Captain's Log

May's Shop

I was up at 06:00 and soon consumed my morning diet of a mug of tea and a bowl of muesli. It was another grey start to the day, but it wasn’t raining. My tent was packed away damp again. There was another tent pitched next to me and just as I was about to escape out of the field, the zip opened and a fellow in his 60s pushed his head out of its entrance. He was a NoBo and had arrived after I fell asleep yesterday evening. He was interested about the trail news further north and so I filled him in the best that I could. In turn, he said that there had been wildfires near to the top of Snake Pass and that he’d had to do some sort of diversion around it. That didn’t sound good. Hopefully with all the recent rain, the fires would be out now. He reckoned that the forecast was for better weather later in the day. I wished him luck for the rest of his journey. It was too early for May’s Shop to be open, but it didn’t really matter since I’d bought some stuff yesterday evening, for today’s lunch. 

I’d no real plan today. My only objective was to walk as far south as I could. There were three possible wildcamp destinations: Standedge (short day), Wessenden (medium day) and Black Hill (long day). I guessed Black Hill would be the best destination since that would fit in quite nicely with reaching Kinder Scout tomorrow. 

Hebden Valley

As with all my recent morning’s starts, the terrain started off hilly. Initially, I dropped down to a lovely little clough with Colden Water running along it. I then field-hopped my way upwards. Rather bizarrely, I came across some steel sculptures of chairs and a table. The piece was called Banquet (by Jane Revitt) and had originally been positioned in Strid Wood at Bolton Abbey. I traversed the top of the hill and started field-hopping down the other side. I now occasionally got a view of Stoodley Pike, a stone obelisk, perched on the hillside across the Hebden valley. The cloud level was at about the same height though and it kept revealing it and then covering it up.    

I left the fields behind and started a descent on probably the oddest footpath along the whole length of the Pennine Way. It went through a wooded area where there were scattered properties hugging the hillside. Sometimes the pathway was so close to the houses that you felt you were going through their gardens. A lot of the footpaths were cobbled and a little bit slippery and so I had to take care with my footing. At one point, I came across a derelict caravan squeezed into somebody’s garden. It was a mystery as to how it got there and why they thought it was worth keeping. There must have been roads to these houses, but it wasn’t clear where they were. At one point I joined a cobbled track where some residents had driven cars up to their cottages. It was so steep, narrow and twisty, I wondered how they managed under winter conditions. Eventually the footpath brought me out at the bottom of the valley where I went under the railway line , over the A646, across a bridge over the River Calder, and then across  another bridge over the Rochdale canal. All these transport links were within the 100  metres or so width of the valley bottom. 

Stoodley Pike

I started the climb up the other side of the valley. Fortunately, the path wasn’t as steep as the one I’d just descended. The path made its way through Callis Wood and curved towards the south. I escaped the wood and the Stoodley Pike obelisk looked much closer now. The cloud level had lifted well above it. I followed a farm track and then field-hopped my way up towards the monument. It was a Bank Holiday Monday and so I could see people making their way up to the monument as well as some people who were already there. Inevitably, as I made my final approach I could hear a drone buzzing around the column. I’d climbed the staircase up to its viewing balcony a few times in the past and didn't feel a need to do so today. The obelisk is 37 metres high and was built in 1835 to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon. It fell down in 1854 and was rebuilt in 1856. It's certainly a very impressive monument and it can be seen from miles away, as I found out yesterday (see Captain’s Log, Wuthering Heights And May’s Shop). It was just too busy today and so I continued along the Pennine Way. 

Reservoirs And Pylons

The Pennine Way now followed the edge of the moors southwards. It did this for about 5 miles and offered great views into the valley below and the hills to the west. The route was reasonably flat, with some of it slabbed, and so provided the easiest walking since the flatlands around Gargrave. After a couple of miles, I reached the first reservoir, Warland. I joined a stone track used by the water companies. This too made for fast progress although it was hard on the feet. There were plenty of walkers and cyclists about. This was probably the busiest stretch of the whole Pennine Way. Warland Reservoir finished and I moved on to Light Hazzles Reservoir. Another reservoir, White Holme, was linked to Light Hazzles. The day was brighter now and the sun threatened to break through.  Further south along the edge, a line of large pylons made their way across the moors from east to west. One of my favourite views in the area was at the last reservoir, Blackstone Edge, where a line of pylons  seem to march across the moor, before diverting around the reservoir and then continuing. I reached the busy White House Inn on the A58 trans Pennine route. Many Pennine Wayers head in here for food and beer, and sometimes shelter from the elements. As expected on a Bank Holiday, the place was packed out, as was the nearby carpark. I didn’t linger and crossed the road to start the climb to my next objective, Blackstone Edge. 

Blackstone Edge

Three adults and a young boy were sitting at the start of the mooted Roman cobbled road that heads up towards Blackstone Edge. One of the adults had his phone in his hand and read,
‘What’s the fastest somebody has run the 270 mile Pennine Way?’
The young boy suggested, ‘A week.’
‘58 hours, 4 minutes and 53 seconds’ said the man.
‘Noooo waaaay’ said the incredulous youngster.
I thought about joining in the conversation and telling them about Sharon Gaytor, the ultra runner whom I’d met earlier on the Pennine Way (see the Captain’s Log, Haltwhistle South Tyne Alternative). She completed the 2021 Summer Spine Race as the 3rd placed female (23rd overall) despite cracking a rib during a fall along the route. Her time was 123 hours, 8 minutes and 1 second. Not bad for a 57 year old.  
I decided not to mention it to the group though since they might have accused me of ear-wigging on their conversation.   

There was a large group of people having their photo taken near the Blackstone Edge trig and so I walked straight on across the top. I heard the M62 before I could see it. A slabbed path led me from the summit of Blackstone Edge to the footbridge over the motorway. I have to say that this was the worst slabbed path I’ve ever come across. It was very uneven and easy to trip up if you weren’t careful. I wondered if a trainee slabber laid it. It was so bad that there was even a sign nearer to the motorway warning you of the uneven surface. Traffic raced along each side of the motorway. It seemed unreal after all these days of walking across remote landscapes. 

Nicky's Foodbar

When I talked to the chap who’d camped next to me last night at May’s Shop, he said that he’d called in yesterday at Nicky’s Foodbar and had a brilliant bacon and eggs bap. The cafe had been converted out of a shipping container and was placed in a large offroad parking space. Since it was so close to the Pennine Way it's quite well known amongst walkers. Oddly enough, although I’d walked past it many times in the past, I’d never found it to be open. Since yesterday was Sunday and my fellow camper said he was able to get some grub, I’d harboured half a thought that it might be open on a Bank Holiday Monday too. I’d been dreaming about the veggie sausage (and brown sauce) bap I was going to purchase since Stoodley Pike, a few hours ago. Of course, the place was shut. Reading the ‘Summer Opening Hours’ poster pinned to the side of the container, it was so vague, I wasn’t really sure when the cafe was actually open. I headed back on to the moors with a grumbling stomach.

White Hill

Near to  White Hill trig I came across a couple of LEJOGers. They’d started off individually, but met and stayed together since the Somerset Levels. I asked them whether the Pennine Way was still open across the top of Snake Pass given the recent wildfires. They said that all the trail was open, which was reassuring. Almost immediately I came across stretches of moor that had burnt. The wildfires must have been quite extensive during the period I was walking the start of the Pennine Way. Before reaching the A640, I met a runner in his 50s coming the other way. He looked like the remaining one of the Hairy Bikers. He was wearing a sky blue shirt, Kawasaki green shorts and knee length, electric pink socks. We chatted and I told him I was doing the Pennine Way. He must have run quite a distance since he told me that the mobile snack bar that normally parks up in the layby on the A635 wasn’t there today. That was still a good 7 miles away. 

Standedge

A lot of the approach to Standedge was slabbed and so I’d started making good time again. I reached the edge and headed southwards along it. I could see the Castleshaw Reservoirs over in the west. I could also see the high rises in Manchester too. It was beginning to feel like I was home. I reached Standedge trig and paused momentarily to take a photo, before pressing on. Standedge had been one wildcamp possibility, but it was only about 5pm and so far too early to stop. I crossed the A62 and headed back onto the moors again towards Wessenden. 

Wessenden

I was surprised to find a temporary road had been built near Black Moss Reservoir since the last time I was here. This led to the nearby Swellands Reservoir which appeared to no longer exist. It had been drained. I read a planning notice saying that the reservoir was going to be drained and then returned to its natural habitat. I’d already got Swellands Reservoir ticked on my Yorkshire Reservoirs Venture. I guess that was lucky if it was now being drained out of existence. More slabs brought me to the main Wessenden Valley. There used to be an awful part of the Pennine Way here where you had to make your way down a very steep, slippery hill to the bottom of the valley. Some stone steps have recently been created making the procedure still tricky, but a lot safer. I dropped down to the beck at the bottom and then up to the main track along the valley, on the other side.    

I started making my way up to the head of the Wessenden Valley. This was a really pretty section of the Pennine Way. The sun was going down and it had dropped below the clouds. This illuminated the surrounding hills with a warm, evening light. I passed Wessenden Reservoir and continued up to Wessenden Head Reservoir. I met a female NoBo. She sounded Scandinavian, but her English wasn’t very good and so was a bit vague on her Pennine Way experience so far. It felt like a long climb up to the head of the valley, but I finally reached Wessenden Head Road and then the A635. The runner that I'd met near White Hill, earlier this afternoon, had been right; the mobile snack bar wasn't there today. 

Black Hill

It was getting dark now and I still wanted to reach the top of Black Hill for a wildcamp. As usual, I felt I was in a bit of a race against the sunset. Fortunately, nearly all of the footpath to the top of Black Hill was slabbed and so I was able to keep up a good pace. There was a surprising amount of water coming down Dean Clough, but I was able to cross it okay. Over to the east I could see Emley Moor mast. I definitely felt like I was home. It was an exhausting haul up that final steep slope to the plateau. The sun was setting now and so I didn’t hang around finding a perfect pitch. Fortunately it wasn’t that windy and so I didn’t really need to find a sheltered spot. My pitch was a bit stony and a little difficult to peg out, but I managed to get my tent up in a serviceable state. As I set up my sleeping mat and bag, the northwest horizon turned a magnificent orange and red as the sun set. Over to the east, the lights of Huddersfield and other towns in West Yorkshire started to flicker on. It was getting cold and so I dived into my tent. 

It had been an excellent long walk today over a variety of terrain. The views had been magnificent. I’d managed to reach Black Hill which was great since this made a subsequent two day finish of the Pennine Way pretty much inevitable.