Hiking the Pennine Way:
Day one
We took the train from London to Garsdale on Sunday morning, arriving in the late afternoon. From there, a short taxi ride took us to Hawes, where we would join the Pennine Way.
Hawes is a small, peaceful town with plenty of cafes, restaurants, and pubs. The hostel gave us an elevated view of the surrounding scenery – the land we would be hiking into.
We treated ourselves to a traditional Sunday roast, in preparation for the hike. And on Monday morning, we bought fresh food from the local butchers for the day ahead. Then we began.
As we set out early, the sky was clear but the temperature was low. We headed north, towards Tan Hill. The first few miles out of town were gentle, into farmland, passing fields of sheep, before the path began to ascend. As we made our way up, we were treated to the first impressive views over the valleys – just as the clouds gathered ominously. Atop Great Shunner Fell, visibility began to decrease significantly, until we could barely see less than ten metres ahead. On a clear day, we may have had views for miles over the Dales. But not today.
Near the top of the fell the rain began and the wind picked up, until we reached the peak, and it was unrelenting. To make matters worse, I made an amateur mistake while trying to keep to the path, sinking my boot into the marsh. That left my foot drenched for the rest of the day. There was no option but to battle on through the elements, until we passed down the far side of the fell.
After soldiering on through the weather, we descended into a valley towards Thwaite. The rain halted and the wind abated, and the path down was a refreshingly gentle. We were now able to see into the distance again, and it was a lovely view between the fells, before stopping in Thwaite for lunch, around 10 miles (16km) in.
From Thwaite, despite the Pennine Way generally being well signposted, we somehow managed to take a wrong turn – twice – which added a couple of unnecessary miles onto the day. But finding our way back to the trail rewarded us with some of the best views of the day – overlooking a steep valley dissected by the River Swale. The trail then became a mixture of mud, rocks, ferns, and passing small trees clinging onto the slopes.
We turned north before Keld, and it was around this point I started to feel the day’s exertions on my body. It had already been around 15 or 16 miles of hiking, with plenty of elevation. Still buoyed by the excitement of the first day, plus the good spirits of the group, helped me continue on the include up to Tan Hill Inn – purportedly the highest pub in England. It was here, though, my body reacted to my lack of preparation for the trip – and I felt an injury in my hip. Which would trouble me for the rest of the hike.
It had become misty up on Tan Hill, with the light beginning to fade as we walked on the moorland, so the Inn was a welcome sight. We had ourselves some decent grub in a warm, fire-lit pub. And a very welcome chance to rest, concluding a tough but enjoyable first day.
