17th May 2024: Garrigill to Dufton – 16.0 miles
The pain in my left knee ratcheted itself up to a fairly steady 3 or 4 all night, with the occasional spike to 5 or 6 if I flexed it wrong. I kept meaning to get up and take some painkillers, but couldn’t be arsed. The knee was exacerbated by the bed having a footboard on it, so I wasn’t really able to extend my legs properly. My right knee also groaned in sympathy when I lay in a certain position on my other side. It feels like I’m finishing this walk just in time, and I only hope the two knees have another 47 miles in them!
Today’s walk is pretty much uphill for the first 7.5 miles, to the summit of Cross Fell, then 3 miles of undulations across the two Dun Fells, then sharply downhill for the last 5 miles into Dufton. I suspect the knees will receive their biggest test on that last section.
Just before I turned in last night, I also found a very large, yet completely painless blister on one of my toes. I punctured and drained it and I may Compeed it today as a precaution. I think it probably developed because of how wet my feet were all morning. Hopefully today, that won’t be the case. I use the Corpse Road to get up to Cross Fell, so that should be dry at least and the forecast suggests it shouldn’t rain, although it may be cloudy / misty, pretty much all day.
I’m probably going to try and set out as early as possible this morning, and just try and take it really easy. I’ve just had a look out of my bedroom window and the tops are covered in cloud, although I suspect that will clear as the day progresses. My shirt is still damp from yesterday, despite being hung beside an open window all night in the bathroom. As such, I’m going to see how I get on in baselayer and fleece this morning. It may well be cool enough to justify it, and I’m not sure I can face putting the shirt on in its current condition. I really do need to find something to replace it!
I had a great breakfast, I’d decided on the full English, rather than the more minimal bacon and eggs, as I’ve had the last couple of days. I decided I probably needed the sustenance today, the biggest day since day 1 and as it all looked a bit bleak on top, I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to stop and take breaks.
I was out the front door of East View, which I honestly cannot recommend highly enough – especially if you don’t fancy the additional 4 miles on to Alston, by about 8.10 and the tops were still covered in cloud. The baselayer and fleece combo seemed to work well, and I can even roll up the sleeves if I need to. I walked slot through the quiet village, and turned right onto the stony track that was the old corpse road from Garrigill to Kirkland. A corpse road was so called because it was the track used by folk who had to carry their recently deceased to the closest consecrated ground. I’ve walked a few corpse roads in my time, and I’m tempted to write something into my will that would have me use one, one last time, after my own passing.
The road is rough, very rough in places, but it’s impossible to get lost once you’re on it and it’s never especially steep, except at the very end. I plodded at what I thought was quite a slow pace, but when my watch called out the time for each mile, I was quite surprised at how good my pace actually was. The first four miles, were covered in 21, 22, 21 and 18 minutes respectively. The path had long flat sections in between the uphill bits, and I think my average pace was helped significantly by these flat bits.
I had to stop after maybe 40 minutes and add my coat. It was getting quite cold as I climbed, and it even tried to rain a bit. The coat helped on both counts. I passed a couple of guys coming down, who I guessed must have stayed in Greg’s Hut, but they didn’t look like they wanted to slow down and talk, so we just swapped ‘hellos’. A short time later I passed a solo lady walker who was doing LEJoG, using the Pennine Way of course, who had stayed in the Hut and who was happy to chat. She asked me about the next couple of days and I said I hoped she had better weather than today, for the Cheviot section. We both pushed on after a couple of minutes.







The weather wasn’t clearing and although I was never properly cold, I did wish I had hat and gloves a couple of times this morning. I’d strapped my Tilley to my pack, pulled my pack cover over it and used my Buff as a beanie, pulling the hood of my coat up to keep the worst of the wind off, and to try and keep my head warm. I think I may try and find some thin, fingerless gloves for the next half of this walk. They would have kept my hands from being burnt they way they have, and would have helped keep them warm today.
I reached Greg’s Hut at 10.20, only a couple of hours after setting out. The 6.5 miles had taken two hours and 10 minutes, which I think is quite respectable for a fat old git like me. I stopped in for a few minutes and took my first break of the morning. I drank some juice and ate a few jelly babies, and took a little tour of the hut. I left a note in the bothy book and headed back out into the weather. I was pleased to see the cloud had lifted a bit in only the few minutes I’d been inside, but that didn’t last long and before I even turned left to head up to the summit, the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped.
I reached the top at 11.10 and didn’t hang around. This is my third visit to Cross Fell, and this was the best weather I’d had – bloody awful and not suitable for sitting around in the shelter enjoying the views! I needed the GPS to confirm the correct direction away from the trig point. The path isn’t obvious, not until you leave the rock strewn summit, then you can pick it up in the turf. There are some small cairns, but the visibility was so poor I couldn’t see these until I was almost on top of them.
I picked up the slabs leading down from Crowdundle Head and here I met the first walker out of Dufton. In fact I met three people in the space of the next ten minutes, it was like Piccadilly Circus up here! They were all walking the Pennine Way and were all heading for Alston. The first guy seemed ridiculously happy to see me, which could perhaps have been a symptom of the poor weather and the confirmation that he was on the right track. Rather incongruously he had that white paste that cricketers use when they’re out fielding, on his nose and cheeks, I guess he was expecting sun later! He seemed to want to chat, and I tried a couple of times to say my farewell, and I think I eventually pleaded cold, and pushed on.








The next two were only a minute apart, but the fog prevented them from seeing each other. The second of these two was an American I think, and I could see he was eager to get on, so I left him to it. I saw, but didn’t speak to, another guy a little later as we were passing the radar dome, so that was seven Pennine Way walkers today.
The path soon began to ascend again, to reach the summit of Little Dun Fell, and then quickly drops and ascends again to reach Great Dun Fell with its masts and huge radar dome. I could actually just about make out the dome this time, which just goes to show how good the weather was compared to my previous visits – as it had been completely hidden on both those visits! A little further on and I hit the access road, and then headed out onto the fell again. The descent was mostly quite gentle, with only a few steep, rocky sections to test my knees.
Once I reached, and passed, the tall stone cairn called Knock Old Man the mist began to thin out a little, and I began to get some longer views. The slope also became steeper, so I was forced to slow down quite a lot, trying to spare my knees and also to prevent any accidents. Tired knees result in me not picking up my feet properly, and it’s dead easy to catch the sole of a boot on a rock, and take a tumble. Miles 12 and 13 took 33 and 32 minutes respectively, and that’s without stopping.
I did take another break, on a handy rock once I’d dropped out of the cloud for good and the temperature had risen somewhat. It hadn’t risen enough to pack my coat away though, but I finished my juice, had a banana and the flapjack I bought in Haltwhistle the other morning. I was reluctant to eat too much of what I’m carrying, as I need to make sure I kept enough food for at least three stops tomorrow, and I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to pick anything in Dufton. With 21 miles to walk, into Middleton, I reckon I’ll manage at least three lunch breaks.
The descent hurt like buggery and I even considered ‘glissading’ down the steeper sections, using my tarp, but there were too many rocks sticking out and I decided sore knees were better than the possible sore alternative! I eventually reached the big bridge at the bottom of the fell, which psychologically felt like I was almost in the village, but was actually still two and a half miles from the end.











My feet were sore now too, as well as my knees, so I walked slowly down the lane. A group of DofE kids crossed a stile just ahead of me and they went left and I went right, and within another 30 minutes I was in the village. It was too early to get into my accommodation, the Pennine Potting Shed, so I headed for the Post Box Cafe. I ordered a pot of tea for two for one (a legacy of an old walking pal, Rambling Pete) and settled down to people watch for a while. There was another group of DofE students on the benches out front, and a steady stream of them came and went over the hour I was sat there. I had a slice of awesome millionaires shortbread, and then a small pot of ice cream to round the feast off. As I was leaving I picked up a couple of cans of Diet Coke for my room later, and another slice of shortbread for afters.
The Pennine Potting Shed is a self-service, self-contained shed at the bottom of someone’s garden. I got the key from the lock box and let myself in. It’s quite tiny, but includes a bunk bed, a sofa, a tiny kitchen and a shower room. There’s the makings of a continental breakfast in the fridge and a tuck box with chocolate and such if needed. I now have no worries about my three lunch stops tomorrow!
There’s a little patio out front of the shed and it’s a proper sun trap, so I laid out all my wet gear; boots, socks, beanie, coat, etc on the garden furniture provided, and within an hour they’d all dried completely! I should probably have added my shirt, which I packed away damp this morning, but to be honest, I think I’ll try and use my fleece again tomorrow. I’m going to be out early, so it may be chilly enough to justify it.
I had a chat with Chris, who seems to be resolved on his own north to south Pennine Way later in the year, thanks to my blogs spinning the walk in such a great light 🙂 – he just needs to get fit for it!
I’m now sat in the Stag, waiting for my tea, and quite looking forward to my night in the shed. It’s definitely the most novel place I’ve stayed in for years.
4 thoughts on “Pennine Way (North to South) 2024 – Day 7”
Cross Fell – God forbidding place. Gordon Manley is his book Climate and the British Scene, 1952, hypothesised that the permanent glacier level was only 1300 feet above the summit of Cross Fell. Lingering snowdrifts on the northern side of Cross Fell were common into late Spring/early summer.
Of course, the climate’s warmed since then.
On my south to North mid-pennine way walk, I got so mentally fatigued in the descent past Greg’s Hut to Alston, that I got lost. I was lucky to arrive at my destination at 5pm. I gave up LDW not long after this.
Correction:
GM actually said “the present day snowline would be found at about 5300 feet in the Ben Nevis region, 5900 feet in the Lake District, and 6300 feet in the Snowdon district. That is, if the mountain summits exceeded this height, small glaciers would probably develop under present climactic conditions. (Book written 1952).
The Potting Shed looks fantastic! Hope you had a good day today & the knees held out!
Two things mate…
1 – why didn’t you simply wash out your shirt at a b&b and then drape it over your backpack in the morning to finish drying? Would have had a fresh shirt every couple of days ????
2 – I am indeed inspired by your blog to do my own North to South PW later in the year, and as you rightly said – I do need to get fit first ????????