DAY 7... KIRBY STEPHEN TO MUKER ... 16 MILES
Breakfast at 8, me, Roger and Susan, Henry and Jane.
Susan is fairly sociable, but Roger doesn't say
much. I wonder if he is enjoying himself or that is
simply his character. Off by 8:45. Chrys and Colin
were very effusive about my being there again and
saw me off with many well wishes.
Leaving Kirby Stephen on Frank's Bridge
I left town by way of Frank's Bridge where you have
to pay a toll of £2 per person (just kidding).
through the little village of Hartley and by lane up
past the quarry. I see Katie and Bill on a nearby
parallel path. How did they do that?. Today is Nine
Standards day, clear but very windy again,
uncharacteristically now blowing out of the east so
we are fighting it. After a long hard slog to the
top of the moor with Bill and Katie, the wind here
was so powerful all we wanted to do was take each
others photos at the Nine Standards and get out of
there. At least the weather is clear if cold; when I
was here before it was so foggy I could hardly see
the Standards. The Standards are nine huge circular,
tapered piles of stone built many hundreds of years
ago (some say nine hundred years). No one knows why
they were built, but they stand proud overlooking
everything. Nine Standards and the nearby trig point
marks the boundary of east and westward water
drainage of the Pennine range.
Nine Standards on the Skyline
Gregg Bracing Against the Wind
Six of the Nine Standards
Looking Back at the Trig Point and Nine Standards
It was boggy climbing up, but now the real bogs
begin, huge slices of mud across the path, banks of
black goo, the earth oozing with black liquid. Bog
trotting is an art, but sometimes creativity fails
you and the boots suffer. Luckily there is plenty of
water to slosh off the black stuff. Its a very
indistinct path, marked by cairns. This is the
May-Aug path; on my previous walk along here in Oct,
I took the Aug-Dec path. Different paths for
different weather conditions. Bill and Katie hurry
ahead, walking fast. I am faster on uphills, but
they are faster on flats and downhill.
This Is What I'm Talking About - DA BOGS
A walker catches up to me and we talk awhile. He is
also retired, from Devon, checking the route to lead
a group next year. His wife meets him at the end of
each day. We come to Ravenseat Farm where I break
for an apple, he goes on ahead. This is where we
meet Whitsundale Beck, a gorgeous river and ravine
with centuries old stone buildings on the ridges. I
follow high above the beck until it runs into the
River Swale near Keld.
Dramatic Whitsundale and the Beck Near Ravenseat
Farm
Wain Wath Force on the Swale Near Keld
At Keld there seems to be a lot of remodeling of
houses. Is this a renaissance? There is a choice of
paths to Muker. I've been on the west side of the
Swale when walking the Pennine Way, so I take the
east side path crossing Swinner Gill where it emptys
into the Swale. There is the end of a long tunnel
through the mountain from the smelter to the eastern
mines which I will see tomorrow. This stroll down
the Swale is a beautiful end to a great day's walk.
I meet several locals strolling with their dogs,
crossed the Swale on Rampsholme Bridge, then a nice
slabbed path across fields into Muker.
Looking Back at Keld
Looking Forward Southeast Down the Swale Toward
Muker
Swinner Gill and Mining Equipment
Rampsholme Bridge Crossing the Swale
Swale Farm B&B, was remodeled last year, a first
class place, 300 years old, in the heart of
Swaledale. John grew up here but moved back 10 years
ago when his parents left. Its been a b&b since
1922. I have a very large room, big bed, ensuite.
Joyce takes very good care of her guests, everything
is immaculate. At the nearby Farmers Arms, I find
Old Peculier on tap but its hard to choose because
they have such a great lineup of real ales. For
dinner, a disappointingly tough duck breast in plum
sauce but the vegetables are good. Talked with an
older French lady and her hot, young boyfriend from
Holland. They have a holiday house down the road in
Thwaite and travel to various places around the
world. Strange to meet them here!
Farmers Arms in Muker