Shap Wells

Distance: not far (4 miles)
Ascent: not much (130m)
Weather: warm and sunny
Red squirrels: 5
Lizards: 1
Doll gibbets: 1
Sheep, horses, cows: lots
Waterfalls: none

A sunnier day today, we decided to have a potter around from the hotel before driving home. They have red squirrels in the woods right next to the hotel which are fed and practically tame. A short walk through the woods up to the monument and around the rhododendron woods didn't quite take the hour that the little walk leaflet had suggested, so we headed off in search of Docker Force waterfalls marked on the map not too far away. It wasn't far but even so it took a while to pick our way through boggy fields and identify correct gates by farms and proper paths through the fields. In the end we didn't see the waterfalls, although we could hear them through the fenced off trees, and we headed back. The lane and drive were drier and pleasant in the sunshine, and we saw lots of butterflies on the thistles and a little common lizard.

Wet Sleddale Horseshoe

Distance: 12 miles
Ascent: 685m
Weather: hazy start, warm and sunny later
Herds of deer: 2
People shouting: 2
Frogs: 3
Also buzzards being buzzards, emperor moth caterpillar, dragonflies, horrible flies, unidentified bird stood in lake.
Midge bites: 1

Wet Sleddale by name, wet by nature.
We parked at a large car park near the top of Wet Sleddale reservoir and headed off up the track. It was a slightly misty, hazy morning, but still and quite warm. The information board in the car park promised a variety of water birds, red deer and even otters. Along the side of the reservoir we heard a lot of birds singing and calling, but didn't see any of them. At a junction of walls and steams (by an unexpected computer in a wall) we headed left following Poorhag Gill on up to the fells by the grouse butts. The sheep around here are very curious of people and we got followed a few times - they also shake their tales in a way I've not really noticed before.

The first top of the day was Sleddale Pike, soon followed by Wasdale Pike, stopping to watch the deer running in the valley. We contoured round to Great Saddle Crag, mostly trying to avoid the worst of the bog.
Heading through some peat groughs we followed a clear grass track that was flat and easy going (still wet) over Brown Howe.

We visited Ullthwaite Rigg and at High Wether Howe (531m) encountered our first person of the day, a radio ham chattering loudly away to godknowswho, and ignored us completely. We should probably have headed off, but rocks have been few and far between today, especially those suitable for sitting on, and so we decided to stop. Sadly, our lunch rock was still within earshot of loud shouty man who barely paused for breath. Eventually he packed up his stuff, his pack seemingly mostly radio and speakers, and walked off, aerials a waving, still shouting away.

We crossed more boggy ground over to Fewling Stones, where the chap was still busy with his radio. He did speak to us this time, although clearly thought we were lost and needed directions. He was heading over to Langhowe Pike and seemed confused that we were going to Glede Howe first, possibly because it's not a Wainwright fell and he'd never heard of it.

We descended down a grassy slope and crossed Haskew Beck and more bog over to Glede Howe (a Birkett) and out to Langhowe Pike (where Shoutyman's wife was busy shouting so we didn't linger) and back over to Great Ladstones, which was quite a steep pull up. By now we had our eye in, and were bog trotting with ease, as once your socks are wet it doesn't really matter, and took a straight line up to Seat Robert (515m) our last top of the day.

A clear path followed the wall over Hallmoss Hill and through a gate, down the field to Sleddale Hall, which is better known as Crow Crag or Uncle Monty's Cottage in Withnail &I. I stopped to take a picture and we were just heading off when the owner called us back and asked us if we wanted to see the house. After a tour and some photos, we left down a tree lined lane down to the bridge (no fish shooting today) and back along the track (with its still-unidentified birds) to the car park.

Crookdale

Distance: 13 miles
Ascent: 750m
Weather: warm and still, hazy without views
Bog: lots of it, better get used to it
Deer: one, then loads
Plants of note: bog asphodel, harebell, devil's bit scabious, cotton grass, deer grass (love this stuff), thistles with butterflies, heather, cross leaved heath, sphagnum moss
Annoying birds of prey that were always slightly too far away to see clearly, possible stonechat, meadow pippit
Fungi: Scarlet waxcap, golden waxcap, egghead mottlegill

Good start to the day, complete with hearty breakfast and discussion about the correct term for a small quantity of baked beans, and after waiting for the rain to stop and quite a lot of faffing about, we were walking away from the Shap Wells hotel alongside Wasdale Beck. There were loads of meadow flowers on the banks of the stream, it had rained heavily last night and was very wet underfoot, the waterfalls were impressive. We turned away from the beck and up onto a track that led towards the A6.

We saw a lot of fungi this weekend - mostly growing on poo, which doesn’t make for particularly attractive photographs but I took a few to try and identify, although this will be patchy as there are thousands of varieties and you really need to look closely at them from all angles but I won’t even touch them. I read some good advice that I shall share here: if you plan on eating wild mushrooms, you should always pick three – one to eat, one for the doctor and one for the coroner.

A muddy track turned into a wet but solid bridleway, and then turning though a gate where we saw a lone deer grazing, followed a pleasant grassy path down to a stuck gate above Hause Foot. We made our way up a steep hillside with a solid looking wall at the top - thankfully we didn't have to follow it along for too long before there were steps to climb over and we were up onto High House Bog Bank (495m). A grassy ridge led to Robin Hood and High House Fell where we stopped for lunch and a change of socks.

We worked our way around the valley end, over a couple of small streams and some groughs and up on to Great Yarlside (585m) to Little Yarlside. We had fine views over to the coast and Silverdale, as we made our way along the ridge, swapping sides a few times, across Whatshaw Common - where I got some balloons! - and back to the muddy track. We avoided the wet riverside on the way back, opting for a quiet lane instead.

T'Heights

Distance: 13.5 miles
Ascent: 650m
Pubs: 2
Frogs: 1


In the paper recently, there was an article about quality local pubs, one of which isn't too far from us so today we decided to go for a walk over to Castleshaw and, if said pub happened to be open as we were walking by, then it would be rude not to call in.

We walked around Strinedale Reservoir at about 11am, where some ladies were out with their personal trainer, and over Bishop's Park grateful for the duck boards. Down the lane into Delph village we came out near the crossing, and I nearly came a cropper on some slippy steps under trees. A quick stop to clean up my grazed knuckles, and we carried on through the village and up the cobbled lane onto Lark Hill. We munched some oatcakes as we walked along the lane, and then crossed the A62 and down to the reservoirs. Coming up the track, we turned left along the track to Heights - although backtracked when the path was too churned up and wet (complete with frog) to easily get through, skirting around and returning via a gap in the wall a bit further on. We called in at the Royal Oak, to give it its proper name, for a couple of pints. Refreshed, we carried on a long the lane into Denshaw and back along the road to the King's Arms at Grains Bar for Sunday Dinner.

Stoodley Pike

Distance: 12 miles
Ascent: 350 m
Weather: cooler than expected, brightening later

 Almost a continuation of our walk last month - we started just outside of Todmorden and walked along the canal (from bridge 24) up through the town. Crossing the Pennine Bridleway and up on to the moors at the big (erratic) stone, going up the steps at the reservoir avoiding the horde. We joined the stone path and followed that though the bog (lots of slurping noises from underfoot) to the Pennine Way. A clear path leads over to the Stoodley Pike monument - we stopped at a stone bench just beforehand for lunch and a flask of tea - and then down towards a plantation. Just  before the trees we turned down left through some sheep fields and on to a lane. Somewhere around here we mislaid the route, but there are plenty of lanes that lead to Hebden Bridge so we just carried on. The battery in my camera ran out somewhere around here too.

We walked through the edge of Hebden Bridge and rejoined the canal, following that back to bridge 24, admiring the boats, gardens and woodland.