Language lessons

Friday 8 June – Hawes to Tan Hill Inn

Language is a funny thing. The English we speak is an amalgam of many sources, and when you travel through England you hear many dialects and local words, but what really brings it home are the place names.

Here in the North we come face to face with the Norse influence, still evident a thousand years later. Not so much in speech, though it’s undoubtedly there, but in place names.

Take today, for example. Our journey took us over Great Shunner Fell, through Thwaite and bypassing Keld. ‘Fell’ is a northern term for a high and barren mountain. ‘Thwaite’ means an area cleared for habitation, while ‘keld’ is a water source. The next couple of days will bring us more examples.

The next five days, including today, are some of the longest and hilliest of our entire walk. They will be challenging! But they will also give us some amazing scenery.

Today was a good intro, a 26km hilly walk from Hawes to Tan Hill Inn. In total we had 1000m of ascent (and 800m of descent) – that’s rather a lot!

The start took us through the hay meadows behind Hawes and on to the village of Hardraw. So far, so simple, but then it was a two hour steady climb up and up, past stone-walled fields, out through moorland and up to the summit of Great Shunner Fell (don’t you just love the name?). At some 716m it’s the highest we’ve yet got to. The views leading up, back across Hawes, were just magnificent, and we really enjoyed the walking in the wide-open spaces. A bit of cloud kept the temperature down but it was a fine day and ideal for a walk.

At the summit was a well-designed wind break shelter in the form of a cross, so no matter the wind direction you could find shelter. We sat there for a bit, enjoying a snack and a break and the peace.

Over the hill brought us whole new vistas to west, north and east, down to the village of Thwaite. Actually getting there took a fair bit of walking, but our way was aided by stone slabs across boggier bits. By 1.30pm we’d descended and found a café – time for a coffee, lemonade and slice. Thwaite is a lovely little village with a surprising number of B&Bs, nestled in a small valley.

The next hour or so were a bit of a trial, up 200m, along a fairly rocky and narrow path, then down to near the village of Keld. Mind you, we were high up overlooking Swaledale – yet another dale – and were treated to some lovely views.

Bypassing Keld, we had a steep ascent, then out over farmland and moorland, the path gently rising with views out over a valley to our left. A final steepish up brought Tan Hill Inn into sight, our destination for tonight.

It’s in the middle of nowhere, off a minor road, but a popular destination for walkers and cyclists. It’s also the highest pub in Britain, at 528m. It even has its own snowplough parked outside – and it’s not for show! When we were making our bookings, there weren’t really any alternatives, but given that we are glad we are able to stay – it has a lot of character, and a great place to sit and chill out.

As we write this, the sun is setting, casting a golden glow over the surrounding moorlands. And yes, photos have been taken!

Distance today: 26km

Great Shunner Fell:

Hay meadows near Thwaite