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Surrender Bridge, Melbeck, Great Pinseat, mines and mills

Difficulty Moderate

Walking time 5 hours

Length 15.9km / 9.9mi

Route developer: thomas phillips

Route checker: Paul Shepherd

Start location Lay by, near Kearton. Grid reference SD 989 999
Route Summary Walk where the miners of old went daily to their work and see some of the old levels and smelt mills.
*move mouse over graph to see points on route
Getting there

From Reeth take the Langtwhaite road and after going through the village take the first left signed Low Row, follow this road over the ford at fore Gill Gate (used in a 'All Creatures Great and Small') cross Surrender Bridge and take the left turn and parking is on the left,

If the Gunnerside road is taken then drive through Healaugh and take the right hand turn just outside the village and follow to the T junction and park on right just before. [this is a very narrow road and has a gate at Hilltop farm]

Unfortunately there is no public transport

Description

[1] There is a parking area just south of Surrender Bridge at the junction of the Langthwaite to Low Row and the Healaugh  roads. From here go back to the Low Row road and turn left up the hill for about 400 metres to a footpath sign on the right.

[2]  Take this grassy track up hill and as it levels out enjoy good views across Swaledale to left.  Follow track  south west then descend to the hamlet of Blades (half a dozen scattered houses) to join the tarmac road.

[3]  Turn right onto this road and follow west.  Where the tarmac/concrete ends continue on a broad grass track keeping to the contour line as it turns towards north west.  When track turns right to renovated barn go straight ahead through gate and follow path over two stiles to reach the end of the tarmac road coming up from Gunnerside.

[4]  Turn right and go through a gate then with a wall on your right follow this round to the right.  Where a grass track is seen on the left follow this up a gentle slope (north) to join a stone track coming from left.  Continue up hill past grouse butts and follow track to the left (north west) and continue along what is now a keepers track.  Ignore turn to the right just after concrete watersplash and proceed straight on this track past ruins of Moor House and old walled sheep pens until a broad track is met running from right to left.

[5]   Turn right and follow downhill to Level House Bridge, cross Old Gang Beck and turn left  with the Beck on your left.  {It is possible to shorten the walk here by turning right and with the Beck on the right follow the track back to the road at Surrender Bridge}

[6]   Pass the ruins of Level House on the left and continue over ford passing a level entrance on the right {Brandy Bottle level??} a pleasant place to stop for a break.  Follow the track over a second ford and up a short hill to a gate.

[7]  Here you enter a 'lunar' landscape with no vegetation the result of years of mining and dumping the spoil.  The track can become indistinct but continue generally just north of east with a large cairn on a height to the front and left of the route.  Great Pinseat and the trig point are some 300m. to the left of the track and hidden behind a wall

[8]   As the track goes right and downhill it leaves the lunar landscape.  Pass a sheepfold on the left and grouse butts on the right continuing some 2kms. to the road.  Turn left on the road then right on to a track leading to a gate (no fence at the time of writing) and descend to Fore Gill.

[9]   Go right and with the Beck on the left follow a sometimes indistinct path above the beck.  Where the bank to the beck opens into a rough area a path can be seen coming up from a footbridge over the beck and the path you are on turns right.  Follow path as it turns right and continue on the path back to the road passing the ruins of Surrender Smelt Mill on the left.  On joining the road go left and over the bridge back to the start.

                  

POI information

(A) The tiny hamlet of Blades is an almost forgotten habitation once the home to lead miners and their families.

(B)  The ruins Level House used by the mine staff. In 1692 one Adam Barker lived here and was found guilty of burying his daughter Anne in linen  The law at that time stated that the body must be interred clothed in wool     

(C) Two levels (entrances to mines) which are being restored. The excellent stonework at the entrance and the start of the tunnels shows the care which went into the original construction. This is also a good place to take a break.

(D) Forefield Rake a vast 'lunar' landscape of stone and gravel with virtually no vegetation to be seen. This is the result of years of mining and depositing of waste materials.

(E) Ruins of  the Surrender Smelting Mill. Well worth the short detour down the slope from the route to see the way the lead was obtained from the ore. The "chimney" required to give sufficient draft to get the high temperature to smelt the ore is some 400 m long and was a cut and cover construction, The line can be seen running up the hill to the north west

(F) If the alternative route is taken the Old Gang smelt mill will be passed with much the same construction as for Surrender Mill.

Durham Mining Beldi Hill and Wild Borderlands of Richmondshire and good sources of information

 

Notes

Refreshments: Tea rooms and pubs may be found at Reeth and Gunnerside

Acknowledgements No details available.
  • Level entrance Brandy Bottle?
    Level entrance Brandy Bottle?
    By -
  • Forefield Rake. A lunar landscape
    Forefield Rake. A lunar landscape
    By -
  • Surrender Smelt Mill
    Surrender Smelt Mill
    By -
  • A typical Dales Moorland
    A typical Dales Moorland
    By -
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