Day 30 - Halfway there

 

It was a little chilly in Motorhome Towers last night, at least until I dragged myself from my sleeping bag to put the heating on around 2am. At such moments my mind turns to Chris, who we met in week two and was wild camping his way up to Scotland. Utter madness. Also makes me wonder where Kirsty and Di, who I met in week one, are up to  - I think perhaps somewhere down the Cotswold Way?

The bright morning proved the BBC weather forecasters wrong for around the 20th day out of 30 (no wonder Owain left) and it was great to welcome Andy Webster aboard with a cup of motorhome coffee before Phil purloined his car for the 30 min journey back to our start point in Malham. Anything wider than a single carriageway road has yet to be invented in this neck of the woods. 

From Malham, Andy and I were straight up to Malham Cove, a tourist mecca I am sure many of you will already have visited. Described as a 'limestone amphitheatre', it is a manageable climb and provides great views across the valley. The limestone pavement is a bit of an adventure to cross, as shown above, but we were soon round the back and on to Malham Tarn, an impressively large lake that seems to appear out of nowhere.

There wasn't too much wildlife around, although Andy did reveal himself as a former member of the Young Ornithologists' Club, a claim verified by him very quickly identifying a robin before the end of the day. Well done, Andy.

The route then climbs Fountains Fell, which peaks at around 2165 feet. It became apparent that Andy has something of an obsession with height (no idea why), frequently asking me to verify on my GPS where we were up to. It's a lovely mile or so walk down from the fell and we could see Phil and the motorhome in the distance. I swear I could even hear the kettle boiling. The temperature was a few degrees cooler today, particularly up high on the fells, and it was great to be able to jump in the van for a warm. I nearly got the sleeping bag out again.

Around the tarn and on the fell, we had been talking to a couple walking the Pennine Way through to Kirk Yetholme, and Andy and I were delighted to extend Phil's hospitality by inviting them in for a cuppa, although five in the home is a tight squeeze and we ran out of mugs. One of the pleasures of walking the trails is chatting to fellow travellers, even Leicester Tigers fans like our new friends, whilst sharing discoveries of previous days and walks. Thank you for the subsequent sponsorship - it turned into an expensive cup of tea!

We only had five or so miles to go now but this included the highlight of Pen y Ghent, one of the famed Yorkshire Three Peaks. From a distance the ascent can look a little daunting and hands and knees are occasionally required to scramble up but it is always worth the effort. As Andy knows, we peaked at 2260ft (around 690m), then had a gentle-ish couple of miles down to Horton-in-Ribblesdale and a quick pint in the Golden Lion.

Andy and I had walked 15 miles, but 15 miles with a lot of climbing feels a lot further. We certainly covered a lot of ground in our conversation, particularly with Ipswich Town finally being close to returning where they belong (i.e. a division below the Premier League). As I have said before, I am so pleased that friends have taken the trouble to travel and walk with me, they make the experience so much more enjoyable.

At some point during the day, I believe I passed my halfway mark but I will have to verify the records tomorrow when I'm back on my own for a shortish and reportedly easier 15 miles to Hawes. I hope to be in early, which can only mean one thing - Stats Day...

On the way up Pen y Ghent

Pen y Ghent!

Summit Achieved

Views from Malham Cove earlier in the day