Today we stepped over the 100 mile mark. I’m not entirely sure where – it was about 1.7 miles into the walk, and it evidently passed with about as much fanfare as someone playing a kazoo, without actually blowing into it. Nevertheless, here we are, on the correct side of the 100 mile mark.
The good weather has returned after yesterday’s brief spell of rain and mizzle. But it wasn’t as unbearably hot as last weekend – certainly after midday there was a decent amount of cloud cover and at times a pleasantly strong, cool breeze.
So, from our base of the last three nights in Malham, we were given a lift to the Pen-y-ghent Cafe in Horton in Ribblesdale to make a start on day eight.
After leaving Horton, we found ourselves surrounded by various groups of people, all at least half our age, and with a frankly obscene amount of spare energy, attempting the three peaks. There are now waymark posts designating a “three peaks” route, so as to save those taking up the challenge the need for anything as old fashioned as map reading. We also met a gent in his fifties who was making his way to Hawes also – we shared raised eyebrows and admonishing tuts over the folly and loudness of the younger generation, aged gents as we are in our early forties.
After leaving this gentleman, and the crowds of young whipper-snappers behind, we continued our way towards the brief oasis of Ling Gill. The river has carved a ravine through the rock, and because it is fenced off, it is a green corridor running by the side of the Way, where sheep, cows and other ruminants are unable to nibble at the leaves of the trees. Neither, however, is the casual walker able to visit the Gill any closer than the fencing by the side of the Way, leaving it an unspoiled sanctuary for whatever nature deems fit to flourish there.
Then began the slow, long climb up to Ten End. The climb would take most of the day, and the resulting view from the top should have been Hawes. The first section of the climb was along a service road, built for (and presumably by) the forestry company who is developing plantations along Cam Fell. It’s a Roman Road that has been substantially upgraded from the rutted track that it was when we came by this way twenty years ago.
The Way then departs from the road around Dod Fell, and gives one a wonderful vista of Grove Head and Widdale – a sweeping valley. At Ten End, we should have taken the right hand track, but neither of us noticed at the time the finger-post suggesting this. So we took an almost identical track to the left. Both tracks run in almost parallel, along the side of the valley, rounding the corner of the head, and running into Hawes. So, to be honest, our error had very little negative impact, save for the fact that the Pennine Way might have had a better surface.
After the long slog downhill into Hawes, we were able to purchase much needed pharmaceutical items from the town, as well as a quick celebratory pint in the pub before checking in to the youth hostel, which is where I write this from. Just waiting for my laundry to be done.
Tomorrow then – on to Keld.
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