Total miles: 16.1
Elevation gain: 1,730 ft
Time walking: 10am – 6:30pm
Miles to date: 725
A very satisfying day! It’s always a good sign when you wake up to a sunny morning and the opportunity to more or less dry out a dew-sodden tent! The pub where Nick stayed did breakfasts so we filled up well and headed out into a warm morning.
The way started with a slow but steady climb, following the bottom edge of the moor with pretty views over to Ingleborough (another of the Yorkshire three peaks) and back to Pen-y-Ghent. Just before Cave Hill we heard the sound of a waterfall over the wall. Peeking over we saw a gorgeous sight not marked on the map – a big stream dropped over a few gentle ledges then plummeted over a craggy ledge into a large hole in the ground! We nipped over a handy ladder-stile to have a closer look (trying not to get too close to the edge!), and could see a pool far below that the water was pouring into. It was a gorgeous spot! It would make for a beautiful picnic spot had it come later in the day.
The next pretty and unexpected treat was Ling Gill nature reserve – a deep, narrow limestone gorge rich in waterfalls and trees. The path follows the top and sadly you can’t really see into the gorge but you can hear the water tumbling down and the dense tree growth after miles of open moorland is quite surprising! The path crosses the pretty Ling Gill Beck and then starts the climb up onto Cam Fell. There wasn’t much particular of note but the views were wide and open and pretty spectacular! Over to the west there was a great view to the many-arched viaduct which carries the railway line. The path turned into a gravelled track which after a few miles was pretty tough on the feet. The climb was long but manageable. My pack had been feeling really heavy early in the day but Nick had kindly offered to carry one of my water bottles which helped a bit. Some days it just feels extra heavy!
Eventually the path reaches the top of a deep and wide valley and the view is fantastic. The steep hillside is broken up by tumbling streams carving their way down the slope and the classic grey Yorkshire dry stone walls. We stopped for our lunch on a conveniently positioned slab of rock, admiring the view and the silence. The path follows the contours of the ridge all along the upper edge of valley until the view suddenly opens up to the east as well as the west, and Hawes down in Wensleydale.
As usual the descent feels long and it was very boggy! My left knee is getting tired on downhills now which is slightly concerning, it seems to be holding up but I do feel it by the end of the day. That and my left shoulder, which has a bit of tendonitis I think, are my biggest concern so far but they seem to be ok again each morning. So hoping they’ll hold out…still a long way to go!
We reach Gayle, the little village that merges into Hawes which is the biggest town on the Way so far and it feels quite strange to be plunged back into civilisation after a day on the moors. I can imagine that if I hadn’t had my rest day in a busy-ish place it would be even more of a shock to the system! We arrived at just after 4pm, a very civilised time, so we decided to have a cup of tea before Nick headed home. We found a lovely cafe (lots to choose from!) which did lemon scones with lemon curd and cream. Yum!
Once I said farewell to Nick I popped to a lovely little old-fashioned grocery store to stock up on a few bits of food for the next couple of days which are quite remote. As it was early I decided to walk the easy and pleasant (other than the midges!) mile and a half up the path to Hardraw, passing through a field of sheep who followed me expectantly and seeing a hedgehog on the way. At Hardraw there is a nice little campsite just a short distance below Hardraw Force, the tallest single-drop waterfall in England. The site is owned by a nice pub (The Green Dragon Inn) with an open fire, and its from here that I write this blog. It was starting to drizzle when I arrived so I put the tent up quickly and came straight down to the pub. I’ll check out the waterfall in the morning! Sadly the pub has run out of dessert which is rather disappointing, as judging by the delicious giant Yorkshire pudding filled with sausages, mash, veg and gravy they would have been delightful!
As I’ve cut a mile off tomorrow I’ve decided to do a bit extra and rather than staying at Keld I’m going to head to Tan Hill – where England’s highest inn can be found (and camping is available…just hoping for not-too-horrible weather!). Then I have a decision to make about whether to go for two long days with a rest day between or three shorter days. Think I’m going to go for the rest day option otherwise it’s two 10 day stints between rest days…
Anyway, time to leave this lovely fire and head into the chilly evening to my tent…! Thanks for reading – please keep your fingers crossed for decent weather over the next stretch, there’s some rather exposed walking (the highest points so far on the way) coming up.
