14/04/16 - Day 4 Yorkshire Dales Inn Way - Reeth to West Burton

Previous days on the Inn Way - Day 1, Day 2, Day 3
Distance - 11.6 Miles
Geocaches - 2
Pubs - 4

"Everybody has to believe in something.....I believe I'll have another drink - W C Fields"

Getting Going

Breakfast is the biggest of the week yet.  Each day has added a new ingredient.  We started with your classic F.E.B - Day 2 added Fried Bread - Day 3 added Black Pudding and here we are on day 4 with the daddy of them all.  We have all the previous - and Hash Browns.  Breakfast can only go downhill from here.

Chester the dog's owners are also in the breakfast room, but they soon tire of the hits of the seventies played instrumentally on pan pipes that is coming through the speakers.  We also nearly have to abandon the behemoth of a breakfast for the same reason.

A look around Reeth in the daylight and saddle up and head out for the days walking.

The Walk

Double good news today - on the weather front, its not raining - in fact, its warm enough to walk like Phil Collins with No Jacket Required.  Secondly, the author - fearing mid point weariness might be kicking in - has made day 4 the shortest mileage.

Back of the net.

So we head off, with the river Swale guiding us out of Reeth.  We are following Chester the dog.  His owner is walking in a very stooped way - not another UDI as suffered by a member of our party - he slipped badly on a wet rock yesterday.  We say our goodbyes at Grinton Bridge and watch him gamefully hobble off in a different direction.  We can only hope they manage to finish their Coast to Coast.

Say Goodbye to the River Swale at Grinton

With only a mile of walking completed, we always knew we would have been far too early for the first pub of the day, the Bridge at Grinton.  Even so, we cannot help but suffer from despair at this initial disappointment.

Morning Blues

The climb up the road onto Grinton Moor focuses the mind.  It's a slog, but we can look behind us to see how much height we have gained and to say goodbye to Reeth.  I make more farewells than Neil.

I can also achieve distraction from the incline by finding an early geocache, leaving my walking partner to befriend the locals.

Looking back on Reeth

Ewe've either got it, or ewe haven't

The climbing is over for the day.  We have sunshine and a gradual descent to a place that I have been looking forward since plotting the route - Castle Bolton.   Like something out of Game of Thrones.  And it only disappoints by not having a pub.

Smile if the climbing is done for the Day

Castle Bolton Poking through the Trees

Magnificent since 1379

We spend a while on a bench in it's shadow before heading off again and grabbing the 2nd and final cache of the day in the castle grounds.

It's not too long until our first liquid stop of the day.  The Wheatsheaf at Carperby is famous as the honeymoon stop for James Herriot in the 1930s.  We have the place to ourselves.  Neil uses the time to peruse the map and optimistically declare that we can easily add another pub to the day by tacking on an extra mile.  Every Trip needs a Neil - boundless enthusiasm and a passion for overcoming tragedy.

First Stop of the Day

It's not as if we don't have the time this afternoon.  We turn into rambling tourists, with it only being another mile to the honeypot of Asygarth Falls.  They are splendid.  And before we know it, we are degaitering for the 2nd pub of the day - the Asygarth Falls Hotel.

Middle Force

Higher Force

Aysgarth Falls Hotel

Further refreshed, it's only a slight detour along the road to Neil's bonus pub - The George and Dragon.

We can't quite understand why this most excellent of venues was omitted from the guide.  It may well be our pub of the week.  3pm and we are greeted by the most wonderful roaring fire, the smell of 1000 hotpots and drink under a canopy of knick-knacks to some top banter with the Landlady.  Another couple (for clarity, we are a pair - not a couple) come in and join the conversation.

This is what the English pub is all about.

Petitioning for its inclusion in future revisions off the Inn Way

Because of this

It's tough to leave, but we need to find home - the Fox and Hounds in West Burton.  Less than 45 minutes later, we have checked out the sixth largest village green in England and are settling in to our fourth different room of the week.

West Burton Village Green

Fox and Hounds - Our room in the Courtyard to the left

We fall for the place big time - the back of the menus have a list of all the stupid things that customers have asked the bar staff.  To show that its not all one sided, the management have obliged by posting several and apparently meaningless notice signs off their own around the place.  Our favourites, in no particular order;

"This curtain rail is not load bearing.  Do not hang things off it"

"It has been noticed that a dog has been chewing the legs on the bar stools.  Please ensure your dog does not chew the furniture"

and one just out of the public view for the staff

"White cloths are not for Brasso.  Someone has been using the white cloths for Brasso"

It's the only pub in West Burton and a fulcrum for the community.  Whereas in days gone by, people would have gathered around the fire to talk, they now congregate here for the broadband.  It's not quite strong enough to stream video, which is a shame, as Neil wants to watch the Liverpool game.

And its a belter of a game - some are listening to it on Internet Streamed Radio, some on betting apps and some through Twitter.  The only problem is that the goals are reported at different times.  A man with a green head band leaps off his chair - he has  earlier placed a 5-3 bet on when Liverpool were 2-0 down and Liverpool have just got it back to 4-3.  30 Seconds later, the radio reports the goal and the rest of the pub cheer.

Although Liverpool go through in the most dramatic of fashion, he never quite gets his 5-3 prediction.  He cheers himself up by putting another bet on a women's football game finishing with more than 7 goals that is currently being played in Russia.

Having had a fine evening - we retire to our room to watch the highlights on ITV.

Attempting to watch the football on a phone

13/04/16 - Day 3 Yorkshire Dales Inn Way - Askrigg to Reeth

Previous days on the Inn Way - Day 1, Day 2
Distance - 13.5 Miles
Geocaches - 3
Pubs - 4

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day - Frank Sinatra"

Getting Going

We awake at the White Rose Hotel to a room of steam.  The heating system has completed a super job of drying out our clothes.  Which is excellent news, as we have to put them back on and go out in the rain again.

Breakfast of the week is consumed.  Think yesterday's - but with additional fried bread.  Our research shows that Askrigg was the place where "All Creatures Great and Small" was filmed, with the Kings Head the setting for the fictional local.  We pop down to have a look in the daylight before heading off.

All Churches Great and Small - Askrigg Church

The Walk


Every journey has its nadir and today's walk could be ours.  It's raining.  Again.  And we have a 1 in 4 gradient climb on the road to Muker to get out of Askrigg and up onto the high ground of Askrigg Common.

That extra fried bread is really helping things.

The Road to Somewhere - Swaledale

We leave the road at Oxnop Scar and unlike yesterday, at least we have views.  And a couple of geocaches.

A cross country descent provides some entertainment - the entertainment being can we stay on our feet?

Descent into Swaledale

We get to the Ivelet Bridge to find the road closed to traffic by engineers laying fibre optic broadband cable.  We shouldn't have problems uploading photos tonight.

Ivelet Bridge - A Rainbow in Stone

We've hit Swaledale - with the River Swale the fastest flowing river in England.  It's a nice walk along the valley floor, with Neil pointing out various animals - jet black rabbits (not seen before), lambs with umbilical cords still attached and in an ultimate sight of cuteness - a brand new lamb that has just been born - guarded by its mother next to a drystone wall.

All this puts a smile on our faces along with the fact we are at Gunnerside at 12:15pm for the first pub of the day - the King's Head.

Swaledale

King's Head - Gunnerside

Askrigg Gold - Liquid Lunch today

Half way down our pint and we are joined by a couple of gentlemen ramblers.  They are completing the Coast to Coast path.  With a Rhodesian Ridgeback called Chester in tow.  Good rambling chat prevails until we leave at the same time.

We thought we were in for an easy afternoon following the River Swale all the way to Reeth.  This is where Chester is going.  However, we have read the map incorrectly and rather than stick on the valley floor we are back up the hills on the other side to have a look at the lead mines.

Climbing up to the lead mines

The elevated position does provide us with a comedy view of our rambling mates trying to lift Chester over the stiles.  In horse racing parlance, he refused.

I'm not going to lie to you blogfans, the afternoon walking is not great.  The lead mines are not quite featureless - we can see Reeth in the distance.  It just doesn't seem to be getting any closer.  Probably because three days with the 10 TC strapped to my back have made my trusty Meindls feel like a pair of deep sea diving boots.

Neil tries to repair my mood by reading off the menu from tonight.  He is one of those organised people that look at it in advance and decide what they want before they get there.  I must admit, a night off the pies sounds good and they have one ethnic dish - Moroccan Lamb with couscous.

With dreams of a non-potato based tea, we plod on, until we lose the height and aim towards the recently repaired suspension bridge.

At Last - Dropping down from the Lead Mines to Reeth

Built in 2002 to replace the former - smashed to bits by a tree in the floods of 2000

A final geocache as we enter the village and a discussion on which street is best to find our hotel - the Buck.

The Buck Hotel

The Buck has everything required to restore our moods - from a boot tray in the room for our soggy footwear, to a man installing a router outside our room so we can get better WiFi, to five different real ales on.

We decide to hit the bar immediately.

A New Discovery - Copper Dragon Best

I honestly thought I would never turn down Timothy Taylor Landlord over anything but I have to say on balance, the Copper Dragon pips it here.  A wonderful pint in a week of wonderful pints.

We are joined by Chester's owners - Chester has gone to bed tired.  Or he is still trying to get through the stiles.  We are also joined by a rambling couple who have a wicked sense of humour.  Much hilarity ensues as we determine that the lady rambler has been calling Youth Hostels - YeeHars - having seen the initial YHA emblazoned on the side of the buildings.

After Neil has got half way through the real ales (no loyalty, that boy), we shower (separately, it's not quite been a week) and come down refreshed, in good spirits and ready for the subtle spices of our African cuisine.

Our waitress arrives and you know what is coming.

They're out of the Moroccan Lamb.

This is what happens when you look at menus in the morning.  A re-adjustment is required but at least we order mashed, rather than chipped potatos.

Food consumed, we head off to check out the other two pubs - side by side against a lovely square in a vista that hasn't changed for the best part of 300 years.

Kings Arms and Black Bull Behind

Front Door of the King's Arms

Both on the Inn Way, so worthy of investigation.  We stay in the two until 10:45pm, with the King's Arms our preferred.  They were playing 50s rock and roll, which Neil was singing along too with some considerable gusto - until I brought the mood down by explaining that the lyrics to "Tell Laura I love Her" are about a man dying in a car crash.

We leave in darkness and entertain each other - Neil crashes into one of the benches outside the Kings Arms and wakes up with our first UDI (Unidentified Drinking Injury).  We arrive at the Buck and despite the relatively early time - it's completely and utterly in darkness.  Neil finds my attempt at getting the correct key in the outside door utterly hilarious.

In and up to our room.  Its been a long day and I nod off instantly to the frustrated sounds of Neil trying to log onto the new router's WiFi - which contains a complex password where the E's are replaced with 3's.

I am awoken 15 minutes later next to an empty bed, Neil giggling on the landing and a grumpy Landlord booming "My wife said there was a man in his pants trying to logon to the WiFi" in broad Yorkshire tones.

12/04/16 - Day 2 Yorkshire Dales Inn Way - Cray to Askrigg

Previous day on the Inn Way - Day 1
Distance - 13 Miles
Geocaches - 1
Pubs - 5

“Work is the curse of the drinking classes - Oscar Wilde"

Overnight In Cray

I left you yesterday with the two intrepid explorers slumped into a Chesterfield in the White Lion at Cray.  Feel I have to say a few words about the place.

It was shut down and has only just re-opened.  On booking, I was a little concerned by reports of people who had made arrangements only to find out on arrival the place had gone.  I double checked during my phone call and was assured that everything was fine now, and the place had undergone a full refit.

Our stay was simply wonderful.  From the comfort of our plush leather sofa we were treated to waitress service of Black Sheep.  The game pie is currently the winner of pie of the week - although to be fair, it is early days and we have vowed to ourselves that no matter what, we are not having daily pie.

The icing on the cake was on retiring to the room - and dealing with facebook jibes on our sleeping status - we found a fully loaded jar of complimentary maltesers.  It's little touches like this that stand out.

Hats off to the White Lion in Cray.

How our friends and families are imagining our sleeping arrangements on the Inn Way

The Walk




The guidebook suggests that old Roman road from Cray over Stake Moss and into Bainbridge is one of the most spectacular in all of England.

We have two choices - take his word for it or come back and have another look.

The Most Spectacular Path in all of England

On plotting the route, I notice the high number of Shake and Swallow Holes marked on the map.  Neil points out a particularly fine example of one which is mere metres from the path.  It's about 20 foot deep and just wide enough that if I would have strayed from the path, the 10 TC Rucksack would have simply had me wedged in there for all eternity.

With no views to speak of, we pass the time by working out how or if someone would have ever made an escape.

The good news is that the fog lifts as we reach Stalling Busk, to be replaced by heavy rain.  We avoid the temptation of a guided tour of the Raydale Preserve Visitors Centre and head for a mooch around the ruined church.

The church was built in 1603 and the last burial in 1982.  But it looks like they may have night crawlers.

The Undead of Stalling Busk Church

Semer Water is a rarity in these parts - only 1 of 3 natural bodies of large water in Yorkshire.  There is the only geocache of the day and evidence of massive flooding from earlier in the year.

Semer Water - Rain replaces Fog

The River Bain becomes our handrail into Bainbridge.  GPS and Maps can be put in out of harms way and we trudge into town, looking forward to the first pub of the day.  We arrive at the Rose and Crown at 1pm.  A sign on the building shows that this place has been offering refuge to weary travellers since 1445.

Dropping into Bainbridge

Pies Galore

Our Favourite Fire Place

We're in no hurry to head out into the elements again - so its a couple of black sheep and a sandwich.  We look at the map and talk with the landlord about where our journey will take us.

The direct route would have us in Askrigg in a couple of miles but the directions want to take us on a detour to Worton to check out the Victoria Arms.

The landlord gives us two pieces of advice - "Don't touch the Lager" and "Wipe your feet on the way out".

We redress, check out the Roman Fort of Virosidvm (think grassy knoll) and trudge along Brough Scar in the rain to reach our destination.

On top of Brough Scar

The diversion proves to be 3 miles and around 200 years.  The Victoria Arms turns out to be a rare example of a parlour pub - where smallholding farm is the main source of income and beer is sold from the landlords living room to make a bit of extra.

Neil heads in first and finds our host hoovering with the Henry.  He asks if they are open and is met with "We can be!"

And so we go in, sit in their front room and play a game of I Spy, with the object being the most unusual item hanging on the wall.

Handy Directions - left over from the Tour de Yorkshire

The Back Room - Stag and Nudie Pics

The Front Room 

The Fireplace and Bar

I think I am going to win with the 8lb Otter's Head (middle animal above the fire place) but Neil pips me to the post with a fox's arse (above right hand side of bar).

The landlord engages us in conversation on various things including food, keeping busy and machines to tell the weather.

This pub is a real highlight and a conversation starter with many people we meet on the rest of the trail.  We felt honoured to have been there and cannot help but think that places like this will not be with us for much longer.

Off we must go again and we are told of the short cut to Askrigg, but of course, we want to do things properly - so we follow the guide around Nappa Hall.  This is a 1450 fortified farm house that once hosted James I and Mary Queen of Scots.  There is little to look at but we are being watched by the rather intrusive CCTV camera bolted on the side.

Nappa Hall

A mile to go along the top of Newbiggin Beck and we are in Askrigg.  A positive metropolis of three pubs - if we include the White Rose Hotel - where we stop.  We have made up the missing pub from yesterday.

We check in and I ask if they have the football on.  I get into a long conversation with the receptionist who claims to know nothing about football but it comes up positive.  This gives us some entertainment, should we run out of conversation during the evening.

Our Home for the Night.  BT Sports on Request.

What follows is a mission of kit drying.  Every radiator in the room is loaded with wet walking gear.  This drys your clothes but leaves a very interesting fuggy smell which we discover on our return.

We have Askrigg to explore.

First thing to note is the there is a mico brewery in town.  The Yorkshire Dales Brewing Company.

Quite rightly, the town is very proud of it and all three hostelries have two different ales on.  You would think that this means the brewery has 6 different ales in total but later on, in another confusing conversation with Yorkshire folk, we are corrected that they have 10.

Advice is given by a local in the Kings Head, where a Geoffrey Boycott soundalike puts Neil's reluctance to try the darker Drovers Ale right by suggesting that "you don't drink with your eyes, lad".

All brews were superb and its with some regret that we don't bring some bottles back with us.

This one was called Butter Tubs

Top of Town - The Crown Inn

The Kings Head 

Evening meal was taken in the Kings Head - where, you've guessed it, it was Pie Night.  The Steak and Ale moved into pole position in the pie charts.  Superb.

After food, we head back to our hotel just as the game is ending.

The receptionist tells us off.  She had put on the football especially for us.

11/04/16 - Day 1 on Yorkshire Dales Inn Way - Grassington to Cray

Distance - 16.3 Miles
Geocaches - 3
Pub Count - 4

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy - Benjamin Franklin"

Introduction

I've had the book - the Inn Way to the Yorkshire Dales - on my overloaded shelf for a number of years.  It documents a 76 Mile trail through the dales to be taken over six days.  It also details 26 pubs to stop at along on the way.

To say its my type of book is an understatement.

On a regular Thursday night boys night out at the end of 2015, I mentioned it to my friend Neil.

Turns out, it's his type of book, too.

By the end of the first week of January 2016, accommodation had been booked for April.

This is the first of six blogs detailing our middle aged adventure.

The Planning

Accommodation was OK to book.  Once you can get a Yorkshire man to phone you back.  Just don't ask for email receipts.  We are booked in a range of accommodation - mainly pubs, one YHA (or Yee Har - find out on day 3 Blogfans) and the honeymoon suite of a Timothy Taylor hotel.

Route Planning looks easy enough.  We seem to have a big climb each day, early doors, followed by a meander along a water way and the discovery of a new village or two and their associated boozers.  Will the Dales be as ravaged by pub closures as other parts of the country?  We will find out and report back.

Packing.  Now this is an issue.  The longest I have previously walked is 3 days - so a six dayer becomes a challenge.  What is the least pairs of pants that I can get away with and maintain a) my dignity and 2) my 20+ year friendship with Neil.  Do I need a full tube of toothpaste or will a 25ml sample tube suffice?

The answers are 3 and Yes.

It all gets packed up in my 15 year old 65L rucksack.  I try and lift it.  All I am going to say is that its easier when its on my back.  And it gets christened the 10 Tonne Catastrophe (10 TC) for the week.

10 TC

Everything set - we head off at 6am on Monday 11th April to beat the M6 Commuters and park up for £15 at the Dales Visitor centre in Grassington.  By 9:50am, boots are on and we are off.

The Walk

Straight through the centre of Grassington.  The guide has the three pubs here as 1-3 but we are saving these for when we return on Saturday.  A quick photo and a check to make sure we have a room in the right Devonshire Arms (we have, as long as I answer to the name of Terry), before we head out of town to pick up the Dales Way.

As Fresh Faced as we will look all week - Ian to the Left, Neil to the Right

See you next Saturday - Get the bunting out for our return

Instantly, we are out into the countryside that will define our week's walking.  Neil is a bit of a climber, so he is delighted by some of the scars and crags that whet his slightly more athletic appetite.

Lea Green

Kilnsey Crags

Our planned pub 1 of the day, Tennants Arms at Kilnsey, is only 90 minutes walk away, so we were initially a touch concerned that it might night be open so early.  Especially on a Monday Morning.  Its also a little bit of a loop back around and from the fields, it looked closed.

However, my optimistic partner insisted on a closer check and pay dirt was met.  11:23am and we are having our first pint.  I also get my first communication from home and it's the promise of good news. Congratulations to my soon to graduate daughter on getting her career off the ground.

Before entering, we also learn a bit about how the route works.  Each pub has (or had - some have gone) a sign outside.  Often with a clipper, so you can mark progress in the guide book.  This becomes a talking point with our landlords - some who are completely oblivious, some who are keen to point out how they told Mark Reid, the Author, on where he was going wrong with his route planning and how better trails are available.

They are 3 Ahead - Tennants Arms 

Politely Degaitering and Debooting

How we loved the constant roaring fires of the Yorkshire Pubs

And the fine Ale

Timothy Taylor Landlord to start the week.  And its not even 12pm.

30 Minutes later and we are out following the River Skirfare in Littondale to Arncliffe.  Lovely little hamlet with a large village green, an ancient church, the first geocache of the week and of course a pub,

I get my first lesson in how not to communicate with Yorkshire Folk.

The Falcon is the original inspiration for the Woolpack in Emerdale.  They also pour their pints from a jug from behind the counter.  A practice that we saw only once and hope not to experience again.  It added nothing to the drinking experience.

Again, we deboot but I cannot resist a look around.  The landlany offers us the use of her parlour but I am too dirty so decline by saying "I couldn't, it's like a museum".  I meant this as a compliment.

She stared at me, tutted and walked away saying "It was good enough for her grandson".

I can see, we are going to have to be careful with our choice of words.

Church and Geocache GZ

Poured from a Jug

Museum Piece.  Grandson out of shot.

Warm enough to sit outside, we enjoy our pint in the sunshine and head back to follow the river and the only other walkers we see today - a family of 4 out on a ramble.

We soon arrive at the head of the valley and pub number 3 - The Queens Arms.  It's in a wonderful location in a tiny hamlet served by a windy country road.  We do, however, meet the first disaster.  Its closed all day on Mondays.

Still, its good news that its open at all in such empty place and we make use of their benches to drink water and soak up the views - knowing we have a big climb ahead.

The Queens Arms - Don't like Mondays.

To show that its not all drinking, we have some top quality walking to do as we cover Ackerley Moor and Firth Fell.  At 607m, I think I am correct in saying this is the highest part of the walk.  It also keeps Neil happy by having a trig point he can bag - which basically means touching it.

Proper walking

Halfway Up and Neil relaxes whilst I fail to find a cache

It was a tough old climb with 10TC strapped to my back and the descent seems to be even harder on the knees - especially as we plod along on ankle twisting stone tracks.

We are, of course, rewarded.  We would have stopped at the Buck Inn in Buckden, if only they answer their telephone in January.  As I couldn't get hold of anyone apart from a default answer machine, I assumed they had gone out of business.

This is not true.  They are fully open and excellent sales people.  You may have noticed we haven't eaten yet.  Feeling peckish but with only another mile to go to our final destination, I ordered a packet of mini cheddars to go with our Theakstons.

Before I knew what had happened to me, I had been upsold a hot beef sandwich, with chips and salad, discreetly served on two plates for us to share.

Approach to Buck Inn

Neil went Light, I went Dark

I maintain that Theakston XB was the best of many great pints consumed during the week.  This was the only place that sold it.

As tempting as it would have been to stay for the night, we have another climb over Buckden Rake for our home.  Good job this old Roman Road is a stunner.

Gorgeous.  Even on a belly half full of Beef Sarnie.  And Chips.

The rake completed, we have a steep and mucky descent to the White Lion in Cray.  Upbeat Neil suggested that we could drop our stuff off and add another mile to the day to bag the George at Hubberholme.  When he sets out to do something, he does it properly - and we are a pub down on the plans.

Unfortunately, the Chesterfield proved too seductive.

Stepping Stones to the Pub

The Newly Re-opened White Lion

Something strange happened - we just couldn't get back up

Day 1 was a joy.  This is going to be a most excellent week.