The Six Dales Walk

27th September 2009

History of the Six Dales

As well as the Scout movement celebrating its centenary in 2007, a walking competition for members of the uniformed organisations, which was started in 1957 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Scouting, celebrated its own Golden Jubilee .

 

As the name suggests, the walk crosses six of the North Yorkshire Dales. Starting at Settle in Ribblesdale it is 42 miles in length, travelling roughly in a north-easterly direction crossing Airedale by Malham Tarn, Wharfedale at Kilnsey, Nidderdale at Lofthouse, Wensleydale at West Tanfield and finally reaching Swaledale at the village of Pickhill.

 

The route can be broken down into fairly easily definable sections of some 10 or 11 miles each - Settle to Kilnsey, Kilnsey to Lofthouse, Lofthouse to Grewelthorpe and Grewelthorpe to Pickhill. There is some 3,000 feet of ascent over the total distance; 1,000 feet in the first section, 1,200 feet in the second and 800 feet in the third with the final section being virtually level throughout. As well as the above-mentioned villages, during the competition additional checkpoints are located at Street Gate near Malham Tarn, and the shooting lodge at Mosedale, midway between Kilnsey and Lofthouse.

 

In early 1956, the late Ronnie Marshall, then Assistant District Commissioner for Senior Scouts in the North West Leeds District, proposed the idea of a walk crossing the valleys of North Yorkshire. This had resulted from the fact that a number of Senior Scouts had expressed a wish to do something other than the usual round of the Yorkshire Three Peaks and wanted something more challenging in distance. After much map research a provisional route was devised. This was to start at Settle in Ribblesdale and from here the route was to cross the Aire by Malham Tarn, the Wharfe at Kilnsey, the Nidd at Ramsgill, the Ure at either North Stainley or West Tanfield having passed through Kirkby Malzeard village, and the finishing point was to be at Skipton-on-Swale between Ripon and Thirsk.

 

On July 26th, 1957, seventeen Senior Scouts took part, therefore, in the first Six Dales Walking Competition. This was entitled 'The Jubilee Trail' as it took place in the Scout Golden Jubilee year, 50 years after Lord Baden Powell had started scouting with his camp on Brownsea Island in Hampshire. This first competition was won by Barrie Walker, a Senior Scout with the 14th North-West Leeds Group, who completed 31½ miles within the 12-hour time limit set by Ronnie Marshall. The competition organiser's checkpoints for this first competition were at Street Gate, Malham; Kilnsey outside the Tennant Arms; Ramsgill; Kirkby Malzeard; and if necessary Skipton-on-Swale. In the event, the final checkpoint was not needed as Barrie Walker was stopped after 12 hours, 3½ miles on the east side of Kirkby Malzeard at approximately the River Ure.

 

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