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North Pennines Crossover Mini-Meet - 23-27th September, and Hawes Micro-Mini - 27/28th September 2013

Participants: David (Shooting-Stick) Leishman (leader), Esther Ratsma, (Mad) Mike & Verena (Muesli) Petzold, Eric (Polevault) & Val Scott (not the last day), Kathy & Chris Kelly (Wed. night & Thurs. hike only)

                    Surely one of the most inauspicious starts to a mini-meet in their history – as I stood at Darlington Bank Top station waiting to pick up Esther R., a cell call came through which I took to be from her, but no: it was the Inn at Brough, where we had our bookings that night, to announce it had just closed because the boiler had blown up. At that moment a smiling Esther appeared in front of me.

                    Panic stations! I immediately decided upon Appleby-in-Westmorland, down the Eden Valley, and actually nearer Crossfell which we were to do the following day. I got everyone into a super B&B (though the Kellys & Scotts were not due till next day). The Royal Oak Inn up the road further restored our equanimity that evening with a slap-up meal.

                    Thereafter we set off each morning in the murky, windy gloom and mizzle (especially on Days 2 & 3), but at the latest by lunchtime the clouds cleared, and each of the three days ended in glorious warm sunny weather.

Day 1:         Motored up to Kirkland and climbed Crossfell, 4th highest in England after the Lake District peaks (842m/2,762ft), an 8-mile clockwise circular route, partly on the Pennine Way. Returned by car to Appleby, collected our katundu and ulendo’d round by the splendiferous Lunedale, with Micklefell on our left, to the Langdon Beck Hotel in upper Teesdale (my car having been left at Appleby in case it had to run drivers of the other cars back to the LBH to pick up theirs – in the end not necessary).

Joined by the Kellys & Scotts, we were to sample two nights at a grand old, and old-fashioned small upland hotel, one of the most remote in England, run by the indomitable Sue Matthews, who did us proud with board & lodge, leaking showers notwithstanding.

Day 2:         Set off by car for a short ride up to Ashgill Head on the Alston road to do a crossover to Weardale to the north, but delayed near the watershed by misty gloom obscuring views. After much compass consultation and map-pouring over, we eventually peat-hopped our way to the relevant track, now crossed by a new foot-&-mouth fence along the watershed, and started the descent via a grouse-butts track, also newly-laid, to Burnhope Dam near the headwaters of the river Wear, even emptier than it would have been with the dry(ish) summer because they wanted to do some work on an outlet valve at the dam wall. Back along the Grasshill Causeway to the cars; another clockwise circular of about 12 miles. The Kellys then left us (with Chris about to go up to Durham University).

Day 3:        Confronted at breakfast by a fancy-dress parade of grouse-shooters under the direction of the Hon. Harry Vane, son of Lord Barnard of Raby Castle, who owns much of the land (and the LBH) on the north side of the Tees from west of Darlington to the river’s headwaters. With a rest day for the Petzolds, and departure for the Scotts, Esther & Shooting-Stick set off from Cow Green Dam for the crossover back to Appleby via the famed High Cup Nick, on the western Pennine escarpment overlooking the Eden Valley, South African-style mountain landscape set around a most dramatic and deep U-shaped glacial valley, one of many along the scarp. Skirting Murton Pike outlier and through red-sandstoned Murton village we reached Appleby mid-afternoon after a 15-miler, the three dales crossover achieved. With the Petzolds we again celebrated at the Royal Oak.

Day 4 add-on:   Mad Mike was keen on us not forsaking the old whores and others in Wensleydale, and so we spent Saturday night at the Fountain and Old Board, having climbed Buckden Pike in upper Wharfedale (702m/2,303ft), which the Petzolds had never done, and on the finest day of the four.

Shooting-Stick

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