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January

 

Route

Route

Walk leader

Michael

Route

Middleton-in-Teesdale – Harter Fell (south flank) – Wythes Hill – Grassholme Reservoir (south side) – public footpath to Mickleton – along old railway line to Middleton

Weather

Overcast with occasional brighter spells, pleasant out of the wind.

Walkers

Michael, Ashley, George B, Ron.

Excuses

Michelle - on call.

Evelyn - recovering from a cold.

Sandy - headache.

Bernie - watching the Toon lose yet another last minute goal.

Comments

A friendly local directed us to a well-placed long stay car park. We started along the Pennine Way along the southern flank of Harter Fell. We climbed further up than necessary then had to search further down for a gate through the wall. The ground was frozen in most places – hard and not muddy. The views would have been spectacular if the visibility had been better.

We had a nice sheltered lunch spot by a small stream, where there was a slight odour of silage. Several other minor navigational adjustments were needed along the way. Saw Ddazzling white hens and a posh play area at Wythes Farm as well as a brand new tractor hitched up to very dirty muck spreader. The signs at the end of the farm lane had a tractor on each side, but a male driver on one side and a female driver on the other. At the other end of the next meadow, we found a notice requesting us to cross the meadow in single file.

We walked along south side of reservoir, which was surrounded by an immaculately constructed castelled wall with no mortar. Ashley ran on about a kilometer ahead so that we could successfully test Michael’s new walkie-talkie. A second break at the disabled car park – the visitor centre was closed and nobody was fishing or sailing. We took the wrong path at the end of the dam and had to to clamber down a slippy slope and over a seized gate to regain the track which we then found was a private road. We walked up to the main road along the private road before finding a public path across the fields, where we disturbed two deer.

After an artistic photo shoot in front of a convex mirror in Mickleton, we crossed the old railway viaduct and headed back towards the cars. To avoid walking along a stretch of road, we took a track through a disused quarry. At the other end we were asked by a man from a cottage whether we needed help and why we had walked along the track. We were then ticked off and sworn at when we admitted our mistake and apologised.

After a search for a café which was open, we were served coffee and biscuits in the Teesdale Hotel bar (as visited by Prince Charles) – very pleasant service.

Wildlife/Flora/Animals:

Birds: Pheasants, lots of ducks (mallard and tufted), black grouse, possible buzzard.

Mammals/others: Two deer, a rabbit, possible mole underground, lots of sheep.

Meal

The Bowes Incline. Joined by Carol, Sandy and Evelyn. Good meal, huge crumbles. The lights kept going out (7 times). Ashley was enraged by the use of an apostrophe on the toilet door i.e Rest Room’s.

Photo Gallery

Walkers

January walkers

Bleak

Bleak

Him

Him

Her

Her

slippy

Slippy

viaduct

Viaduct

 

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