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After a 7am breakfast, I slipped across the the 24-hour
supermarket I had noticed a couple of hundred metres from the
guesthouse and picked up a couple of things before hitting the trail
around 8:20am. For the first time, I forgot to put my GPS on
until I had been walking for a couple of hours so today's distance
contains an element of estimation.
The early pathfinding was a chore and more than once I found
myself thigh deep in stinging nettles trying to decipher the
guide-book instructions and identify anything looking remotely like
a trail. However, as the day wore on, things improved as the
route gradually climbed into the hills. There were some long
sections along beautiful woodland trails following the River Dove
through steep-sided valleys. Gradually I got higher and
occasionally had some sweeping views across the rural countryside on
a beautiful day. I stopped for a late lunch in the village of
Swinscoe and then was pleasantly surprised as the route descended
through the bare hills of Lin Dale and emerged at the classically
beautiful Dovedale where the River Dove flowed through a limstone
gorge with steep grassy sides and craggy limestone bluffs
contrasting with the gently flowing river amidst overhanging trees.
It was a popular spot and there were many people out walking.
I followed the River Dove and my route upstream to the little
historic stone cottages of Milldale, where I detoured 2km to the
Youth Hostel I planned to stay at, only to find that it had been
entirely booked out by some families for the long weekend. I
had feared this might be the case and had tried three times to ring
and check but never managed to get past the recordings.
Curses. I reevaluated and decided to return to my route and
walk to the village of Biggin where I knew there was a pub, but
didn't know if it had accommodation. Camping was always an
option, but the forecast is for rain to set in overnight. The
walk to Biggin continued along the bottom of some beautiful
steep-sided valleys and I enjoyed the late afternoon sun. As
feared, the pub didn't offer accommodation, so I bought a meal and
left around 8pm to look for somewhere along the way to camp. I
eventually found a quiet corner of a field where I don't think I can
be seen. Strictly speaking I'm supposed to ask the landholder
for permission to camp.
After setting up the tent, I tried to book a hostel online for
tomorrow night, but it is fully-booked. I fear I could be in
for a few days of wet camping out on this holiday weekend when I'm,
unfortunately, passing through one of the most popular tourist
areas. Oh well, I'll just have to keep moving and camp if
necessary.
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