Conistone Dib

Unlike Kilnsey Crag, which practically punches you in the face as you travel along this section of Wharfedale, the gorge of Conistone Dib is easily overlooked. The lower part in particular, known as Gurling Trough, is particularly well hidden. Above it the valley opens out before narrowing again into another little gorge.

The origin of these landscape features is believed to lie at the end of the last ice age, when glaciers still filled some of the valleys and covered most of the uplands. Torrents of meltwater scoured many channels which today are often dry. Some channels may even have been formed underneath the ice, where the water may have been under pressure, flowing in a virtual pipe (and as a result it could even flow uphill). Waterfalls plunged over bands of harder rock, wearing away at softer rocks beneath until the lip collapsed, causing the fall to retreat. (The grandest example of this is a few miles away to the southwest at Malham Cove.)

There are many other ice age relics to be seen on this walk. The descent brings a view down to Kilnsey Crag, where a spur of rock was effectively sliced off by the glacier grinding past. The overhanging rocks of Kilnsey are even more striking because they overlook a conspicuously level area of the valley floor. This stretches from well below Conistone Bridge up to the meeting of the Wharfe and the River Skirfare coming from Littondale, a distance of around 1.25 miles (2km).

Above Gurling Trough is a level, dry valley, before the path forks. The described route goes right, but you can keep straight ahead into another section of rocky gorge. You should be aware that this direct route involves a bit of scrambling at its head. It shouldn’t be much bother to an agile adult and most children will love it, but it is very significantly harder than anything else on the walk. The described route avoids it, coming back in just above.

Walk up the road from the bridge into the village. Keep left past a triangular enclosure in the centre of the village. The lane swings left. Go immediately right on a stony track across a green. Keep right where the track forks, and walk up to a gate and footpath sign.

Continue up the track, which soon becomes grassy and then rough and rocky, with some large stone ledges to climb, as it enters the narrowing valley of Gurling Trough. Follow the path, with a few rocky steps, up the bed of the little gorge, then emerge into a more open valley. Continue up the green track in the valley bed, pass through a gate and enjoy easy, level walking for about 300yds (274m).

Where the path forks, bear right. Go through a gate (signed ‘Grassington’) and follow a path up a shallow side valley. As it emerges onto open ground, turn left on a sheep track. Meet an obvious track and turn left again. (If you miss the sheep track don’t worry, as you’ll meet the obvious track anyway, just before a wall.) Follow the track to overlook the head of the rocky gorge, where the direct route emerges.

Go through a gate and continue between walls to a gate and signpost. Bear left, meet a clear stony track and follow it downhill. Continue down this track (Scot Gate Lane), go through a gate and past a mobile phone tower, with views over Wharfedale and Littondale. The grey thrust of Kilnsey Crag becomes obvious ahead, low down on the opposite slope.

Go through another gate, and where the track meets a lane, turn left and walk past the little Church of St Mary back into Conistone village. Turn right to return to the bridge.