Day seventy four - Hawes to Gods Bridge seventy

 12th May.

A fantastic day, the weather was perfect, the fells easy to walk and not too wet, birds singing everywhere and not very many people.

Kill or cure?

It started rather cloudy and cold but the forecast said it would be a sunny day and they were right, light winds as well.

It is a long, long climb up to Great Shunner Fell but with the rolling hills to look at and the birds to see and hear, particularly the Lapwings it was a lovely walk.

Down the other side, where I did meet a small number of people coming up and into Thwaite.

A welcome site

There appeared from the map to be nothing in Thwaite apart from a few houses but there is an Hotel and café.

A pot of tea and a Wensleydale cheese and cranberry sandwich, even though I was now in Swaledale not Wensleydale.

Up and around Kisdon hill to Keld. There were loads of dead rabbits on and near the path here, some rather smelly!

There were a lot of people at Keld but the Way doesn't go through it so I avoided most of them.

The route goes up Stonesdale Moor near the road most of the way to the Tan Hill Inn.

I decided against staying at Tan Hill after being told that they were only doing food if you had a table booked, they were fully booked and then I noticed they wanted £18 for fish and chips. The place was packed with camper vans as well.

A pint of best with a bag of crisps and a pickled egg and I was off down the road.

I met someone near Frith Lodge who explained that all the barns in the fields were used for storing hay in the loft and the cows and sheep underneath for the winter. He also gave me a very useful tip that was to use the road and a cycle track to avoid the horrendous boggy path through Sleightholm Moss and what a delightful diversion it was. A very quiet road giving easy walking so I could admire the views, he also suggested camping at Gods Bridge, another brilliant suggestion.

23.5 miles walked 1100 meters ascent.