Day 43- Low Farm to Middleton-in-Teesdale 19 Miles

High Force

     I was woken by a sheep making a rather strange noise not far form my tent. I ignored it and began to pack up. If I'd pocked my head out of my tent I'd have seen a lamb been born about a hundred meters away. She was nudging some curious lambs away with her head and standing protectively over it by the time I climbed out.
  The path from the camp wonders along the river Tees from Low Force to High Force before splitting away towards Widdy Bank. The smooth trodden path changes to a rather horrible scramble across Falcon Clint's until you reach Cauldron Snout. It slowed me down and I really struggled, the backpack catching me off balance and threatening to knock me into the river.

Falcon Clint

  Cauldron Snout is a wonderfully dramatic waterfall, the torrents crashing down from Cow Green Reservoir and the path no where in sight. You have to clamber up the sides, at times lifting yourself up a meter, again this would have been great fun if I were not carrying the backpack. It was still fun but a little intimidating as well.

Cauldron Scout

  Several mountain bikers passed me, some looked experienced while others had the look of day bikers taken aback by the roughness of the terrain. From the reservoir the climb begins up to High Cup, and the walk while not too difficult is relentless and wears you out. Just past a farm I sat and ate my humus and wrap smiling at the farmer sheepishly as he passed on his quad.

  High Cup is worth the slog and seems to come from no where. You fall down before crossing a steam. Just after one last clamber you're there. I dropped my bag and collapsed onto it. The weather been clear I had a stunning view down the valley, the high sides grand and steep.
  Just after beginning my decent from Nick and Dod Hill towards Dufton I encountered a wall builder. The stone walls that divide the fields have such a timeless look to them it's easy to forget that they'd need repair. To see someone doing this job, a task that is the same now as a hundred years ago, struck me as rather wonderful. He said it took him a day to construct about 4 meters, and he'd been doing it for the past 20 years. I stood and chattered while throwing a stick for his dog who didn't care a joy what it did to my back bending down to pick the thing up.

High Cup

  I reached Grandie Campsite and finding the owner discovered that, since I wrote and was offered a free pitch, the owners had changed. It was a rather awkward situation, I offered to pay a few times and in the end we settled for half price. Tired, I made myself a portion of rice and settled down. I'd felt lifeless all day and was happy to sit back and watch a Buffy on my phone.