OSGB GRID REF. SD812721. HORTON IN RIBBLESDALE

MIDDLETON-IN-TEESDALE

GOD'S BRIDGE - A NATURAL LIMESTONE BRIDGE

THE TAN HILL INN - HIGHEST IN BRITAIN

'HIGH FORCE' FOLK MUSICIANS

MY WIND-BLOWN CAMPSITE BY GREAT SHUNNER FELL

THE CROWN HOTEL

THE GOLDEN LION

ST. OSWALD'S CHURCH IN HORTON IN RIBBLESDALE WITH PEN-Y-GHENT BEHIND

Well, best laid plans, and all that. I had intended to leave Middleton-in-Teesdale by 4.00pm at the latest but I made the mistake of writing my diary in a pub. Then I got chatting to a group of ramblers; nice folk who gave me some cash for the charities. Then one of them bought me another cider. You know what it's like. By the time I left it was well past 6.00pm. I still had to transmit the diary and the pictures to webmaster Simon, and planned to do this when I had climbed out of the town, guessing that I would get a better connection higher up. By the time I had done this there was no chance whatsoever of me achieving my 8 mile target before nightfall.

I walked as fast as I could, but wasted time by making route-finding mistakes that cost me another half hour. Must have been that cider. I managed about 5 miles before the light became too poor to see adequately. Unable to find anything better, I pitched the tent by torchlight at the edge the path running around the western end of Blackton Reservoir.

Rising early next morning, I was on my way before 8.00am determined to make up for the previous day's mileage shortfall. Ahead of me were many miles of moorland peat bog to squelch through. The featureless terrain made route-finding tricky and I often had to rely on signs of disturbed grass for guidance. It occurred to me that I could easily be following someone else's mistaken route and end up walking into the same bottomless hole, to be preserved in peat forever.

After 5 hours of trudging a reward awaited me, for I had reached the Tann Hill Inn, the highest Inn in Britain. Being a Sunday it was busy, but not too busy to provide me with a terrific Sunday lunch, served in a huge Yorkshire pudding of course. Live music from a group of talented folk musicians called 'High Force' made the meal even more enjoyable, and I could easily have settled there for the afternoon, especially since the rain had set in. I sat opposite a charming couple called Quinta and Hanspeter. Quinta asked me to sign one of my 'steveslongwalk' mini-posters for her, and I obliged. I still had many more miles to cover, though, so with great discipline I donned my waterproofs and reluctantly left the Inn at 3.00pm to continue south, initially to Keld, and then to Thwaite via the North Gang Scar, enjoying the wonderfully picturesque valley views to the east.

It was a little past 6.00pm when I stopped by the Kearton Country Hotel in Thwaite to make some telephone calls (mobile communication being non-existent), have a drink and to buy some chocolate bars. With my present energy expenditure I can eat chocolate bars with complete abandon and still not gain weight. Doesn't that make all you chocoholics feel really jealous?

After consulting with a local chap, I decided to continue west out of Thwaite and climb towards cloud-covered Great Shunner Fell. The plan was to reach a plateau, part-way to the summit, where I thought I could camp. That way I could reduce the following day's distance.

The plateau was at an altitude of 597m and I reached it while the light was still good, but had to search for a plot of ground that was not boggy and had some degree of shelter from the strengthening wind. The best I could find was on the lee side of a rift in the peat. I had to hold on to the tent firmly as I assembled it otherwise it might have taken off like a kite. I pegged it down well, but it still bucked, writhed and twisted all night in response to the violent wind. However, the tent had been made to withstand such conditions, so I was not too concerned and slept reasonably well.

By morning the wind strength had reduced, easing the dismantling the tent. It was overcast, but the sun was doing its best to break through. The summit of Great Shunner Fell was visible, at 716mn just a mere 119m above me, so it didn't take me long to reach it. I then descended the long path down into Hardraw where I was astounded to meet Quinta and Hanspeter once again, sitting with another friendly couple outside the Green Dragon pub. Quinta had me sign her poster for a second time.

I needed to keep moving, though, and proceeded to Hawes where John, at the local YHA Hostel, assisted me with booking accommodation in Horton in Ribblesdale, my final destination for the day. This would be the 600 mile, or half-way point of my walk, where I had scheduled some rest time for myself. I had to get there first, of course, which involved a 13 mile route-march, during which I paid little attention to anything other than the growing ominous presence of Pen-y-ghent and the stony path of the final couple of miles which made my feet very grateful to have arrived.

I spent the evening at the Crown Hotel, enjoying their steak and mushroom pie with lots of vegetables, and chatting to fellow Pennine walker Keith.

The Crown could only accommodate me for that one night, so next morning, Tuesday 25, I moved all my stuff to Broad Croft House at the other end of Horton in Ribblesdale, where I would stay with hosts Cynthia and Rob for the remaining 3 nights.

Tuesday was spent exploring the village, and visiting it's establishments. I chatted to a couple from Oxford in the Golden Lion pub who very kindly bought me lunch and a beer. This would certainly help to build my strength up, since I intended to undertake the Yorkshire 3-peaks Challenge the following day and the weather forecast was not looking particularly good.