The Dales Way - Kettlewell to Swarthghyll Farm, Oughtershaw (12 Miles)

After breakfast at the Youth Hostel at 08:30, we packed up and waited outside the village shop at 09:10 for it to open at 09:15. Soon a few others also joined in looking to buy their Sunday morning papers, etc.
Having bought two freshly-made cheese and pickle sandwiches and other snacks, we were on our way again. There had been some rain overnight and the morning was cool and overcast so I started off wearing my Paramo Fuera smock.

After crossing the bridge at the Western end of the village, we were once again following alongside the River Wharfe through fields and pastures full of with flowers: mostly buttercups and clover. After a couple of miles we passed a bridge across the river to the village of Starbotton and were listening to the loud cries of curlew.

 Sand Martin burrows in river bank

After the same distance again, we took the small detour across a road bridge to the village of Buckden to have a pot of tea or hot chocolate and some ginger cake. We had been here before while on a caving trip to Birks Fell Pot so it was familiar countryside.
Re-crossing the bridge, we were back in fields and pasture land on the bank of the river. Half a mile later we passed through the hamlet of Hubberholme with a pub and a lovely old church with a Norman tower.

Hubberholme Chuch

At the next set of farm buildings at Yockenthwaite, we crossed a bridge to the road and on checking the map realised we had gone wrong as we should have stayed on the other side of the river. Re-crossing the bridge, it began to drizzle again which it had been doing off and on for while.

Yockenthwaite Stone Circle

We stopped at Yockenthwaite Stone Circle which is about 20 feet across and made of about 30 small boulders. A bit further along, at 13:45 we stopped for lunch.
Half an hour later we were on our way again. We arrived at Deepdale and again crossed the river by road bridge. This was where we had parked on a caving trip to Hagg Gill Pot a few years ago.
The drizzle started again and soon worsened to light rain. We sheltered under a hawthorn tree and I replaced the Paramo smock with a Rab Bergen jacket and we both put on waterproof trousers.
Continuing onwards along the river which varied in water flow as water sunk and reappeared, we crossed a footbridge and passed the farm buildings of Beckermonds. where unfortunately not only did we leave the side of the river, but we had to walk on the road for over a mile. Luckily it is a quiet road with very little traffic.
We passed the very nice building of Oughtershaw Hall now with light rain again. Soon we saw a sign pointing along a farm track to Nethergill Farm and also our accommodation for the night, Swarthghyll Farm.

Swarthghyll Farm

After passing Nethergill Farm, we could see a farm in the distance. Surely, we though that couldn't be Swarthghyll Farm - it looks much too far away! Looking at the map confirmed it was the right direction. Luckily, after passing a rise in the track we saw Swarthghyll Farm a few hundred feet away.

 Our accommodation for the night with the brown door

We arrived at 17:45 and found a door in the farmyard with a notice and Karen's surname. We opened the door to our single bedroom flat for the night. The arrangement was that an evening meal and breakfast would be ordered and the food would be left for us to cook ourselves. So we had a very nice Cottage Pie and then watched the television until after 23:00 and then went to bed.