Overnight the wind had been strong. My tent constantly flapped in and out with varying ferocity. Having made sure the pegs were firmly in I was not too worried, the tent had seen similar weather before. However, once I had woken at 6:00 am, the general commotion encouraged me to make an early start. I was surprised the other tents pitched by the Inn had survived so well, most belonging to a group of motor bikers, only one seems to have been abandoned overnight.
Many hours of walking over the moors followed, pushed along by the strong breeze. This section of the Pennine Way had not been improved, there were no paving slabs so there was a bit of wet, peaty mud and the path was indistinct among the moss in places. Lapwings were much in evidence, there were birds I failed to identify, although I recognised Oyster Catchers, some distance from the sea. There was an optional loop to the village of Bowes, if I had known there was a coffee shop open there I might have been tempted, as it was I took the main route which crossed a natural bridge over a brook. After some grouse shooting butts I reached a black painted rectangular building within which the owner had kindly provided a shelter for hikers from the wind. I took advantage of it for a snack. The back wall was full of people's scribbled comments. They commented that we were at the halfway point on the Pennine Way, as well as the number of blisters they had and made existential comments on why they were doing it.
A later sight near some reservoirs stacked up in a valley was Hannah's Meadow, full of buttercups. Hannah was a farmer living without electricity or running water who appeared on a television program. Unlike many farms her fields were not intensively farmed so the traditional flower meadows remained and are now preserved. A documentary about the difficulties of upland farming called "Too Long a Winter" was also filmed here. In today's wind and intermittent drizzle the area looked bleak, however on lower ground the sun occasionally lit up fields of yellow buttercups. There were so many buttercups it was almost as if the farmers were cultivating them, although if you looked closely there were also forget-me-nots, clover, daisies, grass and other plants.
It's always nice to find unexpected treats, so I was pleased to find a "tuck box". Sweets and cans of soft drink were in the box, you took one and left the money in an honesty box. I was enjoying a Coke when the lady of the house passed by, apparently the tuck box was her enterprising daughter's idea. She told me about the "Spine Race" in which runner's complete the Pennine Way in as little as four days! I was finding just walking it quite enough.
I am camped at Daleview campsite a little outside Middleton-in-Teesdale, a traditional village of stone built houses. I was recommended the Teesdale hotel for an evening meal and am full of seafood chowder; pork, apple and black pudding pie, and summer fruit, peanut butter crumble.....lovely.
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