Castle Bolton

I was at the top of Kidstones at 10.30 and away from what I'm guessing was going to be a busy day in Wharfedale as I passed a large pop-up campground, two tour buses and a group of Morris dancers arriving in Burnsall.

It was a stunning morning as I continued on past Bolton Castle, where a crowd was watching a bird of prey demo, and steeply up over Grinton Moor. I was ready for food at the new cafe at the Dales Bike Centre in Reeth and sat outside in a spot in the sunshine, sheltered from the south-easterly breeze.

Tan Hill was my next destination and my legs seemed to have found a gear since leaving the first valley. It's a long, long way up to Tan Hill but never desperate so I simply enjoyed the view and the time as the cloud built up. I had a bit of an eye on the clock but made it to the station with half an hour to spare after pausing at the garage to stuff a ham sandwich and bag of grapes down my top for the last couple of miles uphill. Stayed dry despite potential showers!

Chatting to a guy who lived at the train station, he asked me if I'd seen the steam train go by (no). It was supposed to have been there about five minutes before so I may have just missed it (I thought I should have heard it on the way up the hill). Sure enough, TOOT TOOT, and we rushed out to catch its smoking approach and watch it blast by without a second glance.

Fun day out!