DALES to LAKES, Day 2: swaledale (from keld)

Finally get to pause from all the madness!

It’s been a very challenging, and somewhat disappointing, warm-up to this trip. I planned for a gradual easing into hiking after a few weeks away, but instead ended up walking a whopping 30km! I feel tired, plus I have some strains + muscle fatigue I’m concerned about considering how much of this trip I have left so need to carefully manage myself moving forward.

The Hike

I switched up last-minute and went across to Keld in the hope of being able to do both Rogan’s Seat and Great Pinseat, which were both relatively high peaks north of Swaledale. But my days! It was a strong, hard lesson on how the biggest peaks aren’t always the best and most enjoyable.

To get to Rogan’s Seat I took a shortcut across Stonesdale Moor, but cutting through marshes, bogs, heath + bracken was hard work, particularly on my hamstrings! I managed to keep dry, and absorbed all the energy I could from moments where I had a strong, refreshing breeze, but I was not having a good time of it at all.

Rogan’s Seat was disappointing, so was Great Pinseat, as they were merely high points on large plateaus with little to awe at surrounding them. There were definitely still moments that smacked me in the face + gripped me though, particularly in the valley itself.

Highlights

For example, on my way to Rogan’s Seat, the view towards the North Pennines was pretty awesome. So was Arkengarthdale Moor, with the villages of Whaw and Langwaithe looking pretty peaceful in Arkengarthdale itself. I remember encountering countless rabbits alongside Great Punchard Gill, which was fun to see – just them getting on with their runnings and all that.

Another highlight was Gunnerside Gill on Malbecks Moor, where you had 3 valleys converge at the site of this old mill and some other ruins. It was not only quite serene, but I could picture the potential hustle + bustle of life in this space.

But nothing captivated me more than the striking scenes through the valley of Swaledale when leaving + returning to Keld (see article cover image). The energy soaring within underlined why I feel most happy in such places + deem them beautiful.

Lessons

So yes, the fear I had of being underprepared came to fruition here as my skill of reading the land from the map was certainly rusty. As for the valleys that make up the Yorkshire Dales, I think traversing the valley sides of each dale is where the fun is to be hard, particularly where the relief is steep. The best views aren’t always the highest, and I shall try to take that with me moving forward.

I definitely need to plan ahead next time. Planning thoroughly enables my creatively to flourish when I arrive in situ. It gives me a platform to get creative from and deviate as I see fit, according to whatever I encounter.

When I was finding things hard, I remember reflecting on my hike in life. I’m someone who doesn’t like following other people’s paths as I prefer to create + take my own. This was another example, particularly as like life, doing so wasn’t easy at all. It was very challenging and lonesome. Yet the lessons you can reap + the destinations you can reach often make it worthwhile. Just got to keep learning + evolving with each wave.

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To view my photo album from this day visit: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWQVVtE