Ep 9: The One Where We Actually Saw a Red Squirrel!

0608 Orton to Kirkby Stephen

The day dawned overcast with a bite in the wind around our kneecaps as we set out from ‘The George’ towards Kirkby Stephen. We followed a series of country lanes until, behold, Adam espied a russet-coloured creature scurrying atop a dry stone wall – a red squirrel! Despite having been repeatedly tormented by signs proclaiming the presence of such creatures, we had yet to make a sighting. The red squirrel scampered across the lane in front of us and up a tree.

At last we could cross off the first of the big 5 British woodland creatures; red squirrel, fox, badger, deer and wildebeest. 

The Yorkshire Dales have been farmed for centuries, with miles of dry-stone walls crisscrossing the landscape, and the old field barns still very much in evidence. Time and again over the last few days we have wondered at the incalculable number of manhours and the fortitude required to construct these walls – some of which scale quite sheer peaks. 

Many of the lower fields are meadows which will shortly be mown for feed.  We walked through one today which was just gorgeous – tall grasses, buttercups, clovers, and a myriad of other flowering wild plants.  Quite beautiful – even if it sounds like hell to those of you who suffer from hayfever!

A short distance away we encountered another stone circle – in even better condition than our one from yesterday. 

About 40% of the area is moorland and, after all this unexpected dry weather we have been experiencing, it is looking quite brown now.  Our route today took us across Tarn Moor and Ravenstonedale Moor – in today’s overcast and windy conditions it was easy to imagine how completely inhospitable these areas can become in the winter months.  Hardly a tree in sight, just miles of open moorland peppered with sheep. In poor visibility it would be so easy to walk round in circles and not realise it as there are very few landmarks.

We stopped for lunch next to a beautiful old stone bridge crossing Scandal Beck. We managed to find a spot out of the wind, and after lunch Adam and Peter stretched out for a snooze.

Meanwhile, Barbie broke out the pencil and watercolours and very quickly produced a lovely little sketch of the bridge.

Just around the corner from the bridge we had an unexpected view of Smardale Gill viaduct, before following the stone walls over the last few miles of fields into Kirkby Stephen. The Pennines are creeping ever closer, and we could clearly see Nine Standards Rigg which we will climb up to tomorrow.

We had been a little worried about our accommodation tonight, as our original booking had been cancelled due to our host being unwell.  However, one of her family members had very kindly arranged for us to have the use of a fabulous penthouse suite of a recently renovated apartment block – and has also provided a huge breakfast hamper that will allow us to eat like kings before embarking on tomorrow’s expedition.  The same lovely lady also gave us a recommendation for dinner (and even made a booking for us) – the Black Bull at Nateby, a 10 minute walk away, was easily the best dinner to date on our walk!! Superb!

We can’t believe that tomorrow will be the halfway point of our Coast to Coast adventure!

Distance walked:  21km