C2C day 9 Keld to Reeth
I woke up to the sun shining through my window! At 3 degrees, not exactly balmy, though the promise of 10 degrees later felt tropical by comparison.
Although my bed had a few lumps and bumps I’d managed a decent night’s sleep, and breakfast was the usual carb-loading extravaganza—no artisanal homemade breads or precious jams here, but an avalanche of yogurt, cereal, toast, and a full cooked breakfast
Unfortunately despite the drying room’s valiant efforts, my boots were still soggy. But armed with fresh, dry socks (the hiker’s secret weapon), I was ready to tackle the day’s big decision: high route or low route?
The debate had been going on in my head for a while: High route for views! No wait, Wainwright’s description made the river valley sound absolutely enchanting, even if he was pushing the mining history angle. Mining remains? Bleak and ugly? Pass. Then the wetness situation made me reconsider—high route to save my feet! And finally, the landlord’s wisdom prevailed: lower is prettier, and I’d get soaked either way. (Two soggy hikers confirmed the high route was indeed rather grim.) Decision made!
And no regrets about it! The low route indeed delivered a delightfully green river valley, complete with stony paths (disguised as other days, as shallow streams) and grassy sections shining with water. I could see the high path up on the ridge and make out some of the old mine workings. My feet? Absolutely drenched. But hey, no terrifying stream crossings today!
A few kilometers before Ivelet, the path had transformed into a minor lake, so spotting a parallel path on my map I scrambled upwards. This path was running with water but at least I could see it was a path and continued on enjoying the views all around me. Up on the edge of Brownsea Moor, things dried out considerably and the path evolved from puddle-highway to track to lane.
Then after passing the little hamlet of Blades I had fun crossing fields: instead of boring gates or ordinary stiles, the locals had created squeeze-through-if-you-dare gaps in the stone walls. My backpack and I engaged in several wrestling matches, barely making it through. I think one gap was designed for hobbits, definitely not humans with hiking gear!
The sun continued to shine all day, and I arrived in Reeth at 19k very happy with the day. After wandering the charming cobbled streets like a proper tourist, I set off down the road to the Dales Bike Centre cafe. There was my usual strong temptation for multiple cakes, but for a change I picked a bowl of cauliflower cheese soup, highly recommended! Perfect timing then to check into East Mill House BnB in Grinton, 21k, where my lovely hosts greeted me and we sat on their sunny patio sipping tea.
Later, I explored Grinton’s 12th-century church and saw the village pub, though after my breakfast feast, snack arsenal, and soup extravaganza, I really wasn’t hungry! So I did what any sensible hiker would do: drank several more cups of tea and called it a gloriously soggy, squeeze-through-stone-walls, soup-filled day.