WE drove over the tops from Low Row, in Swaledale, to Askrigg, in Wensleydale, this week. It’s a narrow road and in need of repair. Those who use it often must be sorry it’s not on Le Tour route.

The steep road isn’t on the winter gritting route and will be treacherous when it’s freezing and snowy, if not for the hardy locals then for the supermarket home delivery vans. Have I mentioned that Asda brings discount baked beans and own brand pasta twirls all the way from Kendal? Now that the Postbus is no more, they could stick a few seats among the grocery baskets and holidaymakers could enjoy a tour of the area.

A few years ago there was a great story about lorries being directed by their sat navs up a nearby farm track at the superbly named hamlet of Crackpot. Vehicles can’t get beyond a nasty Sbend but if they try to turn round they risk plummeting 100ft into the valley bottom.

It was a headline writer’s dream. The Guardian went for “Sat navs steer drivers down Crackpot route”; BBC News chose “Drivers on edge over cliff route”, while the D&S decided on a slightly more conservative “Motorists in jeopardy after putting trust in technology”.

Driving down towards Askrigg, there is a fantastic view across the dale to Addlebrough, with Semerwater clearly visible in the distance.

Dales historians Marie Hartley and Ella Pontefract recounted a 17th century story about Raydale House, which lies further up the dale. Sir Thomas Metcalfe, the Black Knight of Nappa, from Nappa Hall, near Askrigg, defaulted on a mortgage on the property and it was repossessed. Sir Thomas wasn’t impressed and raised a small army of 40 men armed with muskets and pikes.

They laid siege to the property, which was defended by a plucky woman called Mrs Robinson.

After four days of fighting and the loss of several lives, Mrs Robinson received help from York and Sir Thomas was defeated. History doesn’t seem to record her first name but nevertheless, here’s to you, Mrs Robinson.