Grizedales

After plodding westwards for a while I came across a footpath post laying on the ground. It was pointing to a track heading southwards. According to the OS map, that would be my way back to Malham on my return. I continued westwards for another few minutes and came to another fingerpost (standing this time), alongside a stone wall. The northward finger pointed to my track across the Grizedales. I had a curious feeling that I wasn't alone and it wasn't long before my hunch was confirmed when a large beast loomed out of the mist in front of me. It was a cow and much too close for me to implement an avoidance manoeuvre. I walked straight past it and into the grazing space of another cow...and then even more cows started appearing. They all looked as surprised to see me as I was to see them. Like a magician's trick, they appeared and then disappeared as I made a swift escape. I checked a couple of times to see if they were following me, but the mist was so thick that I couldn't tell. The path across the Grizedales was all downhill and I made good time. I soon came to another fingerpost which indicated that the Pennine Bridleway (my intended pathway) went to me left. At least today's route seemed well signed and the tracks obvious. I headed westwards, into the wind again, and my glasses instantly misted up with the drizzle. I'd become Mr Magoo again.

Victoria Cave

On Langcliffe Scar I heard a farmer on an ATV barking out orders to his dog. He was off to the south, sounded fairly close, and I half expected to find him zooming out of the mist. It was odd hearing this disembodied voice so close to me and yet totally invisible. A few moments later I heard him close by to the north of me. He must have driven over the bridleway that I'd just walked along. Eventually his calls became distant and then I lost him altogether. Given the conditions, I'd not taken any photos and so I decided to take one of the misty bridleway. As I took the photo, a walker appeared out of the mist behind me. I reckoned that he must have thought I was mad taking a photo in these conditions and he eyed me warily. He didn't linger long for a chat and soon evaporated into the mist. The track started descending and then I left the Pennine Bridleway to join a southerly footpath that was crammed in between a high stone wall and a steep slope leading up to the craggy western tops of Langcliffe Scar. I noticed that there were moist cow pats on the footpath. This was a bit disconcerting since if I was unlucky enough to meet their owners, there were no escape routes to avoid them. I plodded warily onwards and then diverted on to a track up the slope to Victoria Cave. This was discovered in 1837 at the time of Queen Victoria's coronation. I find it odd that it wasn't found before then since its entrance was quite large. Apparently the cave revealed prehistoric bones, up to 130,000 years old, including hippos, narrow nosed rhinos, elephants and spotted hyenas. It's a big cave, but it must have been a bit crowded with all that lot in there. I started making my back down the slope to the footpath. Through the mist a large shape formed before me. For one moment I thought might be a narrow nosed rhino, but actually turned out to be something far more dangerous, a cow. It may as well have been a rhino since it was on the path and there weren't any alternative ones around it. I edged along her side whispering sweet compliments into her ear. No sooner had I sweet-talked my way around this one, then three others appeared out of the mist in front of me. By nifty footwork and a few more flattering compliments, I managed to get around them all without injury. What puzzled me most was how they got there in the first place. The slopes and crags on my left seemed unassailable to humans, never mind cows. Maybe they'd just been forgotten from the prehistoric age and just hung out in the Victoria Cave.

Dales High Way

The track kept descending and by the time I reached the Dales High Way I'd dropped out of the mist. Cloud still covered the tops above and me, but horizontally, I at last had a view.  The Dales High Way was another obvious bridleway and this took me back eastwards towards Malham. I joined a single track road to Stockdale Farm and then continued eastwards along a good track. The path gradually ascended and it wasn't long before I was back in the mist again. I came across the walker, who I'd met earlier in the day, when I was taking a photo of the mist. We exchanged a comment about the mist, but I think he still held lingering doubts about my sanity, and was soon on his way. Although the mist was still thick, it was much brighter than the dark, gloomy mist that I'd plodded through this morning and I was hopeful that it might clear. Eventually, I climbed up to the path junction where I 'd earlier turned off northwards to the Grizedales. The mist was definitely less thick now since I was able to see a large cairn about 40 metres from the junction. It seemed and odd place for such a large cairn since it wasn't on top of a hill as such. Later research revealed that the stones had been placed over the main shaft of the Pikedaw Calamine mine. Calamine is an ore of zinc used in the brass industry. A little further away, I found a square metal plate covering a mine shaft with the inscription 'DANGER 23 MTR FALL KEEP COVER CLOSED.' Apparently, if you lift the cover (I didn't) there is a step ladder that takes you down the first few metres and then the rest of the drop is for you to sort out. While I was perusing this mining detritus, the mist suddenly cleared to the east and I saw Malham Tarn in the distance. I also saw dozens of cows spread out across Ewe Moor. Crikey, I must have walked through all of those this morning and didn't see any of them. As soon as this panoramic scene was revealed, the mist drifted back down again and obscured it. I figured it wouldn't be long though before I dropped out of the mist altogether.

Return

It was only about another 15 minutes before I dropped out of the mist on a grassy footpath next to Pikedaw Hill. The sun was coming out too and granted me one of those epic Dale's views of fields, stone walls, barns and hills. It was magnificent. The path dropped down to a field full of cows. They were well dispersed and I thought that I'd easily avoid them. As I got closer though, a greyish coloured one started galloping in my direction and bellowing. I wasn't near any stone wall and so there wasn't anything I could do to avoid it. It galloped past me and up to a tree on the hillside where it kept bellowing. I mopped my brow. It was obviously having a mad half hour. I quickly negotiated the rest of the cows and entered the maze of field and lane systems that led me back to Malham. The mist was almost gone from all of the tops by the time I got back to the carpark.

I'll definitely have to do this walk again on a sunny day. The few bits of the walk where I did get a view, revealed a dramatic and stunning landscape.  I had wanted to tick some of the Explorer hills in the area, but the misty conditions and the lack of compass and gps scuppered that plan. I'd be better prepared, next time.