Ribblesdale Valley

Today the bus let us off in Settle. We leave the bus and are met by driving winds and rain. The rain hit the pavement so hard it bounced off. We look at each other and grin. Eleven on my walk today and we set off into the hills, watching curtains of rain chase each other.

I cannot stop grinning. I am always happy when I hike but when conditions are tough, I seem to take the happiness up a notch. Partly due to the absurdity of being out in such conditions. Partly because it's a reflex – when the going gets tough, I get sillier.

We cross the Ribble River into – kid you not – Giggleswick. If I wasn't grinning already, I was grinning in Giggleswick. The place names here seem to make children's literature inevitable. It can write itself. We followed the river to Stainforth, Saxon for stony ford – where you cross a river. The bridge in the distance was built in 1617.

This is the only photo I took bc I had forgotten to charge my phone. We passed through the quaint village of Stainforth then visited Hoffmann Kiln. Image below taken from the internet.

It is a massive half-circle-shaped tunnel where hot fires cooked the limestone in the middle core, turning it to lime. The tunnel was a high bricked-ceiling arch that you could walk along. It reminded me of ancient catacombs. We had lunch in there then set off for Cattrick Force, a massive waterfall. From there upwards until we had a lovely view of Ribblesdale – a valley divided into fields by stonewalls. We walked over hill and dale until we eventually returned to Settle. A 9-mile walk that was squelchy but lovely.

9 July