Wednesday 6 June – Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Hawes
Leaving our little country pub in the cloudy early morning, we set off along a lane just a few metres out of the car park to continue along the Pennine Way – very handy! As always, the day started with a bit of a climb but a very straightforward route as we followed a stony track. In fact most of today was along such tracks, with just a short stretch of grassy path. So, easy progress although tougher on the feet. Most of the tracks were between dry stone walls but passed through some big expanses of moorland, so there were some fabulous views.
Our highest point today was near Dodd Fell, just a little under 600m above sea level (having started at about 200m, and also finishing at about 200m), and that involved a gradual ascent that took most of the morning. Along the way we had views of the Ribblehead Viaduct – made famous in the second Harry Potter movie – and also of the three of the highest peaks in this part of Yorkshire.
A few kilometres out of Horton we passed Sell Gill holes, where a stream literally disappears down a huge hole in the limestone rock. We passed a couple of other examples of this later in the day – quite weird, like a reverse spring! There are lots of other larger holes and caves in the limestone in this area – our accommodation last night was across the road from the Craven Potholing Club.
We also walked over an old packhorse bridge – yes we know, difficult to guess the purpose from the name! – but strangely enough, an example of the type of bridge over rivers, or other obstacles, built specifically to allow laden packhorses to cross easily. So, no walls originally, as this might have restricted the pack size, and usually no more than six feet wide, and built between 1650 and 1800. The one we crossed had walls, but these would have been added after 1800 once pedestrians started using the bridge.
Our long, gradual descent into Hawes took us through some very pretty meadows and through the neighbouring village of Gayle.
Distance today: 22km
Thursday 7 June – Hawes – rest day!
Hawes is a beautiful village set in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s about a kilometre long, with many attractive buildings along each side of the road, and sits in a valley between two fells, a scenic setting indeed. Our room at our extremely welcoming and comfortable B and B, Ebor House, looks out over the fell behind the house – gorgeous.
We have had a day playing tourists. For such a small place there was certainly plenty to keep us occupied. We spent quite some hours out and about – visiting the nearby Dales Countryside Museum and learning so much about the past way of life in the Dales, then a working ropemakers, and also the Wensleydale Creamery where they make the famous cheese best known from Wallace and Gromit (and some of which Peter had eaten with dinner last night!)All fascinating places. After a coffee and cake (tough life) we strolled through the village in glorious sunshine, taking photos and generally enjoying a very relaxing day.
We were heartened to find that the Creamery, and their newer second nearby premises, are doing their best to be a sustainable business – using locally produced milk, recycling the water recovered from the whey during the cheesemaking process, using the heat produced by the refrigerators to heat the visitors centre. We are also seeing a lot about reducing plastics and clearing plastic waste on various TV programmes / TV News, and have passed some little local nature reserves where replanting is taking place. It is great that there does seem to be a bit of a groundswell amongst everyday folk to do their bit and try to maintain and restore the beautiful countryside that we have been walking through.
Hawes is a wonderful place to have spent a rest day in, and we could easily see ourselves returning to use it as a base for hill walking.
On the way into Hawes:
Hawes
Scrumpy to Scotch 