Sunday 20th March no wind very sunny AM,
clouded over for PM, cool 2 to 8C
A glorious
morning greets me from my farmhouse cottage bedroom window and after
breakfast I am off on the physical challenge of the year. My planned
route is across the Pennines via the Pennine Way. I have no idea on
the surface of the pathway yet know that no matter what it may be I
can either cycle or push and still enjoy it on such a beautiful day.
Naive?
I'll see later.
With many thanks to Michael and Emma at this wonderful b and B, at £30 a night it has been superb value, I set off.
The road
has frosty imprints from a few passing vehicles and there are a few
lapwings skydancing. The road takes me to a large reservoir and I
take a route that gets me to The Pennine Way just south of a large
dam. A pair of red grouse are on a small island beneath a powerful
water shoot.
The tarmac
has gone and the track is cyclable, just. After a farmhouse it
changes again though as the way is made of a new covering of stones.
I push.
A small
tortoiseshell butterfly flutters by as I cross a stream. Birds are
few and far between out here, just the occasional red grouse and
curlew. A single meadow pipit lands on a wall quite close. There may be few birds but the scenery is so beautiful and so empty of people. No one is walking the way today.
Mile after
mile of pushing, I reach a turn in the path where the stony way
changes to boggy grass and small boulders. This is going to be fun!
Downhill
to a river, more tough pushing and then over a bridge. More stones
and a bouncy push uphill, I meet a walker, the first of the day.
Half a
mile later two cyclists stop for a chat, Antony and Dan. Their bikes are built for
this terrain with huge tyres. Photographs swopped and respect.
There are
no birds singing here and I decide to listen to some of my favourite
songs and sing along to them. Meat loaf and Status Quo songs head
across the moorland and suddenly there are crowds of people. So far
today I have seen three people. Here there are dozens and they are
all at this spot because of the incredible, magnificent view. I am
reached the top of High Cup Nick and a group of people tell me that
it is nicknamed 'The Grand Canyon of the North.' The valley is
u-shaped and surrounded by steep cliffs with views over the plain far
below over to the Lake District.
People
want to know why a happy singing man is pushing a heavily laden bike
across the moor and a couple kindly give a donation into the robin
collection box. Thanks Patricia.
BAE systems - WPS Fell Walker group
I start to
head towards the way down. The path goes along a cliff edge and
bumping the bike over the rocks is fun and difficult. A purple-haired
girl helps push over one particularly hard part. My hands are getting
battered by all of this and once the steep path down is reached I
find that with care I can white knuckle ride.
Reaching
the village of Dufton after 15 miles of mostly pushing I can at last
relax and cycle. The small country lanes takes me through valley
after valley, village after village in the direction of Haweswater.
A cyclist
named Lee questions my reasons and tries to lift the bike. He makes
complimentary comments about my legs as his wife, Ribby, puts a large
donation into the collection box. Brilliant.
Over the
A6, over the M6, and with the sun now having set, I find a bridleway
that cuts a corner and find a secluded area to set up the tent for
the night. I am a bit tired.
So the
year list is 189, which is twenty six ahead of this time last year.
27.98
Miles 2329 feet elevation up 2997 feet elevation down
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