Muddy Walkers

Today I went on a walk that was advertised in our local paper. It was described as an easy 3- to 4-mile hike through old Bilton with commentary by a local historian. Also on hand would be a bird expert to help spot and identify birds along the way. After the walk, we had the option to stop off at The Garderner's Arms, an historic pub. The reality of the walk was far from what was advertised. It started out nicely enough with a stroll through Old Bilton, but then we began a difficult descent in mud, muck and mire into Nidd Gorge. The landscape was bleak and there were few sightings of birds. Indeed, most of us hikers had our eyes glued to the path, carefully making our way through the mud, dodging tree roots and stones. Quite a few people showed up for the walk, many more than the organizers had expected, so it was slow going into the Gorge. Once we reached the banks of the river Nidd we stopped for a talk by our local historian. Bilton goes back quite a ways in history. Older than Harrogate, Bilton got a mention in the Domesday Book. It was a "scattered village" -- dwellings were scattered here and there; there was no village square lined with houses centered about a church as is typical of most English villages. A lot of industry took place in the area: coal mining, lime kilns, cotton and flax mills. We saw remains of ancient coal pits (very primitive methods of extracting coal) and quarries. In the Nidd we saw evidence of old weirs and the old mill house which is now a spectacular private residence. We walked past Nidd Viaduct, a fabulous example of Victorian architecture. It's higher than Knaresborough Viaduct but is now blocked off and no longer used. It was across Nidd Viaduct that the Flying Scotsman train used to travel on its way to Edinburgh. We did manage to spot a few birds along the way: a couple of dippers, some goosanders, a red wing and some sparrow hawks. We even examined an otter print on the banks of the Nidd. We were still walking at 4:15 p.m. and it was getting dark, too dark to see the path clearly. We eventually made our way up and out of Nidd Gorge, crossed an open field and made a beeline for our cars. This walk turned out to be longer than most of our Thursday rambles and was quite tiring because of the mud. I don't think anyone went to the pub afterwards. Now that I know where it is, I hope to visit the pub another day.