Stottie Walks

After the Lord Mayor’s Show! This cold and windy day was our shortest, and my hopes for a slow wander along the banks of the Tees with frequent stops of long duration were dashed by the weather. We decided to spend the morning in town, walking a historical trail using a leaflet from the Tourist Information Centre, followed by toasted teacakes and coffee. If you have time to kill in Middleton, this is no bad plan.

After an early afternoon departure for our stroll up the valley, we sat watching a party of canoeists while eating a late lunch. We met no walkers between Middleton and the footbridge downstream of Low Force, where the rain set in. At High Force, day trippers looked bedraggled and cold as they posed for photos.

We headed upstream into the wind and rain, and after crossing Cronkley Bridge we deviated from the Way to find our B&B at The Dale. We were welcomed into a warm sitting room with a roaring fire, a pot of tea and home made cake, and there we settled as the wind battered the walls and windows. Derek chauffeured us to the isolated Langdon Beck Hotel for a huge meal of steak pie, chips and peas, washed down by a couple of welcome pints and finished off with a dram of Highland Park.

The day had been easy, which was just what we needed after the big walk from Muker, and our B&B was a haven of warmth on a rough night.

Low Force

High Force

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