After yesterday’s downpour our hearts rose when we awoke to warmth and sunshine. We even ate breakfast on the balcony over looking the village fields with the cows and sheep grazing below us. All very bucolic and spiritually uplifting.
Maggi and I wanted to walk. I’m not sure Ingrid and Hedge were as keen. Any we decided to go for a walk along the river all together. The river Dee flows through Dentdale and we followed it and one of the tributaries along the valley floor for about 1 mile. At this point we turned to walk back up small hill to return to the lane leading back to the village. They both made extremely slow progress upwards, hip problemsof one sort or another hampered them as well as their body mass. We made a slow way back to the flat and had lunch of a cheese sandwich.
In the afternoon Maggi and I wanted to have a more energetic walk so Ingrid suggested we we follow a route out of the village passed some waterfalls. The route called Flinters Gill leads up to a ridge path called variously’Green Lane’ or Occupation Road (shortened to Occky).
A really pleasant climb uphill through the woods and beside the tumbling beck lead to the Occky. Before joining this long path we sat down on a bench and admired the view across the hilltops.
Ingrid had talked us through the route we were supposed to take. Follow the Occky and pass by the Nun’s path on your left. We understood the next instruction to be take the next left and then a quick right.
1 hour after we had passed the Num’s Path we still had not come across the supposed left turn. The route we travelled along was not very pleasant and consisted of running water of various depths to reeds and grassy banks. We had arranged to meet them around 4 but I had no signal on my phone and I was running low on charge.
We started to head down the hill to see if we could make it to the buildings in the distance. After 10 minutes of descent it became obvious that the only way through would be with hefty wire cutters. We turned back and had to climb steeply back up to the path.
We both agreed that the best course of action would be to retrace our steps and head down Nun’s Path. I kept trying to call Ingrid but still no signal. We walked back for an hour and found Nun’s Path and descended. Hedge finally picked up my call and said he would head over to the place where we would emerge on the road.
The downward path was treacherous. All made up of slippery stones and running water. It took us ages to get to the road. By this time I had no battery and there was no sign of Hedge.
Maggi and I followed the road back into Dent. By some miracle I received a phone call from Hedge who asked if we had Ingrid with us.
We received a lift back into Dent and waited for Hedge and Ingrid to get back together and drive back. We managed to all meet up around 6:15 over two hours later than originally planned.
We drove to Barbon and the Barbon Arms for our evening supper. On the journey and at the pub Ingrid kept on insisting that we go over all the details of how we managed to become lost. She crowed, “I am entirely free from blame”. She continued saying if only this or if only that. It became very tiresome.
Everyone else had fish n chips. I ate beef and ale pie. We paid for the meal and drinks in celebration of Hedge’s birthday. We are not sure of his age. It’s all clouded in secrecy.
A very beautiful drive from Dent to Barbon made the evening more pleasant. We tried to watch an episode of Montbaldono but the long walk meant that my eyes closed at one point and when I opened them again I had completely lost the plot.
Time for bed.