A Sunday Trail at Hardcastle Crags
A Sunday Trail at Hardcastle Crags
a National Trust location
Knowing I had to return to work from my leave, I knew I didn’t want to sit around the house with it in my mind. A family outing was suggested, and I jumped at the chance to leave the house. For this outing, we travelled to a National Trust location of Hardcastle Crags. I have been to this place several times before. I enjoy visiting it as it is one of the locations within reasonable travel time with a trail that pushes my abilities.
Some roads leading up to the Midgehole car park are either single-tracked or have cars parked to one side, making them single-tracked. There is another car park in Clough Hole; however, I haven’t been to this one before to know the access. Once at the car park, a one-way system allows for the single-tracked road. This is a pay-and-display location; members are free, but I believe it is £5 all day (cash only) for non-members.
I like that this location is immediately within the forest. It makes me feel relaxed straight away. From the car park, we walked the road to Gibson Mill. I’ve never been inside the mill. It is currently undergoing some maintenance, but it would be interesting to see if it is possible to view it in the future. The cafe and second-hand bookshop were open. Though please note these aren’t open every day in all seasons, it would be worth checking on the website.
The road to Gibson Mill is the most level terrain I’ve seen at this location. This is the orange-marked, upper woodland walk. With good wheels on pushchairs and wheelchairs, getting from the car park to the mill would be possible. There is a disabled toilet there, a cafe and a second-hand bookshop. However, unless there are other trails I’m not aware of, it wouldn’t be possible for pushchairs and wheelchair users to go on the trail routes.
Once at Gibson Mill, we used the unisex toilets before starting the purple-marked Railway Trail. I have only gone around this trail one way; based on the direction we’ve been on, I don’t think I would like to experience it the other way around. This trail has uneven surfaces, including stone steps, crossing over water, steep wooden steps and high viewpoints. It was muddy in places. It isn’t a trail I would want to do in or after bad weather.
For the direction we go, which takes you down the steep wooden steps, we start on the footpath to the left-hand side facing the mill. You finish on the right-hand side, facing the mill at the end. This is not to say the trail can’t be done the other way around. I couldn’t face walking along the trail after climbing the steep wooden steps. We used the steps as our marker on when to have our picnic. Once down the steps, we find a spot for our packed lunch. We learnt today that we would like a picnic blanket for these types of walks. This area doesn’t have benches, so the floor and rocks are our friends. At least with a blanket, our bums would be warmer.
After lunch, along the trail, more unsteady surfaces went uphill. Here, I thought I would have benefitted from my walking poles. These were lying nice and warm under my bed. Not much use there. I don’t take them with me as I cannot safely connect them to my bag. I either need to figure out a safe way to do this or get a new bag to transport them safely, which also allows room for the said picnic blanket above.
Once back at the mill, we sat in the cafe and enjoyed a hot drink and a cake. Dogs can enter this cafe, and there are also some benches outside for food, beverages, or takeout.
On the way back to the car, we took the red-marked trail, the riverside mill walk. This trail again has uneven surfaces, water crossings, and sets of steps. We stopped to the side a number of times to let others pass, as there are points where you need to be single-file.
There is another trail, the green-marked one, which I’ve not done as a stand-alone. But we have walked by it as it shares part of the purple trail. I can’t not mention The Crags themselves. This is to the right side facing the mill, along that footpath, approx 1/4 of a mile they are located. To get to them, there are many steps to climb. I have been up to them before, but we admired them from below on this occasion.
Combining these trails, we did approximately six miles in total. It took us around three and a half hours, including the picnic and cafe stops. I didn’t feel discomfort walking as I did for the Keswick to Threlkeld Trail. I believe this is because I have been exercising on my leave leading up to this walk, whereas I was working and not exercising leading up to the Lake District weekend. I enjoyed the walk, and the not hurting part was a bonus. I have had the odd ache in my hips since the walk, but nothing compared to the previous. It has made me realise that exercising as I have been doing is benefiting me.
I’m not sure when the next outdoor adventure will be, but I know that I want to prioritise these mini adventures as they lift my spirits and allow me to embrace nature.
Until the next time
Take care
Tami