Walk: 11:30am to 3:15pm - 6.3 miles
The first real drive of the week to get us to our walk today, as we headed up the B6479 to Ribblehead, then along the B6255 to Hawes – about 20-25 miles. We didn’t leave the cottage until around 10:45am, had a lazy few hours watching morning TV and reading. It reminded me why I like staying on cottages so much, you can do what you want, when you want, and however you want – and all in warm, dry and comfortable surroundings. In fact, for the 4th day on the trot I went walking in EXACTLY the same clothes, we just throw all our clothes in the washer when we come back from a walk, then they’re dry for the following morning – so less clothes to take home and wash. Obviously this cottage also has the added attraction of the hot-tub – what a way to relax after a good few hours walking.
Anyway, on to the walk. We parked in the car-park next to the rope-makers building, and headed off on the road towards Sedbusk, then crossing a couple of fields and up an incline to get to the hamlet of Sedbusk – a pretty little group of houses on the hill. We had a short stop for a breather before we set off west across the fields towards Simonstone Hotel.
The next kilometre or so was slow going walking through wet meadows which had been separated into lots of small fields so there were lots of small gates to go through – sometimes I wonder if the small gates in the walls were made for ‘stick people’ to go through, the gaps are often just so small and getting through with a rucksack on your back is often like solving a puzzle.
We arrived at Simonstone Hotel where the main building is a beautiful looking building with great views over the valley to the hills beyond. After the hotel we headed downhill over a field towards the Green Dragon pub where we paid our £2 each to go and look at Hardraw Force. We spent about an hour here as we had our lunch on a picnic bench after visiting the falls themselves.
It was a spectacular sight and well worth the visit. I was amazed at how many keen photographers were there with their tripods – I can imagine that it gets extremely busy there during the summer. Certainly a highlight of our week, and I was really glad that my wife Donna had suggested it when we were planning today's trip.
After exiting the pub we headed along the lane towards Appersett, and then detoured just before the second bridge over the river as we were hoping to be able to walk along the disused train-line and over the abandoned viaduct, but it looked like it was long abandoned as you couldn’t get on it - however the sheep seemed to manage it. So we walked back down to the main road to head back into Hawes. We did drop off the road to walk down the side of the river before heading back up to the main street and then back to the car.
Another lucky day on the weather front, dry whilst we were out walking and the second that we got back to the car the rain-drops started. In fact, by the time we had driven the ½ mile to the Wensleydale Creamery it was banging down with rain. This did make us chuckle a little as it was our 5th visit to the creamery, and on every occasion it has been raining very heavily. I think we’re jinxed.
We headed back to Settle, had a little walk around some shops then back to the cottage for a short break, followed by a meal at the R.Spice. After 5 days walking our last full day tomorrow is going to be more like a rest day with a few trips to towns and villages and maybe a short walk up Castleberg Rock when we get back.
More photos can be found here
More photos can be found here
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