more marked double track, then bear left with valley on right. Leads eventually to a rocky descent towards -
11. (27.4 miles) another shooting house with 2 chimneys, one large, one small, turn right just before this down narrow/grassy trail. Steep downhill through small gate, follow trail as it goes left and continue on to a metal gate and across meadow to
12. (28 miles) Farmhouse. Go through gate and left on to farm track which leads on to a final gate and in to Lofthouse. Turn right out of village and back to -
13 (30.2 miles) Lay-by finish.