Wytham Moor to Langdon Beck
I woke up to a damp morning on the Pennine Way. The mist was down and there was light rain. It felt like I was getting the true Pennine Way experience! I packed my tent and set off on my way.
I left Wytham Moor, went under the A road and climbed up onto Dryrigg Moss. The path was lovely spongey moorland, with little cairns to mark the way.
I dropped down to the river and found a game keeper’s hut, they keep one end open as a shelter. After collecting some water, I paused in the shelter for a rest, and to dry my tent a little. There was no bothy book, but lots of visitors have written on the walls. It was amazing to read all of the marks left by people. There were quite a few Pennine Way walkers, a few LEJOG/JOGLE-ers and even someone who had walked Ness Point to Ardnamurchan in 2018.
I then continued over Cotherstone Moor. I’ve loved going over the moorland, so far. There have been so many different moorland plants and the sounds of Curlews and Lapwing overhead are just beautiful.
I left the moor to come to a farm, which had a tea and coffee barn! One of the luxuries of walking a national trail is the honesty boxes that are left by locals along the way. This barn had to be the most elaborate yet! There was a freezer for ice creams, a kettle with tea and coffee, cup-a-soups, soft drinks and an extensive range of snacks! All just for a donation. I felt really spoilt. I had a carton of orange juice, some biscuits and took a flapjack for the road.
I continued on to Blackton Reservoir, then through some fields to Grassholme Reservoir. I stopped at Grassholme Reservoir for some early lunch. The carpark had a picnic bench, nice view of the reservoir, toilet and a bin – perfect!
I crossed over the edge of Crossthwaite Common, before dropping down to Middleton-in-Teesdale. The views from the top were beautiful.
From Middleton-in-Teesdale, I joined the River Tees for the afternoon. The river was powerful as it pushed over the rocky riverbed. Walking along, I spotted Oyster Catchers, with their bright orange legs.
Along the way, I passed two waterfalls. The first was called Low Force and the second, High Force. They were massive it was amazing to watch the water rush down them.
It was really interesting to look at High Force and spot the different layers of rock.
I think rivers are beautiful to look at, but I do sometimes find them too loud. Today was one of those days, so I was happy to find a quieter section, to have a rest.
The section along the river had been my busiest footpath of the day, with lots of families walking to see the waterfalls. I also crossed paths with my first walker who is doing the Pennine Way, north to south. It was nice to chat about our respective sections of trail that we had covered.
As I left the waterfalls, the trail got quieter again. I followed the Pennine Way towards Langdon Beck.
I walked just over 1km off the trail to reach the Langdon Beck Hotel, where I’m camping this evening. They offer free camping, if you eat with them, which seemed like a fair bargain to me!
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