We all had a good night’s sleep and woke to find light clouds and a little sun, but it was cold. Apparently, it’s always cold at the Tan Hill Inn, unsurprising given how high it is. We packed up and headed into the inn for an excellent breakfast.
We set off at a good pace over the somewhat boggy moors towards Middleton. We only had about 16 miles to walk so there was no need to race. The time flew by in the boy’s company. We stopped from time to time to admire the landscape or when we encountered cows, which the boy’s enjoyed meeting.
In the afternoon Joe and then Tom each took a spell carrying my pack, which they managed with ease. For my part, it was good to spend an hour or two carrying a lighter pack.
Heading down from the high fells near Balderdale we came to Clove Lodge, a remote farmhouse. To our delight they had converted a barn into a rest area for walkers. There was tea, coffee, soft drinks and an amazing array of retro sweets (we opted for marshmallow tea cakes).
We chatted to the extremely friendly woman who runs the place who explained that they are a rest stop for the Spine Race run in January and June each year. Competitors run the length of the Pennine Way running at night with very little sleep, the fastest completing the 268 miles in about 3 days! In January there is always snow and temperatures are below freezing.
We also met the friendliest cat in the world who I later found out is named Mrs Tiddles. She jumped straight onto my lap, something she also did to Olly the owner of the Forest View in Byrness when he was running the race. She refused to move almost causing him to quit the race.
The whole day went well. The only frustration on this stretch being the number of false summits we climbed, particularly over the last hill leading to Middleton. We all wanted to arrive, get set up at the campsite and settle down in the pub.
We made it to the Foresters Inn for 6 o’clock. The Inn employed a French chef and we ate the best French onion soup that I’ve ever tasted followed by boeuf bourgignon. I had promised the boys good food and delivered on this occasion.
Tired and content, we walked back to the campsite and I crashed out in my tent. What the boys got up to after 10 pm I will never know.
Day Summary
Speeding along with Joe and Tom. Meeting Mrs Tiddles. A banging breakfast and a cordon bleu dinner.
Discover more from Henry’s very long walk
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Wish there were more rest barns for walkers. What a good find.