Parking: (Thwaite)  Lay-by Outside Village. There's plenty of parking at Hawes if you choose the two car option. (busy on Tuesdays market day)

Refreshments:  (Hardraw) Green Dragon. (Thwaite) Kearton Hotel. (Hawes) numerous inns and takeaways

Toilets: (Thwaite) None. (Hawes) Countryside Museum and village centre.

When you have packed your rucksack with all the essentials for this is a big walk, leave a small space for something  for lunch from Elijah Allen's deli bakery before setting off down the main street in the direction of the Dales Countryside Museum. At the east side of the village take the road to your left over the old railway bridge and you will see the steam train standing at the museum platform. At the junction to the industrial park, pass through a gated stile and cross the field for a short distance before rejoining the road close to the Caravan Club's park. Over the river Ure at Haylands Bridge follow the road until you reach a field gate on your left and a path that crosses close to the football field. From here your walk crosses several stone walled fields with gated stiles before joining a beck to your left and the centre of Hardraw village. If you have time, an hour at least, to call at the Green Dragon Inn. Pay a small entry fee at the bar and walk a short distance to the country's highest single drop water fall, Hardraw Force (www.greendragoninn.fsnet.co.uk).

Your walk has hardly started so you need to crack on and cross the road bridge over the beck and in fifty metres take the lane to your right at the West end of the village. Look out for the Pennine Way finger posts that mark your route. From here a stone farm track slowly runs out into a path that climbs steadily and relentlessly along the grassy flank of Blue Bell Hill. Don't be detracted by the bridleway, the Old Hearne Coal Rd, off to your right and in a short distance a footpath dropping away to your left and along the valley bottom to Cotterdale.

Keep the Pennine Way path and the stone outcrops in your sights until you reach Hearne top and Humeset. Although your ascent continues the path from here is not so steep and you will have time to rest a while and take in the extensive views of Cotterdale to the West and across the Buttertubs pass toward Abbotside Common to the East. At this point the terrain changes to open moorland and your way is marked with many small stone cairns. This is very pleasant walking for a little over two miles after the long pull up from Hardraw, so take your time before reaching a wood stile in a wire fence when the summit of Great Shunner Fell and it's stone cross cairn shelter will come into view.

With six miles completed you have now left Wensleydale behind and entered the upper reaches of Swaledale and Thwaite Common. Shortly after the summit, climb over a stile, there are two to choose from, and descend the path toward a prominent stone cairn before levelling out slightly and then descending further over deep peat hags that would swallow you up if it were not for the limestone flags helicoptered in by the National Parks about three years ago. This seems such an unnatural thing to do, and I can never get into a decent stride over this stepped pavement but the alterative I suppose would be much worse and their work has stopped further erosion of this sensitive area. The path descends steadily and swings  in an Easterly direction as Thwaite comes into view. You will have noticed a black shale mound at the side of the path that looks a bit like coal. This is indeed coal slag and yet another remnant of mining. I am told by a Thwaite villager that in his younger days he would go onto the moor in this area and return with a bag or two over his shoulder, usually under the cover of darkness. It didn't burn very well but didn't cost much either!

After crossing Summer Lodge Gill the path joins a wide walled track used by local farmers to access the moor. Continue along this track passing a couple of sheep folds before you join the road at Cloggerby Rigg. Turn right and descend the road past the former Chapel, the only listed building in Thwaite and on into the village to where your walk finishes.