Day 8/20 The Pennine Way 429km - Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Hawes - 4 Aug 2009

>> Wednesday, 19 August 2009

22.1km, 560m ascent, took 5.5 hours (no rest)

It was quite uncomfortable sleeping in the bunkhouse last night: I didn't have a sleeping bag; only a mattress; no pillow; no duvet. But managed to get a bit of sleep still. :)

Today's walk involved a single long ascent up onto Dodd Fell to end with a relatively sudden drop down into Upper Wensleydale and the familiar town of Hawes (again!). Much of the paths were wall-bound stony tracks, old packhorse trails used for centuries as thoroughfares over the wild limestone moors. The weather started off cloudy, then the wind built up and on came the pattering of raindrops. Fog was another problem today, minimising much of the visibility which was a great pity. Nevertheless, such cloudy weather was best for walking, at least in my opinion. :P


From the town of Horton, the Way passed gurgling potholes and topped out on Jackdaw Hill, following a prominent 'green road' passing more potholes and limestone outcrops to reach the delightful Ling Gill ravine where the beck had carved a deep gash, creating a unique reserve for trees.















After crossing Ling Gill Bridge, it was more uphill to the high crossroads known as Cam End. It was a pity that the view of Three Peaks was not clearly seen as they were covered by the thick fog which made me slightly nervous (being surrounded by the 'unseen'). Next, the never-ending West Cam Road led me along the shoulder of Dodd Fell, high above the mysterious valley of Snaizeholme - beautiful!




















When approaching Hawes - a welcoming busy town, I saw the lady from Switzerland and we chatted till we reached Hawes. We had lunch at a cafe together. How nice to get to know someone like that! She even gave me her contact details, if I ever want to visit Switzerland. We bid each other gooodbye before she moved on to the next village. Wouldn't have the chance to see her any more, and I wished her best of luck for her walk all the way to Edinburgh. :)


At Hawes, I bought another new pair of good walking socks. Checked into YHA and shared the room with 2 other cyclists. One was from Australia, working in London, and we chatted as though we had known each other long ago. Reason: Both of us are Geography crazes! (Our eyes are always glued on to MAPS!) Also came to know about a group of naval cadets who was conquering the Pennine Way in 7 days! OMG! That's totally SIAO! But they had a suppport team helping them with preparation of meals, ...


0 comments:

Long Distance Walk 1

Long Distance Walk 1
Northumberland 151km Circular Walk

Long Distance Walk 4

Long Distance Walk 4
Northumberland Coast Path 103km Walk

Long Distance Walk 7

Long Distance Walk 7
Cumbria Way 127km Walk

Long Distance Walk 2

Long Distance Walk 2
Yorkshire Water Way Vol1 66km Walk

Long Distance Walk 5

Long Distance Walk 5
Pennine Way 429km Walk

Long Distance Walk 8

Long Distance Walk 8
East Highland Way 132km Walk

Long Distance Walk 3

Long Distance Walk 3
West Highland Way 152km Walk

Long Distance Walk 6

Long Distance Walk 6
The Great Glen Way 117km Walk

  © Blogger templates Shiny by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP