The next morning started relatively slowly as we gathered all our washed and dried clothes and gear together and re-packed our rucksacks, pausing somewhere in the middle of it all to eat a wonderful cooked breakfast. When we finally stepped outside to commence our journey to Malham it was raining again but much lighter this time and after calling in at the shop opposite the B&B and walking less than a hundred yards down the road it had stopped. Things rapidly brightened up from there and we saw blue sky and even had shadows for a while!

Looking south over Cowling to the high moors of the previous day

The land to the north of Cowling is generally much greener than that to the south and we enjoyed a pleasant trip over lush grassy farmland for a large part of the day.

Lovely green pastures contrast with the boggy moorland and there’s even a bit of blue sky showing!

There are pockets of peat moorland but much smaller than before and with firmer paths and fewer bogs. We had spotted a lone figure following us up the hill some distance behind and once we’d descended the steep path into Lothersdale we noticed he was steadily gaining on us.

Lothersdale is instantly recognisable thanks to its one remaining mill chimney

When we stopped on the uphill stretch after the village to get our waterproof gear off (due to the sun now quite convincingly breaking through the clouds) he finally overtook us. A quick chat revealed he was also on the northbound Pennine Way but was planning to do it much quicker than us and was aiming to do well over 20 miles a day. We wished him good luck as he set off again still wearing his wet weather gear – he thought the clouds still looked too threatening and didn’t want to have to keep stopping to change his gear. He turned out to be right!

Very long views to distant mountains from Pinhaw Beacon but we could also see the approaching weather!

The walk soon led up to Pinhaw Beacon, a hill with a trig point and all round views. From there we could see the hills around Malham and weren’t too surprised that all of the surrounding countryside in that direction was shrouded in thick, low rainclouds. But for the time being our route ahead was dry so we pressed on and got as far as Thornton in Craven before the rain reached us.

Of course the heaviest rain ahead was in the direction of Malham!

The last stretch before the canal includes a dip through a field of cattle and on entering it didn’t look at all difficult but it soon became apparent that it was actually around 60 percent grass and 40 percent water. Thanks to our recently perfected bog-hopping skills we made it across without completely sinking but our boots were soggy once more and covered in a thick brown coating of mud. What’s more the rain was coming down rather heavily and our trousers were getting very wet.

The unusual raised A59 bridge at East Marton.

Just along the canal path is the famous double-decker stone road bridge of East Marton and I knew from the last time that there’s a pub just along the main road above that could perhaps provide a break with suitable shelter to allow us to dry out a bit and get our waterproof gear back on. And so it proved – the Cross Keys, although quite a refined pub-cum-restaurant, does have a stone flagged floor and an enormous real fire so we stood in front of it with our drinks and steamed for a while. The guy that had passed us earlier had stopped there for lunch and we had another brief chat (and discovered his name is Mark) and said we’d maybe meet up in the Buck Inn that evening. We were almost tempted to stay for lunch ourselves but we still had our food from the previous day and didn’t want to get too dry and settled! We got dressed up once more and headed out into the rain and ate standing under the canal bridge instead. Ian and Les passed by and paused for a swift exchange of news and views and then Mark came by a few minutes later. After another five minutes we set off ourselves, pleased that the rain had now reduced to little more than a fine drizzle although the sky was still full of it.

The River Aire was flowing very swiftly through Gargrave

We’d planned to camp at Townhead Farm at Malham but with the weather deteriorating again as we passed through Gargrave we opted for another undercover night, albeit a cheaper one, and after a couple of phone calls managed to book a room for two in Hill Top Bunkhouse. The rest of the walk to Malham was pretty uneventful and memorable only because it rained heavily again for most of it. The River Aire was very high and flowing fast by the time we rejoined it near Airton. I was pleased to get past the stile that had ended my first PW attempt when I slipped off it and injured my knee (it was wet from a brief unexpected shower that time!) I quickly took my camera out of its waterproof bag to snap a couple of photos but they were the last pictures I got that day until the evening when the rain finally stopped. The walk along the riverbank past Hanlith, so nice in good weather, was pretty horrible – surface water and slippery mud demanding our full attention for most of the way. I did slip over once and landed heavily on a steep muddy section of a stream bank but the pouring rain washed my jacket and trousers clean again within a couple of minutes!

The stile that ended my first PW attempt 3 years earlier. Mel shows her old dad how it should be done!

Our reception at the bunkhouse was warm and welcoming and we were shown first to the drying room where we got our boots and dripping outer clothes off and then to our bunk room. All very good and exactly the sort of place we needed to get ourselves sorted out once more. Mark emerged from the shower while we were wandering around – it turned out he had the room next to us and hadn’t actually arrived long before us despite walking as fast as he could. I think with the ground being so slippery there was a limit to how fast anyone could have gone.

We dined that evening in the Buck Inn in the village centre and Mark joined us after a while. It was dark, dry and peaceful as the three of us strolled back to the bunkhouse and after another fairly challenging day we were all very pleased to turn in and get a really good night’s sleep.

Day 4 | Menu | Day 6