Day 9 - Horton in Ribblesdale to Hawes

Today was another fairly long one at just under 15 miles. Although the first 4 or 5 hours didn't include any troubling uphill gradients it seemed like a bit of a slog, largely on the sort of rock strewn drovers' lanes which we've encountered before.

The walk started from just outside the Horton hotel's front door. At least that's something in its favour. The first couple of miles afforded some fine views back over the Ribble Valley to Horton, with its quarry in the distance. Let's try a panorama of that view since my Fuji X10 makes that so simple. If you click through on the below picture hopefully it will show you the full panorama in all its glory.

Ribble Valley from Horton Moor

I'm noticing that the sheep fields often dotted with red or yellow plastic tubs. I thought at first that these were some sort of salt lick, but here's what they are. I suppose this is the high-tech version of the feed beet that was sprinkled around earlier fields, something to help lambing ewes out when the grass is still pretty poor.

Crystalyx. It's tupping delicious.

About three miles out of Horton and 11am strikes, so time to stop for a quick break next to Ling Gill nature reserve, where Long Gill Beck drops down over a waterfall into a limestone gorge. The stream is crossed by Ling Gill Bridge into which is set an old carved stone which the guide book says carries "undecipherable" wording. To me it very much looks like "AD 1766 THIS BRIDGE WAS REPAIRED AT THE CHARGE OF THE WHOLE [can't read the next line]".

Ling Gill Bridge inscription

A short distance further on the Pennine Way intersects with the Dales Way, at which point we ran into 3 other walkers. Two older gents were walking the Pennine Way in manageable sections of a few days at a time, and had also stayed at Horton the night before. At various points throughout the day we passed them, then they passed us again, and so on, every time we stopped for a break. Here's the view from that Pennine / Dales Way junction, showing the Yorkshire Three Peaks in the distance (Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough, Whernside) which are the peaks scaled by walkers or runners in the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.

Yorkshire Three Peaks

Another couple of miles slogging up the hill and we were onto Cam High Road, which the OS map shows as a Roman Road. Seems likely, since this valley is gently sloping so any roads along its sides would be eminently marchable. Only the sheep are on the march today.

We come in peace

Up, up, and yet more up. The last few miles had been slowly leading up to Dodd Fell, which at 668 metres isn't so far short of yesterday's Pen-y-Ghent, although admittedly a great deal less spectacular. Maybe understandably the Pennine Way doesn't bother going up to the peak of Dodd Fell, but instead skirts around its western slope. It seemed to me that this meant that today's walk would include no peaks at all, so I rather rashly decided to scale its giddy heights on my own. Hmm, well I suppose it was worth it for completeness, although nothing to write home about.

Dodd Fell trig point

While I was taking this photograph at the top of Dodd Fell a small figure in blue appeared on the horizon, heading my way at speed. It was another fell runner, who stopped and expressed surprise at seeing anyone other than a fell runner up there. He said that he was in training for the Fellsman race, which I see is to be held on the 28th and 29th of April, and that he had "another 30 to go". I think that must be 30 miles rather than peaks, although I could be wrong.

As I returned from Dodd Fell to the Pennine Way route I spotted Jonathan and Sean in the distance, so ended up running the last couple of hundred yards over peat bog to try to get back to the path in front of them. Just about managed it.

At this point we were on the descent into Hawes, with some very swanky houses visible to the west in the Snaizeholme valley, along with some Forestry Commission "green tarmac" patches.

Snaizeholme valley

Hawes is a busy, bustling market town in the valley of the River Ure, probably the most touristy place we're seen since Hebden Bridge, but with more knick-knick shops. Some lovely stretched fields sloping down into the valley. I'm sure there's a good reason for this field pattern as it's something we've seen in many of the valleys around here.

Descent into Hawes

Tonight we're staying at Crosby House in Hawes, which is a wonderful antidote to last night. Met at the door by the landlady, and the offer of tea turned out to be a full cream tea. Big, clean, recently fitted and decorated rooms, free Wifi, home-made biscuits in the room, and so on.


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