Author: Karen Griffiths

Duckden to  Hawes Day 3

Duckden to  Hawes Day 3

Karen Griffiths

Left at 7am as we could see the big hill ahead of us from our camping spot. We discussed leaving the Lady Anne’s Way and doing the Dale’s Way instead

They are similar routes and we kept seeing the Dale’s Way signs along flat paths by shady rivers. Our LAW goes up all the hills. Either she wasn’t a nice person, or she didn’t  care which way she went between castles as I have read that her favourite method of travel was in a hammock slung between two horses. She definitely wasn’t walking up the hills with a pack on her back. Her servants would have been carrying her bed and all her pretty dresses and corsets for her.

We were heading for Hawes, the highest market town in England. 850 metres above sea water is what we read. Not sea level as we would say.

Up another bloody hill. So much for my plan that England is flat (Kate McKay will be thinking that I have got my just deserves)

Another hill

Anyway the morning climb was much more tolerable than the previous day because we were shrouded in clouds the whole way. It was cool, but no wind so perfect conditions for a 2.5 hours walk up a hill. The cloud was so thick that I couldn’t see Kay a few metres in front of me. We followed a farm road most of the day, so there was  little chance of getting lost or losing each other. We didn’t come across anyone else out there.

After desending  into a warm sunny day, we stopped for a nice lunch at Askrigg.

Again, there were lots of people out for walks, drives, or riding motorbikes taking advantage of the tables in the sun.  We were probably a bit smelly but sat inside to use the internet and charge our devices and eat.

A good lunch

We had some planning to do as the plan we were following required about 30km a day, which was too much to enjoy.

We decided to take 3 days to do the next 2 on the schedule. We tried to find accommodation but had no luck, so after a couple of hours rest in a nice church yard we walked on.

Rest spot
We find these everywhere

Found a nice camping spot by a little brook. Instant mashed potatoes and gravy was on my menu. Kay had a cup of soup. She eats much less than I do

Home for tonight
Day 2

Day 2

Karen Griffiths

We wandered into the pretty  little village of Grassington looking for an open cafe so Kay could charge her phone. She has been in charge of directions, so she has seen using the GPS constantly as the markers are few and far between, and there are many walking paths and publuc footpaths to get confused with.  Yorshire Dales is where the Brits come to walk.

We wandered around the village like lost kids until we found the only open  bakery  but there were no tables and no plugs. We were told that cafes don’t open early around these parts because everyone stays in  bnbs meaning they get their bed and a full breakfast. Therefore, no need to buy a coffee until morning tea time.

So off we went in the heat up and over the Yorshire Dales.  The fields are small and bordered by drystone walls. There must be millions of stones in walls in this country.

I deduced that people and sheep have become larger over the years since the walls were built. Wire stretched between posts above the walls as if the sheep can now jump higher to get out of their field.  Sheep are stupid crratures, and many just jumped headlong into the wire when they see us coming even though there would be other, easier, directions they could go to get away from us.

The gaps in the stone walls are sometimes a lot narrower than us 21st century women with big packs on our backs. Probably Lady Anne would have easily slipped through because she would have been wearing a corset.

Lady Anne
Kay gets stuck
A short break for a Kendal Mint Cake
Barn on a hill

The day was too hot for me as we walked steadily  up the moors for about 3 hours. I can’t be pleased.

By the time we arrived into Kettlewell I was feeling quite exhausted and was thinking that the kettle better we’ll be on.  The local corner shop didn’t have any electrolyte drinks or tea. However, there were plenty of embroidery cottons, knitting wool, and sparkly pieces of paper on sale. I commented that there must be a lot of crafty people around here and was told that people need something to do when it rains on their holidays. I was beginning to feel that this hot weathet may no last. Thinking this was the only place open for business, we bought some sweets and headed to the local church. Churches have been our havens on these walks.  Somewhere to sit and rest with nice people.

However, this place proved the be the exception.  As I slumped on a bench,  the vicar nearly knocked Kay over in his rush to get away. I gave him the benefit of the doubt thinking that he may be running off to administer the last rites to a dying parishioner. I felt as though I was in need of similar treatment at that moment but he was not to know that.

The lady weeding the garden by the front door was also not very forthcoming when Kay explained that I was not feeling well and could we have some water. No: we couldn’t go inside the church and touch anything because they didn’t have insurance to cover themselves in case we got electrocuted. Eventually, she did offer to bring a kettle of hot water out so we could make a cup of coffee and allowed Kay our water bottles with cold water, as that did not involve electricity. 

Their insurance must have covered the risk of the gardening lady being electrocuted.

I drank a couple of litres of water, had some awful cheese and crackers followed by a little  Nanna nap, then felt much better. 

We packed up our suff and carried on through the village to find at least 4 lovely pubs and cafes with tables filled with tourists.

We walked on to Duckden and looked for accommodation there as rain was predicted for the night. No room at any of the pubs or bnbs  as this was on the tourist trail and the sun was out.

Duckden

Kay found an information shelter, with seats and a roof  so we put our tents in there. The  predicted rain didn’t happen and we are beginning to realise that the weather forecasts are not very reliable in the part of the world.

Home for the night

There was the added bonus of nearby toilets and a tap for water. 5 star accommodation tonight.

The only drawback was that the  handwashng station with the water tap  was a fancy  automatic thing.

Put your hands under and you get liquid  soap followed by water, then  hot air to dry off.  It took three rounds to fill my first bottle, with me sticking my sweaty wet shirt under the hot air to dry it out during thd dry cycle. Bonus

But my 2nd bottle took a few more rounds as the soap went into the bottle at one stage and took a few more rounds of soap, water, drying to wash out the soap. Oh, the trials and tribulations of a damn long walk.

I had a really good sleep as confirmed by Kay as she said I was snoring loudly. I needed that sleep after my night with the cows.

Lady Anne’s Way Day 1 24 June 2024

Lady Anne’s Way Day 1 24 June 2024

Karen Griffiths

Lady Anne Clifford was born in Skipton Castle in 1590 and her Mother insisted that she be educated, which was unusual in those days. Her father died when she was a teenager, and as her 3 brothers had also died, she expected to inherit her father’s vast estates.

However they were left to her Uncle. She fought in the courts for many years to get ownership of the properties,  even marrying a lawyer, to help. He lost all the appeals too. Eventually, in 1643 she did inherit because her Uncle had no surviving male heirs and her 3 sons had died.

She used her enormous wealth to restore the castles and halls and do a lot of charity work; building safe houses for women. One in Applyby still operates today.

Lady Anne’s Way follows the path she took as she made her rounds of her 90,000 acres of properties. Apparently  her favorite method of travel was laying in a hammock slung between 2 horses. I am quite sure she didn’t have to climb 20 or so stiles a day, like we had to.

On the first day stopped for lunch at Barden Tower, which was one of hers, and ate the packed lunch supplied by  Amanda and Duncan  in the sun.

Bardon Tower, lunch stop

Day one was 24km through some gorgeous little villages, slightly rolling hills in bright sun. It was a hot day in England, and as we followed a river, we came across many people picnicking, swimming, kayaking, and walking with their dogs, of course.

Up and over
Our markers
Guard at the tower
Picnic spot
The sun is out

We stopped about a mile from Grassington, which is where the series “All Creatures Great and Small” was filmed.  We pitched our tents on the banks of the river. The water is not clear blue or green like NZ rivers, it more resembles a good pale ale. I wonder if  it is tanin from the peat or because of the cows having access to the river? I boil the water.

A few people were still out walking their dogs and they all gave a friendly greetings making us feel confident we weren’t causing any issues

A herd of cows wandered past having a look at my couscous and pork pie dinner. They weren’t interested, which was good because I wasn’t about to share with them. Kay is the designated animal whisperer and does a very good job.

Dinner of couscous and a pork pie

We watched the ducks and birds getting their dinner from the river and a squirrel running around on the riverbank, looking like he had lost his watch.

After a  wash in the river, we were in our tents by 7.30. I have  crappy romance novel to read – light with big print is my measure of a good book when hiking.

The herd of cows that had passed us at dinner time returned just as I was falling asleep.  They were so close to the tent that I could hear them ripping the grass and chewing it. I could also hear their stomachs rumbling and their farting.

Hearing Kay snoring from her tent I knew I had to be brave and deal with the animals  myself. So I lifted thd sides of my tent being careful not to scare them. I didn’t want them to run into my tent while I was stuck inside.

They weren’t really interested in us at all, so I tried to ignore their noises and go to sleep. I wasn’t very successful. However, I must have dropped off to sleep because when I awoke at 4.30 am, all except one cow were curled up asleep near us.  In the morning Kay said she hadn’t heard a thing.

4.30am and it is already light
Four Days Off

Four Days Off

Karen Griffiths

After 2 days rest at Prestatyn beach, we took 3 train rides to Skipton.

Our clothes were all freshly laundered, and my shoes smelt like roses after being well washed in the shampoo provided in our room.  They really needed a good scrub after all the animal poops and smelly mud that I had trapsed through over the previous 13 days.

We both had haircuts 💇‍♀️ and enjoyed some sleep ins and a couple of old movies on the telly. The constant buffering was annoying but gave us time to put the kettle on, pour another wine, or have a pee. Our bargain buy was a 1.25 litre bottle of bubbly wine for £4.50, about $9NZ.

10 star accommodation

Although we were at a beach resort, we didn’t venture over to the beach at all. We only walked where we needed to!

We trained to Skipton which is 45 mins drive from Great Harwood, the home of my friends Amanda and Duncan and their 9 year old daughter, Isobel. They took us for a walk around Skipton and the castle, which was where Lady Anne was born in 1590. More about her later.

Back onto civilization

So we had some catching up to do and Amanda gave us a running commentary of all the walks in the district and the history.

Duncan fed us well and after 2 days there I think I put on half the weight I had lost. They were wonderful hosts, just what we needed.

Good food

We even soaked our weary muscles in their hot tub.

Isobel at the duck race

On the Sunday, they took us to the annual duck race in a nearby village, taking their two dogs along with us, even on the bus. We weren’t the only ones with dogs on the bus. Kay and I are beginning to feel a bit left out as we don’t have dogs.

I found my rich man
Last day on Offa’s Dyke – 13 days 285km

Last day on Offa’s Dyke – 13 days 285km

Karen Griffiths

This was definitely  our easiest day with us arriving before 2 pm for the first time, so    we managed to finish on a high. Highlights for the day were:

A squirrel (dead) but I was never quick enough to get a photo of a live one
Crossing a motorway meaning we were close to then end
Final breakfast
Cliffs we didn’t have to climb
Arriving at Prestatyn beach
People enjoying the beach
Our luxurious room for 3 nights.
Grocery shopping – so many choices

I have now walked the length of Wales  -285 km in 13 days.

Final thoughts on this walk.

We both agreed that we hadn’t really enjoyed this walk. It is supposed to be one of the tougher long walks in the UK, and my lack of fitness at the start didn’t help with my enjoyment score.

However, both Kay and I have many long walks to compare it with, most of them much more challenging paths than this one.  We both feel we can honestly say it was a bit boring and not very exciting. Walking over sheep farms doesn’t really do it for us.

One day we met a couple of local men  when we were sheltering from the wind and resting from the relentless hills.

They asked us how we were enjoying the Offa’s Dyke and we both replied that we were not really liking it that much. Their snarky reply was that we should have just gone for a walk around Liverpool.

We didn’t think that was appropriate but weren’t quick enough with a retort. Later we discussed how we have both walked 3,000km the length of New Zealand, walked all the Great Walks of New Zealand, and many more tracks there. Add in 1,000km Bibbulmun Track and 6 weeks in Patagonia, Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea and a number of European Caminos between us. We reckon we have plenty to compare Offa’s Dyke  with. Quite frankly, it is has come out quite low on our scale.

Never the less I did enjoy the little villages, the funny looking livestock, the friendly people who all had a NZ connection, the views of the  patchwork fields, and the canals.  The cheesy chips and full English Breakfasts were yummy too.

About 5kg lighter so that target has been met
Day 12. 18 June Llandegia To Bodfari

Day 12. 18 June Llandegia To Bodfari

Karen Griffiths

I had the best night’s sleep ever. The sun doesn’t go down until about 10 pm, and we are settled for sleep usually by 8 pm, so I sleep with an eye mask on. Awake at 4.30 am, and it is bright daylight, so roll over, pull the mask back on, and tell my brain that it is still the middle of the night. I sleep on.

I  woke to see that there had been some light drizzle so our tents were wet. Kay had already been up and had her breakfast so I quickly got packed up and scoffed some gingernut biscuits. They are a similar flavor to our NZ ones but not quite so hard. Better for old teeth  I think.

We walked a couple of kms to a village hoping to get a coffee but we were too early.

We had a total of 1,090 metres of climb today over 30 km so we were planning on finding a camping spot half way along.

We climbed about 5 Moels, which we think is Welsh for hills. They definitely are not mountains out of miel hills but are long, steep climbs.

This was a day when the hills just kept coming. One after the other, relentless climbing. Kay is faster up the hills than I am so I plod along behind her. You will notice that she is ahead of me in most photos. I am faster downhill, so catch up by the time we get to the bottom. Then she gets ahead again.

And up, up to another ruined castle

We met the teachers with the Duke of Ed kids at a couple of parking areas we passed through. The kids were way behind us. We are proud of ourselves. We can still do the hard stuff better than the young ones.

We als9 met quite a few days walkers, with their dogs, of course.

The highlights of the day were supposed to be yet another decrepit castle, a few piles of rocks, and a couple of plaques. People have lived up on these moors since the Iron Age.

A pile of rocks and a plaque
You might be interested in reading this. I wasn’t!
Another castle

Actually, when I am huffing up a hill, chest and legs burning, feet sore, wind blowing a gale, I don’t really give a damn about all that old stuff.

No suitalke camping spot was found, but we did find a place to dry out our wet tents while we rested.

After about 9 hours of steep ups and downs we made the final steep descent into Bodfari.

We both had sore feet and had ready to call it a day about 3 hours ago, but there was no camping anywhere.

Then Kay, being a sheep farming girl,  heard the sound of a shearing shed in action. So we made a detour into the farm to have a nosey.

Again, our Kiwi accents were welcomed, and we heard all about their stud sheep and farm dog trial competions. We watched the funny sheep being shorn. They only have a herd of 200 and sell them for breeding. One of their relatives had recently become the worlds best shearer,  beating the New Zealanders, which is unusual.  They were very proud, and Kay had brightened up after chatting with them. I was just pleased to have a rest.

Funny looking sheep

We hobbled the last 45 minutes into town heading for the pub that we had been told a number of times served very good food.

However it was a very posh restaurant and people were arriving in all their finery, making us feel very conscious of our  dirty, smelly state. Kay wouldn’t even step inside,  so I ventured in alone  and asked about accommodation.

The nice young girl took one look and wiff of me and suggested the campground across the road. She said they did welcome walkers in their posh establishment which pleased me as the food smelt so good, and the beer taps were calling me.

We were both a bit grumpy and too tired  to have a shower with the 10cm square piece of towel we carry.  So we  just washed the most smelly  of our body parts and changed into some slightly cleaner clothes.

Then we waddled up to  have a plate of cheesy chips and a drink. We were seated in a little table in a corner close by the door. We knew our place.

  This was our last night on trail.

Day 11 – 17 June Chirk Mill to nearly Landegia.

Day 11 – 17 June Chirk Mill to nearly Landegia.

Karen Griffiths

We packed up and left our Summer House by 7.30am pleased not to be packing up our tents.

The day was varied with flat paths alongside a canal, a cafe stop, a walk across the worlds highest aqueduct, and  along more country roads underneath high limestone cliffs

We stopped fir a coffee at a cafe in  converted church. I ordered the scone with jam and cream, but I think I could match those scones, which is not saying much. However, a seat and a toilet are always appreciated when out on damn long walks.

We walked quite close to a working castle, but the trail didn’t take us there, much to my disappointment.

The working castle that we didn’t go to
A good name
Always with the dogs

A car following us up a very steep narrow hill,  stopped to compliment me on my calf muscles. The driver got out and dropped his long pants to show me his calfs, saying I had put him to shame. It is not very often I get compliments on my legs, so I took it with pride.

The 3 young guys were camping up the top for the night. They invited us to camp with them and share their drinks and fire. Bugger, it was too early for us to stop, so we waved them on.

Kids up above us

We had been meeting  up with groups of school kids from Liverpool doing their Duke of Edinburgh overnight hike. They were laden down with huge packs that had more stuff hanging off the backs of them. I do feel sorry for them knowing I am only carrying about half of what they are even though we have the same needs. I fixed up one poor girls pack as it was hanging to one side and flapping about.

Kay makes a new friend

We had planned to do the next 3 days over 4 days instead as they were all about 28-30km days. However, like yesterday we were only a couple of kms from the end before we found a good campsite.

No, we don’t need to go up there!

We took a road route today rather than go off up and under the high cliffs, crossing scouring.  We both decided we had done enough of that on Te Araroa. We could hear the kids up there chatting away while we went up and down and around on a very narrow country lane.

This was where we had hoped to find a camping spot, but there was a 12km long organic farm that made it quite clear that we were not welcome. So we carried on across some wet moors and forest;  neither good for camping.

At 5pm we found a nice flat paddock and sat in the sun and cooked our dinner. We  had a visit from the farmer and he just gave us a friendly wave so put up our tents and  enjoyed the sun, being watched by some more funny looking sheep. We had walked 28 km that day, had some decent stops,  and taken 9 hours. I had a really good sleep.

Day 10 – 16 June Llanymyneck to Chirck Mill

Day 10 – 16 June Llanymyneck to Chirck Mill

Karen Griffiths

After 3 nights inside we were planning on camping tonight. Our breakfast of croissants and pastries  fruit and yoghurt was left out in the bar for us. We couldn’t eat it all so we had lunch as well. $70 each for the room and a good breakfast was our cheapest so far.

Old Mary has been our most expensive at $120 but she gave us dinner, afternoon tea, breakfast, a cut lunch and a  tour along with pick up and drop off at the pub and years of history and gossip. Best value for money.

There was some distractions on the day but mostly it was farm walking which is quite hard underfoot and boring for us kiwis.

Bearded horses
Bad haircut day

We wanted to be at camp by 2pm if possible but the day jist went on an on up hills, down dales, across paddocks with no flat areas at all.

We had both just about lost the will to live when we saw an old man in his garden so hobbled over to him. Two old Grannies desperately needed a spot to camp for the night.

Recognising our NZ accents and told us we had come to the right place. Two of his children live in New Zealand, so they visit regularly. Nearly everyone we meet has a child, or sister or nephew who lives in New Zealand.  Many have had holidays over there, some numerous times. We are so privileged to be New Zealanders. Many comment on how lovely our Jacinda was. 

So our accent, and absolutely shattered states gets us inside for a cup of tea and a chat with Richard and, yes, another Mary, as well as their visiting family.

They offer us their  Summer House to sleep in.

The Summer House

I could have kissed them all but I was far too smelly.

So we had a good end to a long hard day.

Day 9 15 June

Day 9 15 June

Karen Griffiths

We left our Stone House in drizzle and spent the day feeling like strippers at a nightclub. Clothes on, clothes off all day.

This was my best outfit.

We walked along a canal which is always easy walking as it is flat

I found the house I want to live in. I would need a gardener and a handyman though.

My favourite house

We finished the reasonably easy day at another small village that did not offer up any free camping spots. The first pub had a cheap room and nice South African landlady. We climbed  3 flights of stairs and then found  out there was no internet so went across the road (and the boarder to England) to another pub.

Here, we met a rowdy group on a stag party pub crawl. The best man was from Christchurch, NZ and insisted on photis with us and the handsome groom to be. They thought we were amazing walking this far and wanted to buy us drinks.

I must be getting old and tired as I turned them down in favour of a hot shower and a lay on a bed.

Day 8 Brompton Crossroads to Welshpool

Day 8 Brompton Crossroads to Welshpool

Karen Griffiths

We decided to take a detour through the Medieval  town of Montgomery on our way to Welshpool as rain was predicted for today, into the evening. We both like to camp, but putting up tents and taking them down in the rain is no fun.

We had a nice walk into yet another quaint Welsh village with another ruined castle on the hill above it. 

I don’t think there is any town in New Zealand that has the same kind of charm and character that these villages have. I just keep thinking that this is just like TV; as though I am walking through a movie set.

The walk was flat, and the farming mostly crops; wheat, maize, and barley.

View from cafe window

I was pleased not to be walking through sheep shit.

I still get stunned by the beauty  of a village in the distance. Always rows of little stone cottages, a church or two with steeples calling to us as well as a ruined castle on the hill behind. The villages usually sprung up to service the castle.

It was beginning to rain so we made our way into a little cafe cum Post Office  with some difficulty because of the small doorway, tiny room and our large packs.  Molly did everything and as the 2 tables filled up we moved chairs and gear to let the next people fit in. There was an elderly couple on a road trip, another couple squashed in with their motor bike gear and  a couple of local men,  one with a dog that barked at me.  Molly was swamped, so the dog owner got up and helped carry coffees out with very trembling hands, so they only got  half a cup.

We saw our Monk across the street and gave him a call, so he squashed in as well. Now there are 9 people and a dog in an area the size of my kitchen.

The Monk received a free cup of coffee without even taking his bowl out, making me think about becoming a monk too.  The locals told us that our plan to walk to the bigger market town of Welshpool was not a good one.  Road too narrow and traffic too fast.

For about $3 we could take a bus.  Good idea, we thought and paud for the monk to join us.

While we waited for the bus we walked up another damn steep hill to have a look around another damn old pile of rocks. This castle was commenced around 1223 under the orders of Henry VIII because a Welsh prince was getting a bit stroppy. During the First English Civil War, it was the site of the largest battle in Wales on 17 September 1644; the walls were slighted after the Second English Civil War in 1649 to prevent the castle being used again.

Kay and “our” monk.

I want to see a castle that is still being used. These old relics are magnificent and do make me marvel at the engineering and physical work that went into building them. I imagine what it would have been like living there. However, I’d rather see one for real.

Maybe I”ll give Queen Camilla a call and see if she has some spare time for a Kiwi visitor when I get back to London.

We had booked at The Stone House for the night in Welshpool This made me think that all the houses are stone houses in Wales so it was not  a very imaginative name.

The Stone House

The lovely gentleman greeted us and took us upstairs (of course) to a nice room with tea and coffee and a tiny bathroom.  A full cooked breakfast would be served downstairs in the morning at 7.30am. I could get used to a 3 course breakfast!! Better get camping again with porridge and coffee being the only things on the menu.

We showered and changed into our least worn clothes, then took everything else down to the laundrette for a proper wash and dry. Clean clothes do smell nice.

Kay finishing off her socks with the hair drier

We did a food top up and found half-price salads for our dinner and half-price sandwiches for tomorrow’s lunch. A bottle of cider and a bag of chips were enjoyed while I caught up on Coronation Street. That program seems very real as I spend my days walking along cobbled streets lined with 2 story brick houses.

Breakfast again.