It was overcast this morning as I walked the 1.5 miles back to Middleton-in-Teesdale to rejoin the Pennine Way. I had been looking forward to todays section as it includes several highlights. I left the road and joined the path along the River Tees at 9:30. The Tees is a beautifulyl wild river, teeming with birdlife. At various times along the route today I spotted dippers, grey wagtails, sandpipers, goosanders, dunlin, willow warblers , blackcaps, redshanks and oystercatchers.
Low Force
High Force
The walk starts gently enough and is a real joy, soon reaching Low Force and later High Force (the highest waterfall in England), both very respectable waterfalls and worth a photo!
I met Dave along the river here, just before Low Force and we caught up briefly on our 'news'. I left him 'watching the river' and didn't see him again until Greenhead.
Easy walking for a while. As far as High Force it was quite busy with tourists coming to see the waterfalls. After High Force the scenery becomes increasingly wild and beautiful and the feeling of remoteness and isolation returns. I didn't see anyone between here and Cauldron Snout.
There is a lovely wide-open marshy section from Saur Hill Bridge to the marvelously named Widdy Bank Farm where there is no definable path but you can just head for a farm in the distance. It was very wet both under foot and over head now - the rain had started back at High Force and wasn't to stop until I had reached High Cup Nick later in the day.
The banks of the Tees are full of wild flowers along this section
It started to become misty as I approached what was to me one of the most difficult sections of the Pennine Way - the approach to Cauldron Snout over the impressive Falcon Clints (which would make great name for a country and western singer)!
The path passes between Falcon Clints and the river over rocks and boulders which in wet weather (as it was) are extremely slippery and difficult to cross. The rocks and boulders continue for probably less than a mile but took me well over an hour to cross, and I fell over several times. This may have been in part due to the problem I was having with my boots (see here) but Tony Hopkins in the Pennine Way North National Trail Guide says 'Twisted ankles and broken hips are regular mishaps on this section' and when I caught up with Dave a few days later he told me how he had fallen here and twisted his ankle, blacking out with the pain.
Cauldron Snout, impressive in both sight and sound
As I neared the end of the hazard of Falcon Clints I could hear the roar of Cauldron Snout and I turned the corner to an impressive sight. I scrambled up the rocks at the side of the waterfall, slippery and precarious in places - much care needed, and ate lunch at the top in the rain. Lunch was followed by a large Mars bar, the restorative properties of which had become a real revelation to me!
The rain was heavy, it was cold, dark and becoming increasingly misty, but todays walk was turning into one of the most enjoyable of the Pennine Way so far - a real classic with character in spades. And there was more to come!
Two walkers approached from the Falcon Clints direction and passed as I finished my lunch.They continued northwards along a nature trail and so I was alone once again on the Pennine way as I headed for another remote section and High Cup Nick.
The section between Cauldron Snout and the crossing of Maize Beck was a hard slog in the rain. It was marshy and boggy in turns and sometimes difficult to find a route that didn't involve wading through water or black bogs ! Visibility was poor and I had read that the crossing can be a problem if the beck is high - it seemed high to me, although I hadn't been here before and so didn't know how high 'high' was! I had thought the crossing place would be difficult to find but after several false sightings it was obvious when it at last presented itself. I would imagine the alternative route when the beck is high doesn't afford such a dramatic approach to High Cup Nick so I would recommend taking the normal route if possible.
It was very wet and misty by now and visibilty was worsening. I climbed on and suddenly the mist cleared and the incredible view looking out over High Cup Nick suddenly appeared.
...... My first view of High Cup Nick - the mist cleared and there it was!
Looking along High Cup Scar
I spent a long time here admiring the views and eating another Mars bar. My photos can't do justice to the views - they are really quite awesome in scale and I wrote in my notes that night that they are the most impressive I've seen anywhere in England. That first sight of the view as the mist cleared reminded me of the time several years ago I walked to the edge of the Grand Canyon in th U.S. and looked over for the first time.
The path follows the edge on the north side, along the Narrow Gate path, and is quite hard going. The views are still quite stunning. Progress is slow along the length of the cliff. The path eventually starts to drop and the descent becomes very steep down towards Dufton.
The rain had stopped as I reached High Cup Nick and, such is the effect of the extraordinary geology and geography in this area, Dufton had been dry all day.
I stayed in the Stag Inn at Dufton and ate a well earned steak with two pints of Black Sheep beer. It had been a difficult day, over 21 miles through terrain which had become tough after High Force and which in wet conditions was demanding. It was one of the best walks I have ever done, anywhere in the world.
Rating for day out of 10 :-