'Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen!'
So here we are again. After what has felt like forever, we eventually managed to get our boots back on and complete some more of this wonderful walk. Sadly, due to work commitments, Helen, our third musketeer and resident photographer couldn't join us this time.
Phil, myself and the Hairy Hiker met at Alston early doors. We left my car there and headed to the starting point in Phil's car. Although it was still quite early it was already very warm. Little did we know how warm the day was actually going get....
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| (We made it, eventually.) |
We made a mistake at the very beginning and set off along the left hand, narrower path which took us down a hill towards some buildings. It took us 10 minutes to realise we were going the wrong way and we had to walk all the way back to the start and start again!
The walk to the source was a pleasant one, albeit quite steep in places. The footpath was relatively busy with dog walkers and cyclists enjoy the sunny morning. The Hairy Hiker was kept on his lead for most of it as there was a few sheep on the track.
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| (All smiles at the start) |
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| (Hiding from the sun) |
It took us around an hour to get to the source, and in that time the temperature had increased rapidly. So much so I needed to change into a thinner top as I was too warm in my t-shirt. The track to the source is very open and there is no offering of shade, until you reached the sculpture. The Hairy Hiker was quick to claim the shaded spot.
We scrambled the short way up the hillside and managed to find the source. There was only a tiny trickle of water today which was made more obvious further down the hillside where you could hear the water gathering momentum as it travelled towards the sculpture and then under the road.
We set off back down the track and Chance enjoyed a dip in the water to cool off. We tried to give him as many opportunities as possible throughout the day to get in the water as it was so hot.
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| (A commanding view, looking down river, towards Dorthgill Falls) |
The next 3 miles to Ashgill were arduous and felt like a lot more. We struggled across the moor, following the river and admiring Dorthgill Falls along the way, but the sun continued to bear down on us and was quickly burning up our energy.
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| (Dorthgill Falls) |
We trundled across the marsh land and it began to feel more like crawling across the Sahara Desert as the temperatures grew to their midday high. I think it was at this point I asked Phil, "Whats that old saying about mad dogs and Englisman?"
I'm not sure what the temperature actually was but I would take a guess at high twenties at this point.
Our morale was boosted though as we reached the bridge at Ashgill. The prospect of a much needed cooling down for all of us, along with our lunch put the smiles back on our sweaty faces.
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| (Bridge to Ashgill) |
We took the short walk uphill to Ashgill, passing some gorge scramblers who were jumping into the deep pools, which looked very refreshing indeed!
It was a very busy spot here today, with families enjoying the summer and we were lucky to find a pretty little spot in the shade where we sat and relaxed while we ate. Chance had plenty time to play in the water and drink as much as he could until it was time to move on. I also took the opportunity to get my boots off and cool myself off in the water. Bliss.
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| (Approaching Ashgill Force) |
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| (Cooling off) |
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| Add caption |
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| (Here we go again) |
After a refreshing break in the shade we decided to step back out into the intense sunshine and soldier on. The walk down into Garrigill was relatively easy going underfoot but the sun beating down on us made it feel a lot harder.
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| (Appoaching Garrigill) |
We kept ourselves going by thinking about the refreshingly cold pint we were going to enjoy once we made it into Garrigill and the Hairy Hiker was really looking forward to lying on the cold stone floor inside the village pub.
Little did we know, the pub was closed and had been for a few years...
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| (Still smiling) |
The mood definitely hit an all-time low as we rounded the corner into Garrigill and we realised the pub wasn't open, and neither was the shop. The only thing this tiny village could offer us in the way of refreshments was a large tree to hide under and some fresh water for our bottles from the public restroom!
At this point we were both ready to call time on this walk and come back another day, but as my car was in Alston we had no choice but to plod on.
We headed down the road out of Garrigill and were soon back on the riverside path to Alston. Unfortunately, we were on the side of the river with no trees, so once again we suffered with the relentless, blistering heat beating down on us for the next 4 miles. Sadly the temperature became so high on this leg of the journey that my phone decided it was also too hot and switched itself off, so no more pictures could be taken after this one. We were so hot and bothered at this point I was passed caring and just wanted to finish the walk.
We gave it all we had on this last leg of the journey. We pushed on with every ounce of energy we could muster to make it into Alston.
Thankfully the pubs in Alston were open and we crawled our sweaty, stinking bodies inside for some much needed refreshments! We both downed a pint of ice cold juice before slowly enjoying a cold pint of something stronger. The Hairy Hiker enjoyed a bowl of fresh water and a much needed rest from the sun.
This walk took us around 6.5 hours. Its great to have made a dent in the South Tyne section of this walk and we are happy to have this leg of the journey under our belts but I'm sure I speak for myself, Phil and poor Chance when I say I wish we'd had cooler conditions to be doing it in. Hindsight is a wonderful thing hey?
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