Finn and I had an early night yesterday after our drive up from Norwich. Quite apart from anything else, it was freezing and I just wanted to be in my sleeping bag. Unfortunately, so did Finn!
I woke a couple of times in the night to hear rain pattering on our tent roof so wasn’t at all surprised to find drizzle when we finally surfaced and drove to Langdon Beck, the start of the second half of the Pennine Way.
After a couple of miles the sun finally broke through and luckily our climb up Cauldron Snout waterfall was relatively pain and stress free. There were a couple of moments when Finn couldn’t climb up some particularly steep boulders, so we perfected a manoeuvre whereby he launched himself and I grabbed his collar and pulled him up. It wasn’t pretty! And also that was the only time I kept ahead of him all day!
My guidebook advised against doing today’s walk in the rain if at all possible as there was a lot of rock hopping which gets pretty slippery. My book also helpfully told me to avoid twisted ankles and broken hips on this section. Gee thanks!
Once we crossed the Maize Beck and stopped to chat to a group of four walkers who were carrying all their camping gear, the rain started to come down again and I’d even got my gloves on at this time as it was so cold and very misty. However, as soon as I could see the beginnings of High Cup Nick, the sun came out again – what a view! Absolutely stunning – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. It was here that my ‘phone started beeping to indicate the first signal in twenty-four hours so I rang Mum and Dad to tell them how amazing it was. They were even more amazed as they were convinced I’d gone to Cornwall!
I ‘phoned a local taxi firm to arrange a lift from Dufton back to Langdon Beck and I made the Stag Inn in Dufton with an hour to spare. All my fears about Finn playing up in pubs were unfounded – he was so tired that he just laid down and didn’t even lift his head when people came to make a fuss of him.
I chatted to a group of half a dozen cyclists who’d been cycling the Pennine Cycle Way this weekend, and also to another Pennine Wayer who still had twenty miles to go. He was also carrying all his gear and was disappointed that the village shop was shut as he had no tea. I donated two bread rolls and a tin of tuna to him – my good deed for the day. He offered to buy me a pint, but, sadly, as if on cue, my taxi had turned up.
So a really brilliant day – lots to see and not too much climbing – which is just how we like it!
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