My pre visit to Hackfall Forest begins with an overnight stop over in Boroughbridge an old Roman town in the Yorkshire Dales. It has a quaint high street with that typical Dales feel but scarred and bereft of respect by a super market that looks like it just shouldn’t be there, an eyesore and 2 fingers up the towns past identity. Cleary money comes before tradition and in keeping with Boroughbridge history and vibe.
The carpark is a rare breed, an honesty box being the only form of payment, no greedy council here! There is a suggestion of £2 to stay over night but £5 seems fair as the notice board states it is in a testing phase and any people not paying will make the council put in meters. So please pay if you do stay here. The car park is quite flat, well maintained and has room for around 50 vehicles, there was around 6 other campers staying the night as well.
You could not be closer to the town centre, it is literally on the high street. There are 3 good pubs within 2 mins of the carpark, not the cheapest I might add. £30 for a pint, fish & chips and a slice of vanilla cheese cake. But I do try to spend money in these small villages as it helps them keep going, won’t be too far away before we lose our countryside to curry shops, vape shops and foreign barbers. England is dying and dying quickly it breaks my heart.
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Hackfall Woods.
From looking at the website for Hackfall Woods you would imagine this would be an Elevn forest picked straight out of a Lord of the Rings movie, pointy eared beauties swooping through the lush green trees looking desirable and moving in slow motion… no scratch that think mud fest, mud glorious mud, I have hiked in a lot of places in Yorkshire and in all weathers but have never seen mud this bad, take your wellies and scrap the boots it almost goes above your hiking boots in places such is the popularity of this place and recent weather has made it a slippy mudfest along the main paths.
I saw people walking down to the start of the woods, with greased back hair, a rugby top and white slip on designer trainers, how I did laugh… they have no idea, and I have zero sympathy as these twats parked in the disabled parking bay, while I watched 4 other cars pull into the carpark see the disabled spot and reversed out, but oh no not the twats in the BMW, surprised it was not an Audi.
There a 3 hikes available at Hackfall wood, with the longest (one I chose) supposedly around 2 hours in length and 4-5miles long. Initially it is well sign posted but with the white arrow of doom pointing me to visit Mowbray Castle ( a man made castle structure built to look medieval ) I found my self left with a forking path and no signage, so which way is it? Left or right?
I chose the latter and soon found myself walking along some off camber mud fest single track I almost… almost went over the ravine it was that slippy, as I then worked my way down said mud festival fucking slippy no grip single track (use your own expletives here) I find the path is blocked by barbwire meaning countless other fools have chosen the wrong path. It took me twice as long to get back to the castle again, as I genuinely couldn’t get back up as it was so steep and muddy I thought I would get stuck, I had to pull at tree branches and put my knees in the mud to get up the banking. Frustrating beyond belief and only me and the trees know the expletives that came out of my mouth.
Having now got on the right path again up the steep steps to the castle a strange flow of emotions and thoughts passed my mind, my Father. My dad took his own life and while I pretend it has affected me or bothers me, deep down it does immensely. I have talked about feathers before on the channel and how they represent somebody on the other side thinking about you, guiding you, or showing you the right way via your guardian angel.
He came to my mind all of a sudden and at that moment a feather fell from the trees above me, almost falling in to my hands. This brought a smile to my face, a feeling of euphoria, I was in disbelief, as I walked on I thanked them for the message and asked them to send me another sign.. I had walked no more than 20 yards around the muddy path and corner and there was another feather laying on the path in front of me.
As I reached back to the castle, I felt I had to offload, to share how I was feeling, it has been a very long time since I have cried, I had to talk about my father and I still feel I have not grieved properly, maybe this was a sign? The feather, my offloading, was this a sign that I had to let these emotions go? I was upset, did it help, time will tell. When ever I am in a medieval village and there is an empty church, I always ask god to forgive him, and protect him from harm, a son can ask no less for his father.
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Hackfall woods is probably at its most beautiful in summer when the paths are less hazardous and not a pain to walk in, it’s in Nidderdale an area of outstanding beauty so it is popular. Created to be a folly with areas of wonder (think Forbidden corner) it has waterfalls, lakes, castle structures, small bunker type areas, lush green woodland. It is defiantly a place I would like to visit again when the wether is kinder. Areas such as the lake with a hand pump that shoots water into the air was broken on my visit, and many of the plants and trees were cut back meaning I didn’t get to see the forest in all its heavenly splendour.
Having missed so many areas of the forest due to poor signage I do wonder what else is out there. The carpark has space for around 20 vehicles and fills up quickly, so I recommend you visit before 9am or after 4.30 which is when the forest is at its most enchanting, and glows in the golden hour as it breaks through the silver birch and glistens off the river as it flows with an aurora of heaven. Yes I know that sounded pretentious but it’s how I feel.
Overall Hackfall forest is well worth a visit if not for the mud fest that awaits you in late March. Get here early or late (free parking) take your litter home, leave the white trainers in the car and enjoy what Mother Nature yearns to be shared with us all, if only we would take the time to enjoy it.
Night 1 Stopover : Boroughbridge
1 Back Lane
YO51 9PQ Boroughbridge
///embellish.rosette.somebody
Night 2 Stopover : Hackfall Woods
Hackfall Woods
HG4 3BS
Parking : ///printout.novel.refuse
ALT Night 3 Stopover : Brimham Rocks
HG3 4DW - Brimham Rocks Road
///blotting.luck.purely
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