Total miles: 15.1
Elevation gain: 2,285ft
Time walking: 10am – 6pm
Miles to date: 675.2
Three moors, lots of heather, Bronte country and a bit too much sun!
Today was a beautiful day. After a very wet night, with thunderstorms, and more rain this morning which meant I ate breakfast and packed up in the tent, going without a cup of tea, the sun came out and I didn’t need my waterproofs! Everything was sodden underfoot and it made for squelchy walking, which was quite satisfying after several dry days.
My first stop of the day was at May’s store, or Aladdin’s Cave as it is known, just up the road from Jack’s Bridge and 200 yards from the path. Its owner won a prize for it being the most remote shop open so many hours and it was a real treat! Apart from the incredibly friendly ladies there (including May herself) it was amazing how wide a range of goods they stocked. Unfortunately they didn’t stock the dehydrated camping meals I hoped they might, but they did have a very tempting range of cakes and biscuits! They also made ‘sandwiches’ (which up here are very large baps) so I got myself a nice tuna mayo sandwich, along with some crisps and cake so I could have a semi-proper lunch.
Loaded up with new foodie goodies I headed out onto my first moor of the day – Heponstall Moor, which was covered in heather. Under the warm sun it smelled divine and all around I could just see more rolling purple moorland hills. The path was rough and muddy but easy to follow and it was a pleasant start to the walk. As I gained some height I could see back to Stoodley Pike, which looked smaller now but still very distinct up on its hill. I munched on some cookies as I walked, having only had some granola from the bag and a banana for breakfast, quickly demolishing four in a row. I love how I can just eat whatever I like, in terms of calories, even though I do worry about how much ‘junk’ I am eating. Having been so careful about my diet over the past few years it makes me a bit nervous to be eating so much bread and dairy, but I’m struggling to get enough calories in as it is and it would be so much harder if I was sticking to my usual diet.
Coming around and down off Heponstall Moor the path drops sharply down into a clough and then back up the other side. I could have taken the slightly easier option of following the bridleway along by the reservoir (to avoid the drop into the clough), but that just seemed like cheating! I’m sure there will be days to come where the easier option will be the no-brainer choice… The path then climbed gradually along a track before reaching the lower of the Walshaw Dean reservoirs, stunning blue under the sunny sky. Signs warned of the danger of swimming in the cold reservoir water and I could see how people could be tempted on a hot sunny day. Apparently the water is incredibly cold though, about 12 degrees, as the reservoirs are so deep, and suddenly the water looked less tempting! At the middle reservoir I decided it would be a nice spot to eat my enormous tuna roll (which I’d been thinking of all morning), and it was delicious. They certainly didn’t scrimp on the tuna or mayo! I decided to push the boat out and have my chocolate bar too, feeling a bit sick but well fed, ready to tackle the steady climb onto the next moor.
This section was flagstoned but there were bits where the moor had taken over – one bit disappeared right into a stream! There was a well trampled path on top of the reeds to one side so I followed this to find a safe place to cross. Crossing successfully, I made the mistake of not returning immediately to the flagstones, instead deciding to follow another reasonably well trampled path which presumably met up further on, cutting off the corner. I wonder how many other people have made that silly mistake…presumably quite a few, given the path, but it took me over a few small but deep little streams and boggy sections which resulted in ankle-deep sinking a couple of times. The most unnerving thing though, losing the flagstone path. I was no more than 5 metres away but it was impossible to see and it made me realise how easy it would be to leave the path. I decided to head straight for the direction I knew it must be, being a little more careful about where I put my feet this time. When I found it, I stuck to it!
It was a straightforward climb from there and as the path rounded the summit the next set of hills and valleys came into view – all heather covered and glorious in the sun. These hills are said to have been the inspiration for Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and there is a little ruin called Top Withins, which the path passes, particularly associated with her. As I crossed this bit of the moor I became aware of how exposed the moors were – it was a hot and sunny day and there was no shade anywhere, save for an old sycamore tree under whose shade I paused while I made this reflection. I realised that I was getting through my water quickly and thought I’d have to refill when I got down to the valley.
I ignored the signs to the cafe when I got to another(!) reservoir at the bottom, thinking I’d find somewhere a bit further along. I didn’t find somewhere further along! Argh! I should have knocked on a farmhouse really. So as I climbed up the rather steep climb up into Ickornshaw Moor I started to be a little more sparing with my water which wasn’t really ideal on such a hot day. I knew Annie (my friend who was meeting me tonight) would bring me some water, so it wasn’t completely dire, but I did feel a little foolish!
Ickornshaw Moor was beautiful; wild and expansive, and windy, unlike the previous two. The path was very un-improved and it was glorious! Very muddy though and I ended up ankle-deep a couple of times. It meant I had to concentrate carefully where I was walking, so I had to stop from time to time just to look up and take it all in. I was tired, which made it harder to fully appreciate the beauty, and I tried not to wish it away so I could just finish and rest. The path doesn’t go up to the appealing white trig point on a handsome outcrop of rocks, instead circling at some distance, however as the path rounds the hill the view suddenly opens up in front, but for once not of more moorland; this view was of rolling hills of fields. In the far distance talker peaks could be seen, including (possibly) Pen-Y-Ghent, one of the Yorkshire 3 peaks, which will be the conclusion to Sunday’s walk.
As always with the last descent of the day, it was a long one! It wasn’t helped by a particularly boggy section near the bottom of the moor where water was held up by a big wall, making the ground a mass of streams and bogs and soft squelchy moss. Here I had my first boot-sucking-bog encounter, going in up to my calf and having to pull very hard to retrieve my foot, thankfully with boot still attached! That half mile stretch got me the muddiest I’ve been all trip! I still had a big smile on my face though, with mud all up my gaiters (thank goodness for gaiters!) and my trousers too, and I felt like I had now been properly initiated into the Pennines!
A short stint up and down through farmland which was much easier going than the moor, a pretty waterfall then a steep drop down the hill into the tiny bit pretty village of Ickornshaw, tired, hot and thirsty but happy, marked the end of my day, and the end of seven consecutive days walking. It also marked my halfway point! At least, I think so…not being exactly sure of what my total mileage is going to be! The gorgeous Anneliese was there waiting for me, ready to whisk me away to comfort for my rest day with a huge bottle of water. It’s wonderful how the smallest of things can make you so happy!
Tonight I am really tired. My legs, feet and body are definitely ready for a rest day. I just hope they are ready to start walking again on Saturday! I may be halfway but I still have some of the hardest walking ahead of me…