Читать книгу Walking in the Yorkshire Dales: North and East. Howgills, Mallerstang, Swaledale, Wensleydale, Coverdale and Nidderdale онлайн

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The network of public footpaths and tracks is extensive, and signposts and waymarks are generally well positioned to confirm the route. On the upper moors, and indeed across many of the valley meadows, the actual line of the path is not always distinct, but the way is often discernible along a ‘trod’. Defined as a ‘mark made by treading’, a trod, by its nature, becomes more obvious the more it is walked, and indeed may develop over time as a path. But on the upper slopes it is a less tangible thing, a slight flattening of the grass or reeds punctuated with an occasional boot print. It may differ from a sheep track only in that it has purposeful direction and requires an element of concentration to stay on the right course.

The walks described in detail in this volume range in distance from 3½ to 11½ miles (5.6 to 18.5km), and there are suggestions for devising longer days by combining routes. While the lengthier walks require an appropriate degree of physical fitness, none demand more than an ability to walk. The Dales are hilly rather than mountainous, and with gains in altitude during the walks of between 80m (262ft) and 855m (2805ft), climbs are generally moderate, with any steep sections usually brief. And in any case, the captivating scenery so begs attention that frequent pauses for retrospective admiration are almost mandatory.