Day 12 Dufton to Alston

Day 12 19 miles

Ever since I started this Pennine Way walk I have tried to think of the days walk in front of you, nothing else, one day at a time, thats all. But, all along there was one thing I could not block from my mind, the climb of nearly 900 metres over Cross Fell. Not so much of the height gain, not so much the distance, the biggest fear was what the weather could be like. Thick mist, extra strong winds are notorious on this fell, it was always my biggest worry.
I woke around 6-00, looked outside the b&b window, yes yes yes, clear and dry, high clouds, no hot sun, thankyou oh thankyou. Daan and Inge were in the same b&b as myself so we arranged to walk together again. We set off at 7-45 walking down to pick up the PW trail, perfect ideal weather conditions, we could see straight away onto the top of Great Dun Fell, the large "golf ball" or the Civil Aviation Authority's air traffic control radar, take your pick. Passing by the impressive looking Dufton Pike, we made good progress along gradual ascending tracks up to the fells. There was only two short steep ascents, onto Green Fell then Knock Fell.

Dufton Pike

"Golf ball" on top of Great Dun Fell

It was then a easier walk than I was expecting, onto Great Dun Fell, Little Dun Fell then the huge expanse of Cross Fell. We sat and had a quick break on Cross Fell, taking in wonderful views of the Lake District peaks in the distance.

Down between the Dun Fells, Cross Fell behind

Looking back to Great Dun Fell

Cross Fell summit shelter

I take in views of Lake District skyline

After we had came off Cross Fell we took our lunch break at Greggs Hut, an old cottage converted into a mountain rescue bothy named after mountaineer John Gregory, killed in the Alps 1968.

Greg's Hut

Hard work all this walking

Once we had left here it was a long, very long walk to the village of Garrigill, a nice sleepy little place. This was followed by a riverside walk to the evenings accommodation in the small town of Alston.

Fantastic clouds, walking into Alston. (photo taken by Daan)

Day 11 Forest in Teesdale to Dufton

Day 11 13 miles

Because I walked a short distance yesterday, it meant todays walk was only about 13 miles. I'm glad I did because it would have been a long day. Liz dropped me off at the roadside then I had a short walk to pick up the PW trail, as soon as I reached it there was Dan and Inge just starting also. We'd only walked for about 5 minutes and waterproofs came out, light rain but it carried on for a large part of the day. The PW here follows the River Tees, a pleasant walk until you reach an area called Falcon Clints.

Daan and Inge safely through Falcon Clints

This is where the path is cluttered with rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes, caution is a priority, ankles can easily be damaged . Being wet with the rain didn't help, being extra careful it ended up being scrambled in some places. Once we had cleared two sections like this, around the next corner came the days first sight, Cauldron Snout, a waterfall thats just below Cow Green reservoir. Not as large as High Force further down stream, but very powerful.

Cauldron Snout

Quick breather before a scramble to top

The only way round this is to scramble up the rocks to reach a footbridge that takes you across. Again with the rocks being wet, extra care was needed, great fun, I really enjoyed it.
After this it was just a matter of walking off the mileage across the moorland to reach, what I think, is the best view so far on the Pennine Way. No I will change that, probably one of the greatest spectacles in the whole country, High Cup, an old glacier formed valley. I have seen photos and TV programmes of this, they do not do it justice, its impossible to put it across, to describe it you are stuck for words. Also at this time the rain had stopped a short while earlier giving us unbelievable views.

High Cup

I could have sat there for ages

All that was left was to make our way down the inevitable long track down to the evenings destination, this time the small Cumbrian village of Dufton