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Day 5

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 I went out like a light in my comfy hotel bed. It was a joy not having to climb out of a soppy wet tent this morning! We’d had heavy overnight rain, which was just clearing when I got up at 7am.  After a hearty cooked breakfast, I set off on foot to rejoin the path. I walked from Kendal town centre to Burneside and then got back on track. This means that I have missed out the section between Greyrigg Foot and Burneside (5 miles) but don’t feel too guilty, coz I walked 2 miles to re-join the path!  Initially, I had some light drizzle which just made everything a bit dark and dingy!  I soon reached Cowan Head where some swanky apartments had been built next to the river.  It was in the middle of nowhere, so quite unexpected!  After an hour or so, the drizzle eased off and the sun began to make an appearance. This pic was taken on the edge of Staveley, with Staveley Head Fell in the distance.  This morning’s walk was really quite enjoyable, because there...
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Day 4

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 Welcome to the Lake District!  I had another poor night’s sleep, mostly due to coughing and sneezing, but also the sound of the rain!  I woke up fully un-refreshed at 6am and noticed that it wasn’t raining. A quick check of the weather app, showed that I had an hour or so, before the next band of rain was due. I decided to get up and pack everything away, before the next band started.  I set off at 7:30 and managed to walk for 10 minutes before it started raining again!  Initially, the path continued along the river valley for about 2.5 miles before I stiff climb up onto the edge of Long Rigg.  It was quite a nice walk over the ‘rigg’ because the rain was only light. In no time at all Sedbergh came into view.  I’ve no idea how to pronounce Sedbergh because due to the idiosyncrasies of British place names, for all I know, the locals pronounce it Tiddlywinks!  Anyway, I was looking forward to a coffee and some breakfast, but even though the town ha...
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Day 3

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 What can I say about today, is it June or November?  I went out like a light last night, but was woken at 1am and tossed and turned for a while. I must have gone back to sleep because I woke up at 4am, freezing cold! I wrapped up but only slept fitfully until 7am, when I got up.  After packing away, I set off at 8:40 and almost immediately had my first shower.  I had a long walk up the mossy banks of Langstrothdale It was quite slow going, because the path twisted and turned and it was quite boggy.  After an hour or so, I climbed up to the point where the Dales Way met the Pennine Way. To greet me, the heavens opened and the wind picked up, so I ducked down behind a stone cairn to miss the worst of it.  I’ll be honest, my stint on the Pennine Way, put me off it for life! It was bloody cold up there (about 515m or 1700ft) and the showers came lashing down, one after the other. Some were hailstones, driven by a gusty wind straight into my face!  I reach...
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Day 2

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 What a difference a day makes!  Just after I posted last night’s blog, my nose started to run.  Within an hour, it was streaming out of me. By 11 pm, it was a complete snot fest! I struggled to go to sleep, because the catarrh was making its way to my throat and causing me to gag!  By midnight the wind started howling, also keeping me awake. Then at 2:30am, the rain started. It sounded like a monsoon on the tent and carried on until 8am. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep very well!  After I broke camp, I headed back into Grassington village, where I had a breakfast baguette in a cafe! By the time I’d eaten that, the film crew were busy causing chaos, so I diverted around them and head out onto the path.  The first stage between Grassington and Kettlewell, took me away from the river and onto the edge of the moors.  It was only 6 miles, but it felt a lot more. There were some great views looking down into Upper Wharfedale.  I stopped for a coffee in...
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Day1

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 What can I say about today? Wow, wow and thrice wow!  I slept well in my hotel and had a hearty cooked breakfast. I started walking at just before 9am.  As I said yesterday, the start of the path was right next door to the hotel. There was a large sign giving details of the route ( click on the picture to read the details).  Within no time at all, I was out in the countryside. The path followed the River Wharfe and was very easy going.  I soon reached Bolton Priory, where the estate had created some wonderful paths and trails. Eventually, I crossed this bridge where there was a great cafe. I was gasping for caffeine, so had two coffees and a flapjack.  After that, I walked to a part of the river called ‘The Strid’. This is where the river has gouged a course through the limestone rock, leaving some very deep pools.  The views just kept coming thick and fast. It was a nice sunny day with a gentle breeze, so that just added to the prettiness.  I co...
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Welcome

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Its that time of year again, when I embark on another of my long walks.  Now then, I'm heading oop t'north, for this un, so put t'kettle on and sit thee sen down, for a good read on t'computer! This time I am going to walk the Dales Way, which is an 80 mile route from Ilkley in West Yorkshire to Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria.  The Dales Way runs through two National Parks, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, so no doubt there will be some stunning scenery along the way. It is a relatively 'easy' long-distance route, because there is 'only' 7887ft (2405m) elevation to be climbed.  As per usual, I have no set itinerary, but I expect it to take 5-6 days. I'm travelling up on Sunday 1st June and staying in a hotel in Ilkley, but after that, I intend camping the rest of the time. That means I'll be taking that heavy rucksack with me again! I considered taking a train for the whole journey to Ilkley, but due to travelling on a Sunday, that wa...
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