The Event
Mandatory Route Information

As much of the Fellsman and the Dart route is on private land, access has to be negotiated annually. Several of the landowners insist, as a condition of the continued use, that entrants follow a particular route on certain parts of their land.

Close consultation is also had between the event organisers and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to ensure we have as little an impact on the environment as possible.

For the most part, entrants plot their own route from one checkpoint to the next, however the instructions detailed below MUST be adhered to when navigating the relevant sections of the route. Failure to do this may lead to the landowner refusing access to the event in future years – this has happened in the past!

Although the following information is correct at the time at which the handbook goes to print the organisers reserve the right to apply additional restrictions as requested by the landowners. Any additional information will be conveyed via our social media pages prior to the event and will be announced on the weekend prior to the start. We advise you to check back regularly for any updates.

THE FELLSMAN

When approaching HILL INN, do not use the lane that passes the post office near Low Hill. Keep to the right toward the checkpoint, which is situated by the metalled road to the northeast of the Hill Inn public house. On leaving the checkpoint, follow the road in a south-westerly direction and turn first right onto the metalled farm track, which leads toward Whernside.

On leaving the WHERNSIDE checkpoint, do not take the direct route down Blackside Pasture, but stay on the east side of the ridge wall (keeping the wall on your right-hand side) until it can be crossed using the stile at NGR SD 724789. Proceed down High Brown Hill Pasture, using the marked gateway at NGR SD 714791. Be careful when using the hole in the wall at NGR SD 713789, there is a length of barbed wire at neck height.

Once through the KINGSDALE checkpoint, follow the flagged route to the gate in the top corner of the field. Cross the next large steep pasture diagonally, using the stile in the top left-hand corner to cross the ridge wall.

From GRAGARETH checkpoint heading along the ridge to Green Hill and GREAT COUM checkpoint, it is best to keep the ridge wall on your right-hand side to avoid problems crossing intersecting wall junctions.

From the checkpoint at GREAT COUM, descend in a north-westerly direction to the relocated FLINTER GILL checkpoint, in the far corner of the pasture. Note – shortly after leaving GREAT COUM checkpoint the ground steepens considerably and there is some difficult ground to negotiate if the optimum route is not found (including scree, tussock grass and drainage gullies). This can be avoided by a descending traverse to the right of the escarpment to meet the stone wall, which can then be followed and used as a navigated “handrail” to FLINTER GILL checkpoint.

After the FLINTER GILL checkpoint, continue down the track, turning right at the end. Turn left after 400m, into another walled track and follow this into Dent village. Turn right onto the main road, which leads to the checkpoint at Conder Farm.

After leaving DENT checkpoint proceed along the lanes of Dentdale to Whernside Manor and pick up the Craven Way.

Due to SSSI restrictions, on leaving/deviating from public rights of way entrants are NO LONGER permitted to follow a straight line from the Craven Way to the summit of BLEA MOOR. Instead, all competitors must stay on the Dales Highway to Force Gill (entrance to Blea Moor Tunnel), NGR SD 760818 (see image on the below – Fig 1). From the entrance of Blea Moor tunnel, pick up the public footpath that follows the line of air shafts, before breaking off towards the summit of BLEA MOOR checkpoint. ANY ENTRANT FOUND TO HAVE ENCROACHED INTO THE SSSI AND NOT PROCEEDED TO THE BLEA MOOR TUNNEL ENTRANCE, WILL BE DISQUALIFIED FROM THE EVENT. OPEN TRACKING SOFTWARE WILL BE USED TO ACTIVELY MONITOR THIS – YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

When leaving the STONE HOUSE checkpoint, go back over the road bridge and up the walled track which passes under the viaduct. At the end of the walled section, marked by a beacon at NGR SD 794862, turn left and head in a northerly direction to GREAT KNOUTBERRY. After visiting the checkpoint, return to the beacon before proceeding to REDSHAW. On leaving the beacon the marked Pennine (may be Dales Bridleway) Bridleway at NGR SD 792861 takes a higher route towards Redshaw and avoids some boggy lower ground.

Prior to the REDSHAW checkpoint, pass through the gate at NGR SD 794848 which will be marked with a flashing beacon. Cross the field diagonally and use the stile in the opposite corner by the checkpoint.

THE FELLSMAN AND THE DART

When leaving the REDSHAW checkpoint, follow the south side of the fence to SNAIZEHOLME. When leaving SNAIZEHOLME checkpoint, follow the fence line (keeping the fence on your left-hand side) for 1 km to join the Ribble Way path. Pass through the gate on your left at Gavel Gap and follow the path contouring around the rim of Grove Head to join the metalled road (Cam Road) past Event Control (this is not a checkpoint, just wave as you pass).

Between the DODD FELL and FLEET MOSS checkpoints, use the route through two gates, (at NGR SD 851837 and NGR SD 855836), following the track eastward to the road below FLEET MOSS. Alternatively, use the road to the North. DO NOT ‘STRAIGHT LINE’ IT BETWEEN NGR SD 852840 & NGR SD 860839 (As shown in in Fig 2 below).

Upon leaving FLEET MOSS, head in a northerly direction to the gate at NGR SD 861845, follow this path down Bardale Head, towards Bardale Beck. Keep Bardale Beck on your right-hand side, passing through the stile at NGR SD 892862. Stay on this path, through the wooded area and into MARSETT. The MARSETT checkpoint is located at NGR SD 903862.

When leaving MARSETT checkpoint, cross the road bridge and turn left across the village green. If the track is dry, stay on this track all the way up to the hamlet of Stalling Busk. If the track is flooded, cross the two-foot bridges at NGR SD 908859 & NGR SD 909859 and use the public foot path through the fields up to Stalling Busk, to the start of Bob Lane (NGR SD 917858) to pick up the Pennine Journey route. (see Fig 3 below). Stay on the gravel Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT) and DO NOT cut across the fields (Fig 4 below). The STAKE MOSS CP is located at NGR SD 932831.

After the CRAY checkpoint, use the gate at NGR SD 947798. Continue South East until you intersect a gritstone path which ascends directly to the checkpoint at BUCKDEN PIKE.

When leaving the BUCKDEN PIKE checkpoint, stay on the west side of the wall, using the new gritstone path to the Polish Air Memorial crossing to the east side of the ridge wall and follow it to NGR SD 965776 to a hand-gate in the wall. Turn right through this gate and head in a southerly direction toward TOP MERE.

On leaving the CAPPLESTONE GATE checkpoint, keep the wall on your right-hand side as far as the junction with the green lane, once on the lane then bear left after the gate, following the flags and beacons on the footpath to YARNBURY.

Fig 1 – SSSI area for Blea Moor