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| GREG'S HUT BOTHY |
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| SHELTER AND TRIG POINT ON CROSS FELL |
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| RADAR STATION ON GREAT DUN FELL |
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| VIEW FROM HIGH CUP NICK |
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| I WOZ 'ERE - CAULDRON SNOUT |
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| CAULDRON SNOUT |
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| KAYAKERS ON THE TEES |
I made an early
start from Alston as I was expecting it to take a good 10 hours to reach
Dufton. I initially walked alongside the River South Tyne for several miles
until I reached Garrigill. This was where I noticed that my watch had fallen
from my wrist somewhere along the way. I was not too concerned. Knowing the
precise time had not been very important to me over the past month as my daily
routines were influenced more by the light, the weather conditions and my own
physical and psychological condition. Nevertheless, the watch still had its
uses so I will buy another cheap waterproof one when I get the chance.
From Garrigill the
steady climb into the north Pennine mountains begins. It's raining again! I'm
becoming convinced that there is a rain cloud with my name on it following me
around. As my altitude increased, the strengthening headwind blew the rain
horizontally into my face, stinging me around my eyes and cheeks.
I battled on upwards for several hours until I arrived at Greg's Hut, a mountain bothy just north of Cross Fell, where I ate lunch. Several other walkers travelling in the opposite direction stopped by, advising me that the winds were dire, visibility was almost zero and the path so indistinct that I would need to use my GPS to navigate on the Fell itself (compasses being inaccurate because the hills apparently have a high iron content). It just shows how quickly conditions can change on the hills because the rain had stopped and visibility had cleared by the time I got there, although the winds were still powerful enough to make standing upright a real effort. For me, the linear walk over Cross Fell (893m) followed by Little Dun Fell (842m) and Great Dun Fell (848m) was the highlight of the day. The latter is clearly identified by the 'golf ball' dome of a radar station on the summit, for tracking aviation I am told.
The walk from Alston to Dufton was about 20 miles in total, which is a lot to do over such mountainous territory in poor weather. I headed straight for the Youth Hostel in Dufton. It was quite full, but Annette, the Warden, not only had a bed available but even rustled up a meal for me, even though I had not pre-ordered it.
I battled on upwards for several hours until I arrived at Greg's Hut, a mountain bothy just north of Cross Fell, where I ate lunch. Several other walkers travelling in the opposite direction stopped by, advising me that the winds were dire, visibility was almost zero and the path so indistinct that I would need to use my GPS to navigate on the Fell itself (compasses being inaccurate because the hills apparently have a high iron content). It just shows how quickly conditions can change on the hills because the rain had stopped and visibility had cleared by the time I got there, although the winds were still powerful enough to make standing upright a real effort. For me, the linear walk over Cross Fell (893m) followed by Little Dun Fell (842m) and Great Dun Fell (848m) was the highlight of the day. The latter is clearly identified by the 'golf ball' dome of a radar station on the summit, for tracking aviation I am told.
The walk from Alston to Dufton was about 20 miles in total, which is a lot to do over such mountainous territory in poor weather. I headed straight for the Youth Hostel in Dufton. It was quite full, but Annette, the Warden, not only had a bed available but even rustled up a meal for me, even though I had not pre-ordered it.
I had decided upon
the Hostel rather than camping because I needed a reliable phone connection for
the following morning, Friday 21, which also happened to be my birthday. Mobile
phone communication can be intermittent in the area, but Annette let me use the
Hostel's land-line for my 6.45am live interview on Julian Clegg's BBC Radio
Solent Breakfast Show (see my entry for 12 July '09 by clicking the 'Before the
walk' tab).
I didn't leave the
Youth Hostel until late morning. Annette, bless her, let me use the Hostel's computer
to send some photographs and was so very tolerant of my general tardiness when
everyone else had gone.
The climb east out
of Dufton took me to High Cup Gill Head by early afternoon, the observation
point for one of the most impressive views on the Pennine Way - a beautiful
valley with cliffs each side and High Cup Gill meandering through the middle of
the basin.
From High Cup the
slope was mainly downhill until I came to the impressive Cauldron Snout
waterfall. A bit of rock scrambling was required after this until, eventually,
I came upon the equally impressive High Force waterfall on the River Tees. By
then it was nearly 8.00pm and it was starting to rain for the first time that
day, so I found a flat piece of grass and quickly erected the tent. As I
prepared my supper I reflected on what a great birthday outing I'd had. As the
light faded, I celebrated with a tot a whisky before drifting off to sleep. The
loud crashing of the waterfall nearby might have been intrusive to some, but to
me it was just country music.
In the morning I
continued my walk along the south bank of the River Tees, passing Low Force
waterfall and watching white-water kayakers enjoying themselves on some of the
more minor steps. The weather was warm and dry, and the large numbers of other
walkers I met reminded me that it was a Saturday. I reached
Middleton-in-Teeside in the early afternoon and took the opportunity to
purchase vital food and cooking gas.
The walk from
Dufton to Middleton-in-Teesdale had taken me in an easterly direction, so my
direct-line distance to Land's End had actually increased. It was now time to
head south into remote countryside once more. I am sending this report now as
communications may be unreliable for a few days, but I hope to be at least 8
miles south of here by nightfall.