DAY 43: Ponden to Thornton in Craven

Today: 11.4 miles
Total so far: 640.4 miles
Percentage Completed: 38.3%

(Click map to enlarge)

A walk with Waggy & Michael always has its pitfalls. Today's were Michael & Waggy: Lovely boys but nightmares! We walked over Ickonshore Moor & I learned about the benefits of 1 inch and three-quarter inch plumbing linking to your solid fuel boiler from Waggy as Michael strode ahead getting further & further away.

(the famous duo of Waggy & Michael, on top of Ickornshaw Moor)

We had a spot of tea amongst the soft bogs as the curlew and wheatear were all about us.

The first pub had been turned into a furniture showroom (they make furniture for the London Dealing Rooms amongst other stuff, which was distressing to find in the middle of Yorkshire) and so we pressed on to the next pub - the Hare & Hounds at Lothersdale: An interesting place where customers are grudgingly welcomed after buying a dozen pints and then told to sup up and sit outside.

The weather outside (rather than inside, the pub) was pretty damn good so we made our way up to the top of the next hill; Pinhaw, to find two delightful girls: Sarah & Rachael, who were loitering around at the trig point. We approached carefully as we are vulnerable: Over 50, away from the control of any sensible women and tired and emotional after a nice lunch.

Waggy whipped out his organ and we all danced around the trig point to Waggy's Wild Tunes (the capitals are important here) and we polished off the bottles of red we had carried up there and the girls accepted my pervert's toffees, even with the trouser pocket lint glued to the wrappers.

We had “Stripped the Willow”, and so thought that it was time to go, as Janet was ready to collect us to take us back to Chicken and Baked potatoes with gravy.

I am now in the The Admiral Lord Rodney - a popular slave trader - with wonderful tiled walls and a superb collection of regulars - all larger than life and very welcome any time back at the Axe & Compass.