Walk and Weave: March 2015

6 august edale Jacob’s ladder kinder bleaklow desolate picture windows and views at torside 15 miles 7 august laddow blackhill wessenden swellands beach curlews cotton grass heather scented air standedge brass band players waiting to shower wellcroft perched 29 miles 8 august it wasn’t dull plastic bottles and apple cores A roads and motorways intrusion mount olive baptist chapel sad cemetery neglect what price plenty millstone edge blackstone edge windmills and masts 45 miles blackshaw head 9 august rain rain rain old stone paths to work worn by many years of feet heather scent in the rain top withens brontes heathcliffe coffee in the bubble at ponden too early 57 miles no bed or dinner 10 august hungry hard going ooze underfoot harebells new views ickornshaw chalets cows sheep curlews calling death rabbits swallows martins calves in cages bellowing east marton cold comfort farm 69 miles 11 august aire in spate sticky water water sodden fields rain washed sky honey scented thistles sleepy places squelch squelch squelch fast flowing scary power fear malham 78 miles on to Horton rain rain RAIN curlew calling wet campers pen-y-ghent onward no cafe closed limestone gritstone bird’s foot trefoil brown milky foam quarry scar bumble bee on thistle crown again 93 miles over the hill to hawes cam high road plod plod plod corvids wheeling drizzle mizzle ballon field patterns and out barns tread lightly on the land bones saturated youth hostel 107 miles 14 august great shunner fell rain wind thwaite respite robin peanuts mining spoil rocky path water logged keld butt house swale in spate too much meat 118 miles 15 august sun breeze grouse goback goback goback dying rabbit honey scented thistles suffering swamp tan hill abandoned gate posts lying dead heaving bog goback goback goback footprints in the peat hannah’s meadows sponging up the river middleton lift 132 miles 16 august tees in spate awesome waterfalls roaring pouring foaming churning 147 miles 17 august tees in spate MIDGES MIDGES MIDGES bites slippy slithery paths midges cauldron spout wow high cup nick streaming with water difficult ford spouting spurting ravens flooded warren dufton 159 miles 18 august little dun golf balls great dun cross fell top of the pennines mist no shelter where’s the shelter where’s the trig cloud clears eden valley below greg’s hut prayer flags coffin route garrygill cup of tea 165 miles past half way 19 august dry boots yurts nice b&b new tactics no michael and pauline too wet take the railway route no swamp alston coffee slaggyford spooky chapel 177 miles 20 august wet boots stay on the railway line no swamp here railway weed balsam birch willow water water everywhere blackbird wild raspberries people redundant buffers no longer needed haltwhistle half-day closing churchyard cup of tea greenheads 188 miles 21 august rotting chapel yha on the wall to once brewed views north and south spectacular 195 miles 22 august along the wall and through the swamp the cheviot beckons bellingham signal box dining room 220 miles 23 august blue sky wide open horizons huge cross fell cheviot from whence we came to where we’re going swamp trees bumble bees soft breeze soft ground wet sweet smelling heather byrness 235 miles 24 august on to the cheviot blue sky views even the wading through the swamp can’t spoil this who said the cheviot was the worst bit glorious barrow burn mr and mrs tait cup of tea and welcome 251 miles coquet valley stells 25 august gale force winds clennell street mountain refuge gale force winds the last lap ‘blessed are those that love the hills’ kirk yetholm 264 miles