Distance:
Up to one mile
Type:
A short, fairly flat, linear walk along the top of The Chevin, with views. There are many benches along the route. Walkers only.
Start and end point:
Surprise View car park, York Gate, LS21 3DG (click here for information about paying to park). The what3words location is: upward.subtitle.typed.
Accessibility:
Surface is mostly gravel and stony. Options to shorten the walk to avoid uneven ground are highlighted.
Highlights in the summer:
• butterflies and insects on the heathland
• views of Wharfedale and across Airedale
• ice cream van!
• birdsong – listen out for skylarks, screaming swifts and the ubiquitous chiffchaff
About the route:
Whilst you’re in the car park, you might like to spend a few minutes looking at the patterns and images in the dry stone wall, which was rebuilt by the Otley and Yorkshire Dales Dry Stone Wallers. At the end of the walk you could rest on the stone bench built into the wall.
From the car park, either take the ramp or steps onto the path. Ahead, looking north, lies Lower Wharfedale with the old market town of Otley in the valley. To the north-west you are looking further up Wharfedale with Simon’s Seat (craggy outcrop made up of millstone grit, 485m) in the distance and before that, Beamsley Beacon. To the north east, on a clear day you can see the edge of the North York Moors and Almscliffe Crag in the middle distance. This is a sandstone outcrop that is favoured by climbers and walkers.
Looking south (i.e., behind you), you can see Leeds Bradford Airport and particularly in the summer months you will see and hear planes landing and taking off at regular intervals. To the south east, you are looking towards Leeds and in particular the telecommunications mast at Holt Park. Moving round to the south, you look over Airedale to the outskirts of Bradford.
In the foreground is The Royalty pub and behind this is a clay pigeon shooting ground. Underneath the field behind The Royalty pub is the course of a Roman Road between Tadcaster, Adel and Ilkley.
Having taken in the view, turn right to walk along the top path. This path is an unpaved road from enclosure times and used to be the old cart track leading to Beacon House (later known as Jenny’s Cottage, the site of which you will visit on your return trip).
Looking down to your left on the slope below is heathland which is maintained to encourage species that thrive on this ecology. Look out for heather, bilberry, Rosebay willowherb, common sorrel, brambles and bracken. You may be lucky enough to find some bilberries and blackberries for your tea!
Birds that frequent this area include wren, blackcap, kestrel, redstart and chaffinch. At dusk if you’re lucky you could see a woodcock in flight!
Walking further along the path, you will reach some gorse bushes. After this point the path becomes more uneven, this could be a good point to turn around if you are unsteady on your feet. Otherwise, if you bear sharp left just after the gorse, you can see a small overgrown path heading into the scrubland (watch out for brambles). This leads to one of the few remaining scheduled monuments on The Chevin. This is Knotties Stone, a cup and ring marked stone. Nowadays the marks are very difficult to distinguish because of weathering (see picture below). If you have water with you, pouring some onto the stone may help you to see the fading marks a little easier.
Continuing along this top path will bring you to a gate, beyond which is Miller Lane (formerly known as Dade Lane or Carlton Road) and part of the cart way to Beacon House. If you continue through the gate and go straight ahead you will reach East Chevin Road. On the other side of East Chevin Road is Danefield Wood and the eastern part of The Chevin.
Our walk however takes us on a return to Surprise View. You might like to spend time looking for other wildlife – birds, or insects that you missed beforehand. Look out for Green-veined White, Red Admiral, and Wood White butterflies. Notice which trees you can see – rowan, hawthorn and silver Birch. What else can you see?
Once back at Surprise View, you will see the base of the cross that is put up by local people each Easter. An Information Board also tells you about the geology of The Chevin. You can find out more about the geology of the Chevin on our website.
Walk a little further and you will see the remains of the foundations of Jenny’s Cottage. For over 150 years “Jenny’s Cottage” was a popular destination for visitors to The Chevin from near and far, being well known for its refreshments and hospitality. It was situated here, on the Chevin Ridge at Surprise View and was also known as Chevin Top House or Farm, Jenny Hill Farm or Beacon House. The cottage was built on the site of the the former beacon keeper’s shelter. The building was demolished in 1976 as it was falling into disrepair and considered unsafe.
An indicator was erected in the foundations of the cottage in 1977 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II. It shows in which direction key features in the landscape can be seen and their distance.
This walk ends here at Surprise View.
If you are feeling adventurous and able to pick your way over the rocks by Jenny’s Cottage, then you can explore the rocks of Surprise View. You will pass by a geology marker which is part of the Geology Trail. Some of the rocks here have been named – Frying Pan, Pancake, Crocodile Mouth and Throne. Can you work out which is which?