Weather: starting as heavily overcast as is possible without it actually raining, then a bit of drizzly rain that had passed over by lunch time, but our jackets stayed on to combat the cool NW breeze. By mid afternoon we got sunny periods, but it remained cool.
Thanks for your messages and comments.
Alan - I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip to Settle; I think we missed most of the rain yesterday - we just got a bit of drizzle.
Phil - ('Glamping' haha?) this is a walk from Saltaire to Appleby on which we are carrying all that we need (apart from day to day purchases), and as such would probably be regarded by many as a backpacking trip. I'm not sure of the relevance of the mode of accommodation, which will not all be 'B&B'!
Geoff - 'Deepest Cheshire' is a regular venue for our evening walks - feel free to join us in the future.
Back to today. An overcast morning with rain in the air didn't deter us from stashing our waterproofs and setting off, after a fine (well, superb - a Country House Hotel couldn't have done better) Chinthurst breakfast, in search of our next meal.
Greggs Bakery and a fruit and veg stall provided the necessaries, and off we set towards the pointy peak of Sharp Haw. On the way the drizzle kept starting and stopping, so eventually we gave in and left our waterproof jackets on all morning.
The views were fine, but would have excelled on a bright sunny day. After slithering down to Flasby we bumped into two separate walking parties - the only ones seen until we reached Malhamdale.
The valley walk to Hetton was delightful, and we lunched on a bench on the smallest village green we had seen for some time. The Angel Inn was our next port of call - a village pub that is trying to survive by expanding its business and going up market whilst retaining local congregation.
A long, straight lane imaginatively named 'Moor Lane' rose slowly before dipping down to the sad looking half full Winterburn Reservoir. Then the well constructed path continued relentlessly up Winterburn Moor, eventually reaching our high point to date, The Weets (414 metres), from where the limestone pavements of the Malham area were arrayed before us. The summit of Kirkby Fell dominated the view above Malham.
An easy walk down the road to Gordale Bridge was followed by a stroll over slithery limestone, past the pleasant waterfall known as Janet's Foss (pictured), where Sue and others 'skinny dipped' on her birthday weekend one cold February day, and along a beckside path lined with buttercup meadows, leading to the small village of Malham at around 3.30.
We were soon installed at Beck Hall, where a block corporate bonding booking for NHBC's training managers has relegated us to a room with a four poster bed and a small single bed. It's a satisfactorily large room, though. The café here is shut on Mondays, so we tottered off to the nearby Old Barn Café for a cream tea fix.
The Buck Inn has subsequently fed and watered us. We are feeling suitably bloated and are looking forward to an even shorter, but more sociable, day than usual tomorrow, for an amble over to Stainforth that will probably only take us until early afternoon to complete. But it will be sociable.
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2 comments:
I like sociable. Especially the Craven Heifer. Have a good day and we hope the weather bucks up a bit.
You are of course correct that mode of accommodation is not particularly relevant. It's just that reading the outdoor blogs one gets used to something rather more basic (4 poster?!...).
Of course both the Dales Way and the Dales High Way are fairly agricultural (broad generalisation) and have fewer wild camping opportunities.
Anyway, looking forward to reading the rest of your trip. Sounds like an interesting alternative to the wider known lower level route. Hope the weather holds up.
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