Arncliffe, Hawkswick Clowder and the Skirfare

Five miles and around three hours out of the quietest village in the Dales, climbing sharply onto the limestone shoulder of Hawkswick Clowder for a long view down Littondale, then dropping to Hawkswick and returning by the field path along the Skirfare. Start on the green at Arncliffe, where there is free roadside parking and very little else; there is no bus worth planning around, so this is a car walk. Littondale is hard-working sheep country with lambing from March so the lead stays on the whole way, and be warned that the Skirfare sinks underground in summer and can be bone dry, leaving nothing for a dog to drink; the climb uses gates but the riverside return crosses a run of the narrow slotted stone stiles typical of Littondale, several too tight for a big dog to pass without being lifted.