Hartcliff Hill

I left the TPT and crossed a field towards Ecklands. The accompanying field had a number of cars, tents, tables and portaloos. It looked like this was the base for the 'virtual london marathon'. The wind was blowing so hard it looked like the tents were struggling to stay on the ground. The route followed farm tracks until it reached Hartcliff Road. There is a particularly dangerous bend (for walkers) when heading uphill on this road and I avoided it by climbing up to Hartcliff Hill (see map). It is worth doing this diversion anyway since the view from Hartcliff was amazing. I could see over to Howden Moors and right the way across to Black Hill and the Southern Pennines. Once I was back on the road, I sat down on a roadside bench for a rest. A Kestrel appeared and almost hovered above me. It enjoyed surfing the strong winds that blew from the moors. It was accompanied by a flock of Lapwings that struggled bravely into the wind towards Pike Lowe.