Day 46: Hebden Bridge to Ponden (12 miles)

I started out around 8:30, saying goodbye to Martin until I meet him in Malham to pick up my camping stuff. I walked up behind the B&B through the woods to re-join the Pennine Way. The bluebells on the steep slopes were amazing - and despite my poor sense of smell these days I was pleased to pick up the occasional drift of scent as the sun warmed up.

Indeed the heat was rising quickly and it felt humid. Coming out of the woods to the fields I was glad for the occasional breeze - but it was occasional! I recalled the wonderful sound of curlews calling here in March 2020 - all seemed quiet until 3 flew over. This part of the walk is undulating as it crosses a couple of valleys running parallel with a particularly attractive stone bridge spanning the “Golden Water” stream. 

I was relieved to reach Mays Shop at 10:30 but was dismayed to see a Closed sign. Although there was a door bell saying ring for attention I was reluctant to do so, but apparently there’s a camera and sure enough May popped up apologising for the closed sign. It really is an Aladdin’s cave - I was able to be very choosy with what so selected!

I stopped at the start of the moors for my elevenses from May at 10:50am and enjoyed the sound of both  curlew and lapwing calling. The heat was shimmering off the heather already, and between the heat and discomfort from my glute my pace was very steady.

I Met Bjorn, a German walking John O Groats to Lands End and I was the first End to Ender he had seen. He was dressed from head to foot in black and I was amazed he wasn’t over-heating - my 3/4s were rolled up and I was down to my tee-short already. His mother had died with Alzheimer’s 8 years ago. He took a photo of me with a Pentax camera - no sign of a phone!

Later, two of the women from the group I had met at Nicky’s cafe yesterday came past - the bruises on the lady who had fallen were already fading but she admitted she was taking loads of painkillers. They urged me not to hold back on using analgesics for my glutes.

I stopped at one of my favourite places at the meeting of the streams - Graining Water - such a peaceful place and lingered for awhile from 12:30 to 12:50. I glimpsed a lapwing briefly and then an oystercatcher.

As I progressed out into the fields again from the deep stream valley, I was delighted to see lots of lapwings occasionally taking to the wing with some minor acrobatics but I imagined they were now at the nesting stage and the mating displays which I had seen 6 weeks earlier in 2020 were now largely over until next year. Suddenly, a little chick scurried from the side of the road as its parent flew over me and then called to its young. Another appeared out of the reeds in response to what almost sounded like “here now”. I moved on, not wanting to distress them.

Passing by the conifer plantation three jays flew up from the road into the trees. Rounding the corner I was thrilled to see more lapwings, and this time I stopped for while to watch them: a few doing their acrobatics maybe territorially, and one bombarding a pheasant.  Perhaps defending its young or eggs? As I watched I heard a cuckoo and curlew in the distance.

Descending to the Walshaw reservoirs I came across 2 pairs of greylag with their chicks on the field with another on the reservoir - by the time I’d walked the length of the reservoir I’d lost count ….. I don’t think there’s going to be a shortage of greylag geese!

I was then taken aback to see Sand martins when there was no visible sign of any sandbanks for them to nest in - but they didn’t needs to - they were using the overflow pipes in the reservoir dam walls. I enjoyed watching the birds on the water, and the bizarre sight of two oystercatchers perched on the drystone wall. But eventually I stopped for lunch on the Wadsworth moor at 14:15, reaching Top Withins at 15:10. I had a good look round this time and checked out the shelter!

 There were a number of butterflies flying around the heather: smaller than orange tips, fast flying with a bright green outer and possibly brown inner wings, dark brown tip on outer and possibly a very small spot. I will need to look that up at some point. As I started to drop down from moors, I noticed an attractive with curlew wind-vane on  Upper Heights, so was chuffed when a real curlew flew over joined by another to its bubbling call as it landed.

Going through a track jammed with bilberry bushes I was struck by a sweet almonds scent. I’d not seen them when flowering and the hover flies certainly liked them. I left the Pennine Way to head for the sold Silent Inn- I was ready to cool off and have a long drink of lime and soda!