Sunday 4 August 2013

Pennines. Last Days


As I pack away the tent it's damp and drizzling. I need to get to Middleton in Teesdale Coop for supplies. A scone and coffee wouldn't come amiss either.


This section is mainly rough pasture or hay meadows. There's lots of bullocks in the fields.  Mostly they ignore you but I found  them a bit intimidating when they stand in a  heard right in front of the stile you are heading for.  Wall climbing became my speciality.


Middleton in Teesdale.  Half day closing, despite being 10:30 ish  half the shops were shut.  Maybe that's what it means.


The Tees is a big river and the path follows it for miles.  There are lots of flowers and spectacular water falls.


Eventually a roaring can be heard and I turned a corner to the site of Cauldron Snout. Special.


It's getting late and I want to get beyond the farms to camp.  Maize Beck looks promising.  The far horizon is High Cup.  Hopefully I won't need to go that far.


Oh yes I do.  The midges are terrible by the beck and there's no wind. At High Cup there's a breeze, well half a gale actually,  but no midges.

How far can I walk in a day back packing ? I now have the answer. 29 miles, never again.

This is all worth it as the next day is beautiful.



Just after this I tip the whole bowl of porridge in the gravel.  So when I get to Dufton walk the half mile into the village as last time there was a shop.  It's now gone.  So I had to walk to the train in Appleby  hungry.

I can't see any reason for anyone doing  the Pennine Way for going all the way down to Dufton just to climb back up to the escarpment to go over Cross Fell.  I would just keep height and walk around the plateau.


Last twist, I'll get some breakfast in Appleby but as I pass the station to get there I  just check the train times. What time is the next train to Carlisle?  3 minutes time.  Bugger.