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| Excellent drying room at Keld Lodge |
Weather forecast throughout England today was for a fine day - and it was, but not too hot, in fact, just right, with a cool breeze thoughout the day. As we set off we found the way marker of where the Pennine Way (north-south) crosses the Coast to Coast Walk (east-west).
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| Nick, our wonderful host, in Keld |
We had several choices today - a high route and a low route. Bob and I decided to walk up Crackpot Hall, while Mark and Julie walked along the River Swale.I tentatively followed Bob up a steep, but very scenic, narrow path to a ruin, which was the remnant of a farmhouse, where the manager of a lead mine lived in the 18th century. In fact, there has been a history of lead mining in the area from possibly the Bronze Age but definitely since Roman times. There was a lead ingot found in Swaledale with the Roman name 'Hadrian' on it. We met Julie and Mark outside a very sophisticated teahouse in the remote hamlet of Gunnerside, where they had ensconced themselves, chatting to fellow walkers until we caught up with them.
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| Low route |
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| High route |
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| Bob's new special subject : lead mining |
It was unanimous today that this track down the Swaledale Valley was one of our most beautiful day's walking. Whether by the river or high on the ridge, overlooking farmland, it was spectacular. It looked like a toy farm set with everything perfectly placed in the fields. There was plenty of activity with local farmers hurrying to cut and bale hay while the weather was fine.
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| The gorgeous Swaledale Valley |
We loved the immaculate stone farmhouses with their colourful gardens and window boxes.
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| Beautifully presented farmhouses |
We arrived at our destination of Reeth to find a busy tourist centre with Saturday crowds at pubs, tea and craft shops. Apparently, Reeth was filmed for many of the town scenes in the TV series 'All Creatures Great and Small.'
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| Saturday crowds in Reeth |
Our B&B is a private home tonight, with a lovely backyard, where we intend to have a drink before we dine at a local pub.
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| Relaxing after a long day's walk |
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