Chris Butler – Sedbergh recce

We will stop at Truckhaven for coffee and toilets on our journey northwards. In Sedbergh, we park on Main Street at the coach/car park where there are more toilets! Our walk takes us down to the River Rawthey where we cross over at New Bridge (which looks quite old!). Then we follow the river, past the weir to the next road bridge, which we carefully cross. This is the old Millthrop Bridge and you can see the renovated buildings of Millthrop Mill, once a woollen mill, on your left.

We are now on the Dales Way footpath which takes us through Akay Wood, and past some prominent, tall redwood trees. We walk near the Pepperpot which once belonged to Akay House (now demolished) and continue by the river to reach the hamlet of Birks. We then follow a lane for a short distance to rejoin the riverside path. We follow the river for about a mile until we reach the A683.

Here we will need to walk in single file for around 320 metres until we take a right turn to Brigflatts, which has the Quaker burial ground on our right. The Quaker Meeting House was built in1675 and is set in pleasant gardens. Feel free to wander around, inside and out. We leave the house and turn right heading back to Birks, over fields, with great views of the fells on either side.

Our walk continues in front of Birks House, in the direction of Sedbergh School. We pass St. Andrew’s church which has lovely stained glass windows and two excellent modern tapestries of the local area.

The walk ends here close to Main Street. There are pubs, cafes and shops to explore. Sedbergh is famous for its bookshops.

The walk is mainly flat, with a few ups and downs, but nothing strenuous. It’s just short of 6 miles, and anyone who is struggling could take a shortcut to the Quaker Meeting House and wait for the rest of the group to arrive.

Enjoy!