Event information

YRN committee/volunteers day at Heggs Farm (Sunday 20th June)

NOTE THAT THIS IS AN UPDATE AS OF MONDAY 14th June

Reason for update: Liz is finding that Reeth is getting exceptionally busy from early in the morning and a change to parking arrangements is needed.

1. Date: Sunday 20th June. 

2. Time: 11.00am at new location: See 3 and 4 below… 

3. Location for the day: Heggs-Castle Cluster, https://heggscastlecluster.org/about/ 

This can all be found on OS Explorer Map OL30. To help with orientation, Heggs House is National Grid Ref NZ 02546 01845, https://what3words.com/places.path.crackles

4. Parking and meeting point: The meeting point is Castle Bridge (on the footpath between Reeth and Langthwaite)

The meeting point at 11.00 is just the far side of the Castle Bridge itself: https://what3words.com/storyline.presides.recital

The full National Grid Reference for the meeting point is NZ 02777 00834 and the 6-figure Grid Reference is NZ027008.

Parking is on the roadside, then it’s a 10 minutes walk downhill along a private track to the meeting point.

Parking is here: https://what3words.com/brain.roadways.slower or here: https://what3words.com/retail.scorching.clutter

Please park considerately in either the small lay-by just past the start of the track, or the large flat area of moorland just before the track:

If you would prefer to walk from Reeth, then the Castle Bridge (meeting point) lies directly on the footpath, less than 2 miles from Reeth. Please let us know if you are travelling on foot and intend to meet us on site.

N.B. A guided tour of the cluster will begin from Castle Bridge once we’ve had time to say hello and make our introductions. Many of you may be travelling quite a distance so if you’re running late please give Liz advance warning on 07914155045. She can suggest an alternative meeting place if necessary (though please note there is little to no coverage on the site itself). If all else fails we will be aiming to pause for lunch close to Heggs House, so make a beeline there if you don’t spot the group en route!

A reminder about using postcodes for SatNavs: Postcodes are not reliable. On average, a unit postcode covers 15 properties which, in a rural area, can be quite large and the location is an arbitrary location within the postcode’s geographic extents. If you use postcodes for SatNav, make sure you’ve looked at the more precise locations using OS grid references, Google Maps, or What3Words, and perhaps print paper copies of the maps to bring with you.

5. Camping: If you are intending camping over on the night of Saturday 19th, can you please email Liz directly at: heggsfarm@gmail.com for more information. All camping must be arranged in advance.  

6. Partners & families: partners and children over 5 welcome. No dogs, though. 

7. Toilets: there is 1 x compost toilet on site. Please bring your own hand sanitizer.  

8. Food: please bring your own lunch/snacks and hot and cold drinks. We’ll aim to picnic down by the Arkle Beck so blankets/something to sit on and a towel (should you wish to paddle) are recommended. Filtered water is available at the farm house and a gas camping stove can be used to heat water as well as a kelly kettle. Also consider supporting local businesses: the Dales Bike Centre on the way into Reeth does generous filled baguettes and award winning cakes (open from 9am). The best coffee and artisanal breads in the village are just up from the green at Two Dales Bakery (open from 9.30am). 

9. Plan to be outside for most/all of the day: Although Liz has guaranteed warm, dry, sunny conditions with no biting insects, do remember to bring clothing for all eventualities, sunscreen (you’ll absolutely need it), and something to sit on. 

10. Shelter: It won’t happen, but… there is an annex to the farm house that can provide indoor space should we need shelter at any time. Remember to bring face masks if we need to be indoors. Two barns elsewhere on the cluster can also be ducked into if needed. 

11. Activities:

  • A guided tour of the cluster will begin from Castle Bridge once we’ve had time to say hello and make our introductions.
  • We will be aiming to pause for lunch close to Heggs House.
  • Species recording: Heggs has its own iNaturalist page and contributions to this year’s BioBltiz would be welcome (more info at www.heggscastlecluster.org
  • Socialising. It’s been more than a year since we’ve seen some people, and the first time we’ll be meeting in many cases!
  • YRN events/activities in the future – we’ll likely spend time chatting about future events we’d like to see and do, etc.
  • The cluster is 200 acres in total and people are free to roam!

12. Mobile phone signal: This is unreliable. Depending on your network, you might get a signal in some places lower down. Higher up it’s better and you can place/receive calls, though this involves a scramble.