Leeds-Liverpool Canal

Looking at the barges moored along the bank, I saw Northern Bouy. I remember seeing the boat near Skipton on my previous walk along the canal. It'd travelled 5 miles in 2 months. It's owners were obviously taking life slowly. There's plenty of birdlife along this stretch of the canal. I saw a pair of Goosander ducks; I've not seen many of these before. On the outskirts of Gargrave I saw a Mute Swan take umbrage with a barge that was steaming towards me. It was obviously outgunned but it did give a good account of itself. The barge turned out to be the Baj Mahal, a name that came 2nd in my favourite list of barge names on my last walk along the canal. There were plenty of lambs in the fields. I had seen some up at Alnmouth in Northumberland, a couple of weeks ago, and so they weren't the first ones I'd seen this year. The sun had been out so far on this walk and I thought I might actually be lucky and avoid the rain altogether. By the time I crossed over the canal at Thorlby Swing Bridge, the rain had arrived and persisted throughout the rest of the day. 

Sharp Haw

I walked along pleasant country lanes through the pretty villages of Thorlby and Stirton. Bog Lane delivered me to the fields which would lead me to Flasby Fell. The name of the lane were obviously a warning for the terrain to come. Conditions were getting so moist now that I had to put on my overtrousers. The track through the fields was atrociously muddy and I had to follow a meandering route to avoid the worst of it. InitiallyI could see Sharp Haw, the pointy peak of my next objective,  but then mist drifted in and it disappeared from view. At 357 metres, Sharp Haw isn't the highest peak in the Dales, but a plaque on a bench near the top offered the following recommendation: 'Sit thee down and rest awhile, the view will surely make thee smile'. I followed the advice and sat down on the impressive stainless steel seat and had my lunch. I saw nothing but mist and rain during my stay, and so felt a little short changed. I packed up and hopped over a stone wall to reach Sharp Haw's trig. I noticed a radio aerial and a small tent on the other side of the peak. On yesterday's walk (see Barden Rylstone Round) I'd seen a similar arrangement up at the war memorial obelisk on Cracoe Fell and I wondered if it was the same fellow.I started along the downward path and saw that it was someboy different inside the small tent. It seems a strange hobby to me; heaving all that radio gear up to the top of the hill and then sitting in a tiny tent speaking to somebody. Having said that, walking the fells in weather like this might not seem a sensible choice to most people. On the way down from Sharp Haw I met a group of elderly walkers making their way up. The last one in line asked me what it was like on top. I told him 'I'm not one for telling lies, but it's bone dry up there.' He looked doubtful. 

Flasby

I went up to the next peak on Fasby Fell, Rough Haw. On the top, the mist partially cleared to the east and I could even see Skipton. In fact it looked like there was even a patch of sun beyond. As soon as I took a photo, the mist came back and so I continued plodding over the top and down the other side. On the path to the village of Flasby a man was walking a Border Collie on a lead, and he stepped to one side to let me by. As I walked past the dog strained at the leash towards me and bared its teeth. 'It's okay, he won't hurt you. He's just scared of strangers.' I'm pretty sure that it wasn't as scared as I was of it.

Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow

From Flasby I started making my way southwards through fields. The route took me past Flasby Hall and Eshton Hall. The mist had cleared off Flasby Fell now and I could see the tops. Pity it hadn't been like that when I was up there. Beyond, the higher Cracoe Fell was mostly in mist, and I couldn't see the obelisk, although Rylstone Cross (another memorial I visited yesterday) was just below cloud level. The field hopping brought me back to Holme Bridge on the Leeds-Liverpool canal. I was almost up to the canal when a Hare popped out of the undergrowth and on to the path in front of me. It can't have seen me since it sat there eating grass. It was great to watch it, but I think it would have sat there all day had I not made a move along the path. It bound alongside the canal and back into undergrowth. I crossed the canal using a footbridge and started following the canal path back to Gargrave. A Heron flew on to a canal side wall on the bridge, looking down into Eshton Beck flowing underneath. It let me get quite close before it took flight, heaving those large wings along the beck  towards Flasby. The rain Gods decided to have their last bit of fun and the wet stuff was heavy and relentless back to the hotel. 

I'd liked to say that the views are superb on this walk, but in all honesty I can't. I got the occasional glimpse through breaks in the clouds, but a glimpse is all I got. Maybe I'll repeat this walk on a fine day. I enjoyed the canal side walk though, with its variety of wildlife.