The 3 Peaks, Yorkshire Dales (Chapel-Le-Dale) 12th May - 14th May 2006 |
The third visit........ On this For the third year running, the hiking club returned to Chapel-le-Dale. Though a large turn-out seemed apparent, late withdrawals reduced the numbers significantly. This meant that I had a multi-bunk room all to myself. I drove up with Sandra but only managed to get there just after midnight, just after everyone had just turned in. Nadine and Daniela had taken the trouble to travel all the way up from London by train, just as they had done on the trip to North Wales. They had volunteered to cook a meal on the Saturday evening after Martin and Vanda, having initially proposed doing so, figured that they would probably want to do the Three Peaks walk, weather permitting. Things went full circle when, after gazing out the window on Saturday morning and seeing Ingleborough shrouded in cloud, Martin was back in the kitchen and back in the fray, so to speak. A chicken curry was prepared, with everyone chipping in to help as usual. |
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Breakfast is a smooth operation on Xerox Hikes these days. After everyone had been catered for, we set off at the usual time around 9h00, the general idea being to do Ingleton waterfalls. This meant passing through Chapel-le-Dale off the B6255, taking the back farm road over cattle grids down towards the village of Ingleton. |
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We passed a pretty section incorporating several waterfalls, the stream flowing freely as a result of recent rains. Somehow the constant stoppages and interruptions made the walk seem somewhat disjointed and disorganised, though not down to it being anyone's fault in particular. The weather wasn't of the best but we made the most of it. |
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We passed a farmhouse with a number of Shetland ponies in a pen. Being quite cuddly and seemingly gentle-natured, they wandered over, probably expecting to be fed. A road from these farmhouses led us down to Chapel-le-Dale. It was indeed a peaceful yet beautiful and intriguing setting. In the interim, Jane Sherry and Steve Rogers had caught up with us. |
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Another view across some cairns towards Whernside; Vanda caught in the act; Hannah Newton and Karen Cameron "getting their hands and throats wet" in Chapel-le-Dale bunkhouse kitchen. |
Eventually John Robertson and I wandered off by car to the pub up the road at half-time and watched the dramatic second half, extra-time and penalties, ending what was later described as one of the best FA Cup finals ever. I quite enjoyed chatting to some of the locals and found them quite friendly. Chef supreme Martin Lighten set about cooking the evening meal with great aplomb, issuing calm yet clear instructions to those in assistance, a la Gordon Ramsay, sans the f-word. It was a great meal and the wine and beer and good company made for a lovely evening. I had scarcely recognised Hannah Newton, who had not been on a Xerox Hike for some time and had now undergone a dramatic makeover, transforming herself from a sweet young girl into a bubbly teenager, though she had still not shaken off that touch of shyness entirely. After two glasses of wine Nadine giggled and announced that she was tipsy. No-one had noticed. After dinner, Peter Hartman, Sandra Bird and I, absconding from the karaoke session that followed, legged it up the road to the restaurant / pub for a final snort before closing time. This establishment seemed substantially more up-market than the rough and ready pub where we had watched the footy earlier. We kind of got the feeling that, as hikers, we weren't made to feel terribly welcome. On the Sunday we decided to head back immediately, given the long distance. I was a bit concerned about my car and wished to get back early, as I had an unwelcome Green Belt Lean-Six Sigma training course to face at Xerox over the coming week. |
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