Paul Lydon: A Walk Looking at the Norber Erratics

We were staying at Greenclose, the Northern Pennine Club's hut near Clapham again, this time with just two others who are NPC members but as only Karen and I had managed to get away this weekend, and since her shoulder was still playing up, we decided on a walking weekend in the Yorkshire Dales rather than the usual activity of caving.
However, as on a normal weekend in the Dales, we started with breakfast at Bernies in Ingleton as we had a map to buy as well, We were surprised to find that there were Meander suits on sale at Bernies, apparently the last remaining production run now that the material is gone. Karen bought a couple of them for herself plus two more for Keith after he agreed by phone call and I bought myself one as well.
We then drove to the village of Austwick and parked in the village near Austwick Hall, then followed the narrow Crummack Lane for a couple of hundred metres to reach a crossroads with a rough track. We took the left turning and then very quickly went through a gate and crossed a few fields with a view of the imposing limestone feature called Robin Proctor's Scar off to our left as we continued gradually upwards to an area of limestone pavement known as Norber.
We saw the boulders known as the Norber Erratics scattered all around left behind by a retreating glacier after the last ice age 15,000 years ago. The Erratics have this name as they are made of sandstone and were moved from about a kilometre away and then left behind on the carboniferous limestone.
After a short wander around, we continued in a generally northward direction paralleling Long Lane until we intercepted the bridleway continuing from Long Lane and heading towards Sulber Gate.
With easy walking and lovely views of the surrounding limestone countryside plus the nearby peaks of Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent, we reached a a field gate and a smaller gate in a wall at Sulber Gate.
We went through the smaller gate and sat in the shelter of a wall as we ate our lunch while looking across Thieves Moss.
After lunch we dropped down a path leading towards the limestone outcrops below us and then started heading along a path southwards. We found a group of archaeologists carrying out a survey and digging at and area marked “Settlement” on the map.
As we walked along the tussocky grass, we disturbed a hare which galloped off away. We found a depression in the lee of a tussock which still felt warm, where the hare had been laying.
The rising at Austwick Beck Head was marked on the map and very near sow we diverted towards it to have a look. The cave was certainly a rising with quite a lot of water pouring out into a beck but the entrance was low and full of water and seemed to quickly become impenetrable, certainly without diving gear anyway.

From there we rejoined the path through Crummack Dale soon joining Crummack Lane again for a while until we reached a stile leading into some fields leading back to the village of Austwick.