New Walks in Central Nottinghamshire ... and Beyond

Start:  Dufton Finish: Garrigill Distance: 16 miles Total Distance Walked: 174 miles If the previous day had been notable for its length, this one would be so for its altitude.  The Pennine Way reaches its highest point, Cross Fell, on this stage.  We left the campsite and were soon climbing out of Dufton on a good track between dry stone walls and fields.  The path rose quickly but it didn't seem too testing on the firm track and I didn't feel stiff after the long day's walk to Dufton. We left the fields and entered the more exposed slopes on Knock Fell and Great Dun Fell.  The top of Great Dun fell is easy to spot all the way up as there is a large weather and radar station close to the summit.  This has recorded some of the strongest winds ever noted in England.  The area is the only one in the country to have its own named wind, The Helm, which occurs here alone. The weather was favourable for us and from the top of Great Dun Fell we could see our ...

  Start:  Middleton-in-Teesdale Finish: Dufton Distance: 21 miles Total Distance Walked: 158 miles If the previous stage had been unmemorable this one was probably the finest of the entire walk.  It was the one we had been thinking about for days in the knowledge that it would be long and challenging.  Indeed it was, but it was also a lovely walk, mostly along the River Tees, with some fascinating sights on the way. We left Middleton and almost immediately were by the river walking upstream.  The first miles were pleasant but it was only after four miles that we reached the first notable feature, Low Force.  This is a group of small waterfalls which together make quite impressive rapids.  However, they are just the warm-up act for their big brother High Force, a mile along the Tees.  We could hear High Force from well downstream, the roar becoming louder until we could see the high cascade of the most impressive waterfall in England. A few days ea...

Stage Eleven Start: Tan Hill Finish:  Middleton-in-Teesdale Distance: 17 miles Total Distance Walked: 137 miles It says something about the relatively mundane nature of the walking on this stage that I can recall very little about it without the aid of a diary, which I had by this time neglected to keep.  Therefore this post is quite short. The first part of the day was walking across the heather of Sleightholme Moor.  It was fairly flat and uninteresting but fortunately the weather was as obliging as it had been on the rest of the Way and there were few difficulties.  Apparently this part of the walk can be unpleasant in wet conditions but having coped with the moors at the start of the Pennine Way when we hadn't been "walk-fit" these seemed easy enough on springy turf. The afternoon was a little more interesting in fields but I can't remember much about it.  We stayed in Middleton-in-Teesdale at a B & B following four nights under canvass....

Start:  Hawes Finish:  Tan Hill Inn Distance: 17 miles Total Distance Walked: 120 miles At this point I stopped writing up my diary while I was doing the walk so my recollections are purely from my memories. We left Hawes and crossed fields for a mile until we reached the village of Hardraw.  There we took a short diversion off the Pennine Way to visit Hardraw Force, the highest waterfall in England at a height of 96 feet.  To reach it we had to go through the Green Dragon Inn, where we paid a small entrance fee, and walked along a path to the Force.  This was one of those rare spots on the route where other people were around and it was quite busy along the path. The waterfall itself was quite impressive in altitude, although not so much in volume.  We had been very lucky with the weather in the week or so we had been walking.  There had been some low cloud on Black Hill and it had been very windy at times but I can't recall having any ra...

Start: Horton-in-Ribblesdale Finish:  Hawes Distance: 15 miles Total Distance Walked: 103 miles After a breakfast of raspberry yoghurt we decamped and set off at 9.10.  The first few miles were easy walking on a well-surfaced, quite straight road with Pen-y-Ghent's distinct stepped profile on our right and Ingleborough's flat table-top summit to the left.  The route climbed steadily but took a course between the really high country on either side. After three miles the Way went into more open paths and we entered wilder terrain and saw a baby sparrowhawk.  We walked alongside Cam Beck and idled away some minutes watching a piece of foil drift along the Beck.  The ground became wetter underfoot on Cam Fell and at 12 we stopped at Cam End for lunch. The next notable climb was of Dodd Fell.  Although there were many of these hills on the Pennine Way I don't recall any of them being very arduous.  My father set a sensible pace and along the wa...

Start:  Malham Finish: Horton-in-Ribblesdale Distance: 12 miles Total Distance Walked:  88 miles We left our campsite just after 9 o'clock and were soon alongside a pleasant stream heading towards one of the most spectacular features of the whole route, Malham Cove.  This high limestone cliff, shining bright white, was once a waterfall higher than Niagara Falls. We climbed the path by the cove to reach the top and another page of our geography text books where we reached a limestone pavement.  This landscape of blocks of rock and fissures between them may have been interesting geologically but was awkward to walk on.  It was only a short section and we were then into attractive fields before reaching Malham Tarn. On this section of the Pennine way we had seen more people than on any so far and by the Tarn we mingled with a large group walking by the lake which is also a nature reserve.  Leaving the crowds behind we walked through m...

Start:  Thornton in Craven Finish:  Malham   Distance: 12 miles Total Distance Covered: 76 miles We had breakfast at the Post Office B & B .  I had Alpen, a poached egg on toast and bacon.  Before we left at 9.30 "Skinless", who we met the day before and had been camping in a field by the post office, told us that in the night a cow had put its foot through his tent.  We stocked up on supplies including for me a very exotic Yorkie Raisin and Biscuit chocolate bar, a new flavour. The route was much less remote than the early days of the walk.  Part of the route was easy and pleasant along the Leeds and Liverpool canal towpath.  At 12.15 we crossed stepping stones across the River Aire into the village of Gargrave where we had lunch.  While we were there we met the Family Party of walkers whom we had encountered a few days earlier. There was a bit of road walking after we left Gargrave which aggravated my blisters a little....