Stottie Walks

It’s disappointing to wake to a dull and wet day, especially when the route will lead through stunning scenery. Of greater concern to me was the forecast gale. I imagined gusts blowing us off balance as we scaled the irregular limestone staircase on the steep prow of Penyghent where I hoped to meet John.

The limestone pavement on top of Malham Cove was slippery in the drizzle. It’s a hazard not easily bypassed. Walking up Watlowes dry valley – the original route ran a little further east – the Way is easy. Its former adventurous exit route on a narrow ledge was replaced long ago by a broader and safer path, such being the way of progress. The cloud base gradually lifted as we crossed the windswept moor to Malham Tarn, and in the shelter of trees around the Field Centre we passed students carrying out vegetation surveys. I remember those days!

In sight of Tennant Gill Farm, which marks the start of the long, steady climb of Fountains Fell, we ate lunch in the lee of a stone wall. There was no respite from the wind on the Fell, and we crossed its flat plateau quickly to begin a slippery descent towards Blishmire and Rainscar, names that ring out warnings of the harsh nature of this spectacular landscape. As we faced the gale along the road, a lone walker approached. It was John. He’d realised we were behind schedule for our “Summit Conference” and walked down to meet us.

Way back then.... I met John Thornton at a Scout Camp at Grange-Over-Sands in 1959 when I was coming up to my thirteenth birthday. John was aged seventeen and a working man. He was a Senior Scout from another troop with which we joined forces to camp for one week a year, and I was in his cooking team. At the time, our age difference was massive, but three years later I’d grown physically and we were members of the same Youth Club. The leaders organised hikes and Youth Hostel weekends, expanding our horizons in more ways than one. John was a reliable, friendly, good-natured, no-nonsense, practical, physical presence, an ideal partner for a tough walk and a smiling sociable companion at all times. Nothing pleased me more about the Pennine Way in 2013 than reminiscing with him as we walked back over Penyghent together for the first time in fifty years.

We three progressed steadily up the track past Dale Head Farm, two of us linked by a lifetime of shared interests, the other fitting comfortably into the picture. Each took the steep section at our preferred pace, stopping occasionally to look back at the snow on Buckden Pike and Fountains Fell and to catch our breath. On the summit we sat in the shelter of the wall. John and I remembered there had been a wasp’s nest in August 1963, when the air was so still we’d been able to light our cigarettes without shielding the match.

The steep descent is well maintained, and the long track to Horton is easy. We stepped into the village about 1730hrs and shook hands before John drove home to Otley while Helen and I headed for our B&B. That night we ate and drank our fill at The Crown and slept soundly as rain fell steadily.

Mist on the clints and grikes at Malham Cove. The grikes protect rare plants from grazing animals, though they serve also as a repository for a disgusting collection of food wrappers and plastic bottles left by filthy idle people who should behave better

The old path from Watlowes dry valley to Water Sinks is just discernible and wouldn’t meet today’s health and safety standards

Looking back down Watlowes towards Malham Cove

On Fountains Fell with Penyghent ahead

After 50 years, John Thornton with me on Penyghent

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