Pennine Way (North to South) 2024 – Day 8

18th May 2024: Dufton to Middleton – 21.5 miles

Well I have to say, the Pennine Potting Shed is a great little place to spend a night. It had everything a walker could need, including peace and quiet. I heard nothing all night, and apart from what has become the usual niggle with my knee, I slept really well. The adult bunk beds are probably longer than kids bunk beds, but they were still about 5 inches too short for me, as my feet kept nudging the bottom railings in the night. That’s my only complaint though!

I was awake about 5am as usual, and dozed until 6am, when I stirred myself and began to sort myself out. I made a pot of tea and put some bread in the toaster for a breakfast I may have at home. I had plenty of supplies for the day, including a bag of crisps, a banana and some Tunnocks Caramel Wafers, all of which were provided in the Shed – as such I didn’t really miss a massive breakfast. I knew I could stop several times; second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon and afternoon tea, and probably still be able to manage a snack in the middle too.

I had to take the first Imodium of the trip, just to be on the safe side, and I washed them down with the usual pre-walk painkiller cocktail to try and alleviate the pain in my knee.

I was out the door and walking through the village by 7am. It was a bit misty and I couldn’t see any of the surrounding fells, but the forecast said it would clear up later, and it should be a warm, sunny day later. I turned up the lane at the end of the village and began the long climb up to High Cup Nick. This is one of the most splendid sights on the Pennine Way and I was hoping the mist would clear before I got there, so I could see it in its full glory.

The lane leads you gently uphill to begin with and over the next half mile or so, I upset dozens of young rabbits who were all playing on the tarmac. One of them got quite confused, and I followed him for a while before he cut through the waffle pattern fence beside the road.

The higher I got, the rougher the track became, and watery sunshine began to leak through the cloud / mist that was still surrounding me. My fitness level has certainly improved since that first, lung-bursting climb out of Kirk Yetholm and although I wasn’t exactly skipping up the hill, I certainly wasn’t worrying about my heart rate and I only needed to stop to take photos and for the occasional quick gasp of breath.

At the gate on Peeping Hill (a name I like to think comes from the peeping of plover or oyster catchers) I came out of the cloud, into the bright sunshine and behind me the valley was filled with white fluffy cloud. It was a wonderful sight. Not quite a full cloud inversion, but still a great reward for an early start and a steep climb.

The path was mostly rocky now, with long grassy sections and it twists and turns as it climbs. The views behind became even more impressive as I gained height – the whole of the Eden valley was filled with cloud, and just the upper slopes and tops of the hills visible.

I passed a herd of fell ponies, one or two of the mares had young foals with them, which they shielded protectively and walked them off, higher up the hillside away from me. I didn’t particularly recall seeing them on my previous visits to these fells, but they are lovely to see and certainly make a change from sheep and bloody cattle.

By 8.15 I had a good view of the Nick of High Cup and I was happy that most of the steep climbing was done for the day. There was still plenty of height gain ahead, but I knew it wasn’t going to be as steep as what I’d already put behind me. A few minutes later, as I approached the head of the huge glacial scar on my right I met my first walker of the day. He was walking with a small dog, and he’d camped a little before he’d reached the Nick. He was walking the Pennine Way of course and we swapped path reports and anecdotes for a few minutes. He was hoping to stay in Greg’s Hut tonight, but had concerns about it being full and whether he could find water close to it. I put his mind to rest on both accounts – there’s a huge sleeping platform in the hut, and when I passed it yesterday the little burn that runs beside it was full of water. He seemed really happy on both counts.

I took loads of pictures, and a couple of videos once I reached the head of the valley, hoping that some of them would help to portray the beauty and splendour of this incredible location. It’s truly one of the most fantastic locations on the Pennine Way, and you don’t even need to be walking the path to visit – it’s an hour’s walk out of Dufton!

I stopped for second breakfast on the lip of the Nick, and had to secure my Tilley to my head with the chin strap to ensure I didn’t lose it down the valley. I was conscious of the distance I still had ahead of me though, so I moved on after a few minutes. The path now runs beside Maize Beck, a wide and rocky river, but with very little water in it at the moment. The Pennine Way follows the river downstream, so the path is very gently down hill for the most part, with short ascents here and there. I crossed the magnificently over-engineered bridge, which is dedicated to Ken Willson, a previous President of the Pennine Way Association, and shortly after began to climb away from the beck.

At the top of the climb I met the bloody awful four wheel drive track that replaced the previous grass and slab track I enjoyed on my first walk. This runs for two miles to the farm buildings at Birkdale and although it makes for quick and easy progress, and the views around it are wonderful, it’s pretty hard going on the feet and rather monotonous. Red flags were flying to the right, marking the edge of the Warcop range, but I heard no firing.

I passed four lads as they were coming through the farm buildings, they were all deep in discussion, and we only exchanged ‘hellos’, but they looked like Pennine Wayers – big packs, dirty boots, the thousand yard stare of the walker who’s been on the trail for 10 days! I sat on a handy rock and had luncheon.

Beyond the farm I began to get long views down to the River Tees, which is what Maize Beck becomes when it is joined by the outflow from Cow Green Reservoir. I would be down there shortly, picking my way gingerly over the rocks beside the river. I dropped down along the farm access road for another mile to reach the bridge beneath the dam of the reservoir. I then turned right and began the tricky descent beside Cauldron Snout. I remember it being a difficult ascent – and the first time I looked at it, from the bottom, I wasn’t sure there was actually a path up it. The way down is even more disconcerting. Firstly that path isn’t obvious in places, and that was compounded today, by some guy sitting in the middle of it and hiding it from me. I assumed he was sat off to one side, so I hunted for the way down, until I realised he was sitting right on it. Secondly, it incredibly irregular and my knees didn’t make things any easier, so I took ages to descend, trying to take pictures as best I could.

I made it safely to the bottom and then followed the path beside the river. This is easy to begin with, but soon becomes more awkward as you have to negotiate long stretches of fallen rocks right beside the water. There’s no option but to choose each foot placement very carefully – one slip and you could turn an ankle, and even take a dunking if you’re every unlucky. Falcon Clints is a notorious section of the walk, and as picturesque as it is, I needed to concentrate.

I reached Widdy Bank Farm, which is about half-way for the day, at 11:40. I filtered some cold water and used the last of my juice concentrate. I had lunch here, and chatted to a guy walking north. He was determined to get at least 13 miles under his belt before he stopped though, so he had another mile or so to go. It was warm now, so I soaked my buff in the water before I set out again, washed my face and then used it as a bandana under my Tilley to keep my head cool.

Although it was half way, the hardest path of the day had already been done, and I was still feeling strong. The path leaves the river for a while, and I had to pass through a couple of herds of cattle, one of which were blocking a little bridge, but they were no trouble. I rejoined the river for a while, following a lovely path and then lost it again, heading for the farm at Cronkley. I had to climb again for a while now, first up the steep crag behind the farm, and then more gently over the open, grassy expanse of Bracken Rigg. This section is short, but sublime and offers great views in all directions. I begin to meet a lot of people now, enjoying the paths that link the various waterfalls that I was approaching. I stopped again, briefly, to filter more water from a handy burn, enjoying a cold drink and wetting my bandana again.

Once I reached High Force, and beyond, I was tripping over folk – dozens of them, all walking slowly, and clogging the path, often walking five abreast. This side of the river isn’t the best for views of these waterfalls, but I took what photos I could, when space beside the bank permitted, although most good photo spots were filled with people.

Fortunately, once I passed Low Force, and the narrow Wynch Bridge, the crowds disappeared and it was just me and another solo walker, who managed to stay about 200 yards ahead of me for a good while. The bluebells along this section were incredible, adding a splash of colour to the green borders beside the path. The sun was beating down now and the shade of the trees that line the river bank was most welcome. I was very much on autopilot now, not really wanting to stop, in case I couldn’t start again and just grinding out the miles. The path along this stretch was punctuated with step stiles too – something I remembered less than fondly from my previous visits, and something I had hoped would have been rectified by now. Each stile had two or three horizontal metal bars above the step, making it even more difficult to clamber over.

I was very pleased to eventually spot the buildings of the cattle market, that signalled my approach to Middleton. A few minutes later and I was walking up the street into the town. My first goal was a cold drink! I arrived, hot and sweaty, into the Teesdale, right opposite my B&B at about 15:20. I had a little time to kill before I could get into my room though, so I demolished a couple of pints of Diet Coke, then walked back into town to visit the Co-op and stock up on provisions for my last night and day. As I reached the shop, my watch told me that I’d completed 40,000 steps!

I knocked on the door of Belvedere House at 16:10 and had a warm welcome from Clare. My room is on the second floor, up in the attic and it’s absurdly hot at the top of the house. There’s a Dorma window, and although it’s probably helping a bit, it also means I can hear the punters from the two pubs (one next door, one across the road) talking loudly in the evening sunshine. I imagine that’s going to go on all night, so with the noise and being too warm I’m not getting much sleep tonight I bet!

There’s no shower, so I was forced into the bath, which I hate. It wasn’t even big enough to stretch out in and relax, so it was just a quick in and out (or as quick as my size, shape and upper body strength would allow me to get in and out of a bath).

To round off the most perfect day, I’ve been next door but one, to the chippy, for my tea. Two sausages, one battered, one not, chips and Diet Coke – the best chippy tea I’ve had in years! I sat outside, in the shade to eat them too. The chips were done to perfection and the sausages were nicely browned, and it was brought out to the benches in front of the shop, by a chatty young girl who said she was glad of the fresh air, as it was stifling in the shop.

I’m back in my room now. I’ve written the first part of this day’s journal and the last part, but the middle section had to wait until I got home. I was so shattered by 8pm that I fell asleep. I didn’t stir until 5.30am!

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