From Leyburn via Harmby, Spennithorne, Ulshaw Bridge, Middleham. Returning to Leyburn via Wensley Village - 10 miles

A group of 16 walkers met in Leyburn town square at 9.30 a.m. and our Leyburn circular took us across fields to Harmby , continuing by road to Spennithorne village and then a footpath across fields to the River Ure before arriving at Cover Bridge. From there it was a pleasant and peaceful walk along the River Cover before leaving the river valley to climb the grassy slope towards Middleham, with fine views of the castle as we reached the top of the ridge. From Middleham we took footpaths across fields to re-join the River Ure which we followed as far as Wensley Bridge. Finally we returned to Leyburn through some very soggy fields, arriving back at 2.20 p.m. for a welcome drink at the Golden Lion Hotel. Although a very cold day, it remained dry with spells of sunshine and the visibility was excellent. The most amazing thing was that nobody fell over in the mud, which was bad in places!