Pen-y-Ghent, Yorkshire Dales - A Day In Two Halves

After my restful day yesterday I was out and about again today. My day was divided into two parts. This morning was spent going down memory lane. On my blip 2 days ago I said that 40 years ago my youth group at church used to come to this area for a summer walking holiday. We used to stay in the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale along the Pennine Way long distance path and at the foot of Pen-y-Ghent, one of the Three Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales. The other two peaks are Ingleborough and Whernside. We stayed at a place called The Golden Lion (see first Extra photo). It was originally a pub, but during the years we stayed there it was owned by a school in Leeds who used it as an activity centre. At some point in the last 40 years it was turned back into a pub. So off I went to visit the village, walk around a bit and I even had some soup in the pub. I DIDN’T walk up Pen-y-Ghent!  Not today, anyway, but I do remember the first time I walked up there - it felt like quite an achievement at the time.

After my lunch I drove over some very narrow and STEEP roads and parked not far from the top of Malham Cove where I was two days ago. This time I walked around Malham Tarn, a lake which is often included in the circular walk I did on Wednesday (see second Extra photo). It was a damp grey day with a strong wind. I was bundled up in several layers and a hat. Summer definitely seemed a distant memory, but I prefer walking in cooler weather anyway so I didn’t mind. The lake itself looked pretty rough. The walk was invigorating!  

The path climbed a bit above the lake and at one point there was a picnic table with a beautiful view. I stopped there long enough to enjoy the second part of my lunch - a sandwich I’d brought with me. A picnic with a view!  A little further the route included a section of boardwalk through a very boggy nature reserve. Water voles have been introduced to the reserve, but I didn’t catch a glimpse of one.

The chimney was along the last part of the circular walk. This is a relic from the industrial past of the 18th century when lead, copper and zinc ores were mined nearby and processed at a smelt mill. The poisonous gases that resulted from the processing were released into the atmosphere through the chimney which was connected to the mill by a long flue.

By the time I was on the final stretch of the walk it was raining - a real bleak day on the moors. I was very glad to get back to Alphie and pour a cup of tea from the flask I’d prepared.

By the time I got back to the campsite (more narrow, windy roads with a STEEP descent), the sun was out but the wind was still strong. I enjoyed a cosy and warm evening in the Campervan, my last evening here before moving on.