Rock on a pedestal

Day 5 of the Dales High Way, from Stainforth to Chapel-le-Dale.

The walk can be taken over Ingleborough, but we opted for the easier detour around the east side of the hill. My blips come from near the end of the day: an area of limestone pavement above Ribblehead. I guess this stone is an erratic, abandoned here by a retreating glacier. It has protected the limestone underneath from erosion, leaving it perched on a few small pillars.

The day started badly for me when I tripped over a tree branch approaching a farm at Feizor. Although I came down heavily, the only damage was a skinned shin. I saw the branch but missed a sticking up end hidden in the grass. What made it really annoying was that it was an old branch laid right across the path on an enclosed but very badly maintained track. It must have been put there deliberately, perhaps to make the track look less inviting to casual walkers thinking of walking out from Feizor. There was another man-made trip hazard closer to the road too. It was a real shock, and I didn't get my composure back until well after lunch. 

Sadly, there are too many badly maintained points on the southern half of the Dales High Way. Things like stone step styles with the lower stones removed, duck-boards sinking into bog, and a very narrow footpath between school playing fields thick with nettles for 250m. The northern half was much better, perhaps because of a different council. I can manage the natural hazards, but the man-made ones are harder.