Pennine Adventure (5)
I've been up ont' moors again. Yesterday. This time it was the leg of the Pennine Way between Hebden Bridge and Haworth.
Here are the ups and downs (and even a map this time):
(From Where's the Path)
You will need to click on the pic if you want to see any detail.
Highlights of this section:
1. Hebden Bridge is charming.
2. Quite early on I passed the remains of what I believe is called a 'drop water closest'. Basically this is a structure built over a waterfall where one can move one's bowels - then presumably pop down to the River Calder later in the day and try to identify one's own turd bobbing about in the water. As far as I could tell it was no longer in use.
3. The heather is in bloom, giving the moors a lovely purple glow.
4. I passed the 50 mile point on the Pennine Way - not sure where exactly.
5. I also passed Top Withins. Legend has it that this is the ruins of the farmhouse that Emily Bronte based Wuthering Heights on. Despite a Bronte Society plaque stating "the buildings, even when complete, bore no resemblance to the house she described" the place must have some sort of tourist-pulling-power - it is possibly the only part of the Pennine Way which has signposts in both English and Japanese.
Here's a photo of Top Withins from the 1920s. It still had a roof then.
(From Wuthering Heights)
6. I'm saving the best for last. This section of the Pennine Way is covered in frogs! Lots and lots of frogs! Big frogs, little frogs, green frogs, yellow frogs, red frogs.
(More about frogs here)Who would have thought?!
Apparently there are several collective nouns for frogs, an army, a knot, a colony, a fester....
ReplyDeleteI hope you were able to avoid stepping on any!
It looks like a good walk in a nice part of the UK. How far did you do?
Hello Pork Chop! I like the sound of a Fester of Frogs. Yes, no frogs were stepped on - but this did involve a fair bit of tippy-toeing on my part.
ReplyDeleteThe walk was about 16.5 miles. It rained for about 12 of them. By the time I got to Haworth I'd missed the last bus and had to get a taxi back to Hebden Bridge. It was a very clean taxi with a very clean driver - I was sopping wet, covered in mud and poo (and possibly frogs) and I stunk. Oh dear!
I thought you might like the term fester. Tippy- toeing in walking boots can't be easy, sounds like you should have been wearing a tutu too!
ReplyDeleteA bit of an expensive trip then?
Glad you got back safe and sound.
Actually, the taxi fare was cheaper than the alternative - getting a bus to Keighley then getting a couple of trains home. Dunno about the tutu :)
ReplyDelete