Buy the OS Route Map and instructions for this route

There are times when a short, sharp dash on good surfaces and among top scenery is just the ticket; even more so if it climaxes with one of the best descents in the whole of the Yorkshire Dales. And that, in a nutshell, is what this pocket-sized sortie is all about.
It opens easily, cruising along good roads that don’t see too much traffic, but do help to gain the initial height very quickly. Ardent off-roaders may be tempted to ignore the suggested opening and follow bridleways up from Langthwaite instead. It’s an option, but it doesn’t come recommended unless you like carrying and checking maps.
Once on the moors, you’ll be grateful for the well-drained, quick-drying trails that offer a leg-up onto the old mining track of Moresdale Road. More of the same then carries you east past the remains of St Andrew’s Cross, and down to Schoolmaster Pasture.
A short road stretch breaches the gap between the mining tracks, and then it’s up again, this time on smooth mining spoil that makes easy work of the climbing. A short boggy section spoils the fun momentarily, but only as far a couple of large cairns that mark the start of an absolutely superb descent.
It starts sweetly, with plenty of room to play as you cross the moon-like hilltop. Then it funnels you easily around a sweeping left that, apart from the excellent views down over the dale, does little to prepare you for what’s coming up next.
It soon gets rocky, with a few steep steps, and plenty of randomly scattered rubble. The section above the bend is wonderful, after that, it’s more a matter of ‘can you keep it going?’ Sadly it ends too soon, but the fun’s not completely over yet: there’s still a great section of doubletrack leading down to the farm.