Dentdale in general, and Ewegales Farm aka Johnny's Field in particular left a lasting impression on me.
There were three things that made the Bongo’s stay at Ewesdale Farm in Dentdale so memorable:The Welcome, The Site and The Countryside. A forty minute drive from the M6 to
some of the most wonderful sites in England.
The welcome we had at Ewegales Farm was amongst the most memorable of the welcomes we had at any campsite throughout our journey. Campsite welcomes were universally good but a few did stand out either for the way the hosts just went that extra mile to make make us feel welcome, either with a big smile or showing interest in who we were and what our needs might be: a pitch close to the toilets please, where were the local shops, where’s the nearest pub or when we’d had difficult journey to reach the site and they didn’t make a big fuss of the sign in process reducing formalities so we could settle quickly.
We pulled off the road in to a very narrow lane over a bridge following the sign to Ewegales’ Farm Camping. On the left hand side of the road there were three gentleman of a certain age enjoying the late evening sun, a cigarette and a chat - minded me very much of BBC’s
Last of The Summer Wine .
A sprightly elderly man jumped with a big smile identified himself as Johnny - the site owner - advised the rate was £5 per night per person including flush toilet and shower facilities. The price was right, sadly the facilities were to prove to be not quite right but Ewedale has so much more going for it than simply its facilities, their rightness did not matter (…that much!).
Being an open field there were no marked pitches so we could pitch anywhere. We choose the farthest end, putting as much distance as possible between us and a group of loud campers. Their shouting and radios and music disturbing the field’s natural quite.
Our neighbours didn’t at first appear to be to our liking.
Campers share Johnny's Field with some very wary sheep, who eyed us suspiciously whenever we moved either in the Bongo or on foot. At all times the sheep kept a safe, secure distance between us and themselves. So together - we and our neighbours - we pushed the sheep to the back of the field and up on the the bank over looking the field. They thus maintained a respectful distance, the same could not be said for our fellow camping neighbours, as they seemed to be a problem through their numbers and noises.
E made the first contact in her usual forthright manner asking them to turn the music down. They couldn’t have been more accommodating, they not only turned the music down but invited us to their BBQ and to cave exploring - yes they could loan us head torches. We accepted the BBQ invite but respectfully declined the invitation to go cave diving!
We went on to get to know our neighbours much better. They were led by a very friendly chap whose name now escapes me but he was a real enthusiast for the out door life. Despite being a council worker he was very much a country man at heart who could speak knowledgeably about hiking, climbing , caving, who seemed to be very much at home around a campfire sharing stories and singing songs into the night. It was his idea to organise this weekend once a year for his friends and family, bringing them together here in Dentdale in Johnny’s Field.
One of my abiding memories of him (and Ewegales) is siting around that open fire by the stream that runs along the side of the field with him and his friends and family talking about Life, the Universe and Everything into night. While the kids played football in the dark using their caving head torches - despite the constant shouts for the adults to stop playing to save the battery life for caving.
Turn left out of Johnny’s field and you are on the road to Dent.
The field is two miles from Dent a picturesque Yorkshire Dales village, the birthplace of the founder of modern geology
Adam Sedgeick.
The walk into Dent from Johnny's field is beautiful, full of arresting views. The cottages on the way and on the hill sides have all been ‘done-up’ becoming white-washed, architect-redesigned, pastiche of what they once were, now they seem to be mostly second homes or holiday lets for some distant, remote town dwellers. They give the walk a sanitized cliched view of the English countryside with everything in its place, a sense of order and discipline.
The one feature that seems to have been left to decay gracefully are the corrugated barns and out houses. Their soft decaying rusty reds and browns contrasting with the delicate green hues of the fields and hills and the stark, bright, harsh whites of the gentrified, renovated cottages.
Dent has a very friendly shop which stocked all a camper might need from food to firelighters, some great pubs as well as a cafe with wi-fi, as did the Village Community bus stop where you could down load an app to find your way around Dentdale!
We used the Community Bus for the return journey , the volunteer driver dropped up right outside Johnny’s field.
Turn right out Johnny’s Field and you are on the road to
Dent Railway Station at 1,150 feet the highest mainline railway station in England.
The ride up to view the railway is one of the most breath taking ones I’ve experienced. An enduring example of how man and the land scape can work together without leaving a scar. Where man’s handiwork compliments nature, creating an harmonious vista. Part of the station has been converted
Aga’d holiday lets.
The views of Dentdale from around the station are stunning. My periosnal favourite is the view of
Dent Head Viaduct with its 10 arches, 100 ft high and 199 yards long gracefully spanning the ravine, seamlessly integrating into the valley’s landscape and still standing, taking passenger trains after 139 years. Testament to the quality of the engineering skills that went into building the 72 miles of
The Settle to Carlisle Railway.
No mention can be made of The Settle to Carlisle Railway without mentioning the great loss, of life in its building. Hundreds of lives were lost in its building, for example the spanning
the Ribblehead valley caused such loss of life that the railway paid for an expansion of the local graveyard. Such beauty found in form and function of The Settle to Carlisle Railway viaducts certainly came at a great price to many.
I couldn't end this post without mentioning the beautiful skies of Johnny's Field especially the beautiful red sunset turning the green hills surrounding the field red.....
Ewegale's farm & Dentadal left a lasting impression - its welcome, its site and its surrounding country side resonate months later, I’ve very much looking forward to the chance to return next year to enjoy it again.
