Day 54: Langdon Beck to Dufton (14.3 miles)

I left just after 9:30 having sorted out payment for our second Scottish cottage following a re-route decision.

I love this part of the world and Martin had gone home reluctantly having also wanted to re-walk this section- it has to be one of the most scenic and wild on the Pennine Way. It didn’t disappoint - this was a superb day.

I was lucky. The weather again was perfect for walking with sunny periods. I re-joined the Pennine Way and passed through an impressive herd of “panda” cows - a seriously handsome bull and lots of calves but I had no issues - the bull was far too interested in a cow on heat! And I was fascinated by the dynamic of the herd.

In the next field there was a less excited herd and my attention was drawn to lots of violas with a range of colours dominated by mauve, and what I think were wood anemones. There were plenty of lapwings and oystercatchers again - great to see and hear!

As I started walking up the Tees towards the Falcon Clints, a hare ran speedily across and in front of me - a beautiful rich red brown and very fast running.

As I gradually gained elevation, melancholy thistle and then cotton grass appeared alongside juniper on the opposite bank.

I arrived at the scree slopes requiring navigation over tricky stones and boulders. I stayed close to the stream to avoid the larger ones where Martin had come a cropper last time - the water seems to keep the boulders clear of lichen which can make the surfaces slippy if wet.

My excitement mounted as I approached Cauldron Snout - this for me makes a far more dramatic impact than High Force. You don’t actually see it until you come round a fairly tight bend and after the Maize Beck has joined the main river.

I love a good scramble and going up the side of the waterfall certainly gives you that. Great fun and I was pleased that I wasn’t finding the backpack particularly burdensome. I departed here at 12:25 prepared for the long and steady ascent towards the next big attraction of the walk - High Cup Nick.

But first I was in for a superb surprise - passing through Birkdale Farm I saw lots of lapwings it then heard a familiar high pitched single note - not one but a good half dozen golden plovers were clearly nesting round here. A delight to see.

I found the trek up the track rather tiresome but took it steady along the boundary of the Warcop Training Area. I was ready for some lunch but wanted to get past the point we had had lunch last time in 2020. The footbridge over the beck came into view, and the stone enclosure where we had stopped and sheltered from rain before. This time I was able to sit on some rocks above looking at the beautiful view which was enhanced by the shining white of lots of flowering cotton grass.

I realised that the larger part of the climb up to High Cup Nick was done so pressed on walking through limestone shale hole country towards the Whin Sill exposure that forms the Nick. Creating the brow of the hill the magnificent vista of this huge U-shaped glacial valley. With the Eden Valley and the Lake District behind,  opened up before me taking my breath away. Glorious.

I lingered here for half an hour and shook myself to set off once more at around 15:30. For a while I followed the edge closely watching out for Nichol Chair where, if memory serves me correctly, legend has it that a local shoemaker sat and made or repaired a shoe at one time.

The path then rises and falls for a while and I made the mistake of taking a lower path which required crossing a stream. At this point my foot slipped on what had looked a reliable dry rock and I jarred by back. Not something I wanted to do. I decided to take a couple of ibuprofen and take things slowly. It was a rather laborious descent as a consequence but so determined to enjoy the gorgeous scenery and not worry about a problem that hopefully wouldn’t arise. 

The track down was pretty rough and needed a good deal of concentration but Dufton came into sight and by 6pm. I was settled in my hobbit hut with heater and kettle for a welcome brew. A tasty meal at the Stag Inn set me up for a good sleep and energy for tomorrow’s walk over across Fell and a night at Greg’s Hut. And all the signs were that the back had settled and all would be well …. Fingers crossed!