Bainbridge, Askrigg and Worton

The green at Bainbridge is surrounded on three sides by stone cottages, and at the northern end by the Rose and Crown Hotel. On the green is a set of stocks, once a warning to wrongdoers. Inside the Rose and Crown is a horn that is blown each night at nine o'clock between the 27th of September and Shrovetide, the three days before Ash Wednesday. The custom dates back to medieval times when Bainbridge was surrounded by forests where wolves roamed. The sounding of the horn in those days acted as a guide, for travellers to safely reach the village.

The stone houses of Askrigg wind up the hillside. St Oswald's Church dates back to 1240, and the lead which covers the roof came from local mines. In front of the church, surrounded by cobbles is the market cross, the charter of which was granted by Elizabeth I. In the 18th century the village was noted for its clockmakers. The grandfather clocks, which were sold to people in neighbouring Swaledale, were carried over the 1,700 foot high ridge by two men. The clock mechanism was carried separately in a basket.

The tall stone house opposite Askrigg Church may seem familiar, for it has been used on numerous occasions as Skeldale House in the first 'All Creatures Great and Small' TV series. After fundraising by the stars of the show, including a charity cricket match, the house was bought in 1979 as a residential home for the elderly fork of the dale.

Wensleydale is famous for cheese. The first cheeses were made in medieval times by the Cistecian monks at Jervaulx Abbey. At that time, all the cheeses were pickled in brine, creating a finer flavoured cheese.

On the walk back from Askrigg to Bainbridge the small village of Worton is visited. There are a number of listed buildings in the hamlet, including Worton Hall and the Victoria Arms public house which had one of the longest serving landlords in British pub history. Ralph Daykin was the publican at the Victoria Arms for fifty seven years, between 1956 and 2013.

Between Worton and the finish back in Bainbridge, a small climb is made to walk the elevated ridge of Worton Scar and Brough Scar. This gain of around thirty metres of altitude is rewarded with lovely views across the Upper Wensleydale valley which includes a look over the rooftops of the three villages visited during this walk.

Standing just to the east of Bainbridge is the site of the Roman fort of Virosidum. It was built by Gnaeus Julius Agricola and was occupied until the end of the 4th century AD. Roads radiated out from the fort to York, Lancaster, Ilkley and Stainmore. Looking back over the road bridge, upstream, there is a delightful view of a number of small waterfalls on the River Bain. The river is the shortest in Britain, running about two miles from its source at Semerwater to its confluence with the River Ure just north of Bainbridge.