I’ve had Brother Dave’s kidney for eight weeks at this point and so it’s time to do a northern world tour. First stop after my Friday appointment at the Churchill Hospital is with my old friends, Rick & Lindsey, in beautiful Austwick in the Yorkshire Dales.
Rick is not very well and so Lindsey is having to look after him, and it has to be said, she’s doing so quite wonderfully. Looking after someone pretty much full-time is a tiring and pretty stressful affair, and so when Rick was having his afternoon nap we had a stroll up a lovely little hill, Smearsett, for Lindsey to get a breather and for me to try my first “uphill” since my transplant.
SMEARSETT WITH LINDSEY SMITH - CLICK TO ENLARGE
It’s not a huge walk – but it was plenty for me – six miles with about a thousand foot of uppishness. I’ll let the pictures do the talking. It was a lovely afternoon.
LINDSEY, WHARFE & CRUMMACK DALE
LINDSEY ON SMEARSETT, WITH PEN-Y-GHENT
STAINFORTH, LIMBERING UP FOR NEXT YEAR’S TGO CHALLENGE
POT SCAR FROM SMEARSETT
SMEARSETT SCAR
FEIZOR WOOD FROM POT SCAR – CLICK TO ENLARGE
POT SCAR
Then it was a pot of tea with apple pie & cream for me (Lindsey was a good girl, she just had tea) at the lovely little cafe in Feizor, before strolling back down the Pennine Bridleway, flanked by beautiful wild flowers, to be presented with this gorgeous view of Austwick.
AUSTWICK NESTLING BENEATH NORBER – CLICK TO ENLARGE
The walk did us both quite a bit of good. Many thanks to Rick & Lindsey for looking after me so well for the few days I stayed with you. It was great to see you both again.
I thought the long hiatus in posting might be due to your having had a refit in dry dock. Good to hear all went well and good you could hit the hills so shortly after the op. Best wishes to you and to your wonderful brother, Dave (if he's a hill walker, that's taking the UL philosophy to extremes, innit!). May the road rise to meet you on many more Challenges!
ReplyDeleteThanks Andy.
DeleteBrother Dave is a keen road cyclist and is already charging about West Yorkshire. He's also done the Helvellyn horseshoe and so is just about back to rude health!
:-)
Sorry to hear you've been in the wars old chap! Austwick is lovely i have a cousin there. Name of Pete Candlin. Say hi if you bump into him in the pub:-) Good luck with your continued recovery.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ian
DeleteWhen I'm next in Austwick I'll try to seek him out in the pub!
:-)
Wot no bogtrotting? :-)
ReplyDeleteNice to read a trip report from the inside of a caravan whilst it's being rained on!
Cheers, Alan.
Glad you're feeling better.
Ta, Carl.
DeleteCaravanning on an August Bank Holiday weekend in Britain? Who'd have thought it would rain, eh?
:-)
Great to see you up a hill fella.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear Rick is unwell. Pass on my best wishes.
Hi mate.
DeleteR&L both read the blog and so I'm sure they'll see your good wishes.
Cheers fella
:-)
Great to read you are out and about. Good start walk.
ReplyDeleteHi Al
DeleteThere's more to come yet. A few days later I managed another Dales walk with my Brother Dave, which involved a pub with good beer. It doesn't get much better, does it?
:-)
Good to hear Alan. More power to your, um, kidney.
ReplyDelete:)
Thank you Scott
DeleteI have now lost my rather dapper grey pallor and am sporting a new pink sheen, so popular amongst healthy individuals!
Pink - It's the New must-be-seen-in Look!
Good to read that you're back on your feet again. Three cheers for bro' Dave. Here's to continuing good health.
ReplyDeleteJQ.
Indeed Jon.
DeleteEvery night I say a little "thank you" to Brother Dave.
:-)
Great to see you're getting out and about once more. And such a lovely place in which to do so!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Sir!
DeleteI adore the Dales - so much air, space and springy turf. I can see why Yorkshire-men call it "God's Own County."
Sounds like a super outing Alan, just what the doctor ordered perhaps? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm supposed to take regular exercise, but the medical team are quite surprised at the difference between what I call "going for a walk" and their usual patients' version of going for a walk.
DeleteThe good news is that my present Consultant has told me that I can now eat as much unpasteurised Camembert as I like.
Marmite, as much fruit as I like, baked potatoes and Camembert. I'm like a pig in shit!
:-)
That puts a big smile on my face Alan. Good to see your up and about.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kind Sir!
DeleteI'll be clambering up the big ones before too long if everything goes to plan.
:-)
Great stuff Alan, glad you're getting out and about....and what abeautiful area to spend a few days in. Looks like the weather did you proud. Nothing you don't deserve.
ReplyDeleteAl
Your post on Clapham & Norber kicked my blogging gene back into life.
Delete:-)
Cheers, fella!
Great to see you out and about once again....there'll be no stopping you next May!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
JJ
Indeed.
DeleteTa, JJ
:-)
Great news. Those pics are so evocative. I spent my formative years wandering around the Yorkshire Dales. That little summit and its miniature ridge above Feizor is one of my all time favourites, only recently discovered when bagging all the trig points on that map, and then revisited on The Dales High Way, when unfortunately the café was closed.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to your further adventures.
Thanks, Conrad
Delete:-)
It is a lovely little ridge, with great views over to Fountains Fell, Pen-y-Ghent, Crummack Dale, Ingleborough and the Forest of Bowland. All that, and a lovely cup of tea just down below in Feizor.
What they said. With knobs on
ReplyDeleteWe'll have no rudery here, thank you very much!
DeleteHere's hoping this finds you in the pink as well.
:-)
Excellent news Alan - and a lovely spot for your first ascent since the op.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gibson
Delete:-)
Glad to see you back Alan. Hope your recovery continues well
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris
Delete:-)
Welcome back to blogging and walking, Al. Cap doffed to that brother of yours an' all.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave.
DeleteBrother Dave occasionally pops by on the blog, but I'll send him your regards anyway.
:-)
Looking forward to meeting the new pink Alan next May
ReplyDeleteHello Sweetie!
Delete:-)
That's if we're spared in Sierra's draw from her hat.
I'm planning a rufty-tufty walk at the moment - assuming I'll be back with the V-8 Range Rover rather than the Honda 50 moped I've had to suffer for the last few years!
Welcome back Alan. Good to see you walking (and posting) again. Wishing you a FULL AND sPEEDY RECOVERY
ReplyDeleteThanks Alan
DeleteThe speed's slowly coming back!
:-)
Very happy to hear that you are out and about again, Alan. I hope you continue to feel better.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Emma
Ooooh.
DeleteI know quite a few Emmas - I wonder which of these is this delightful lady?
:-)
Thank you.
x
I'll be looking forward to lots more blog posts from you in the future.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Indeed, I was posting one as you must have been typing your comment!
DeleteCheers Al
:-)
Glad to hear you are up and at 'em Alan. Sending you my very best.
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt
Delete:-)
Feeling a whole lot brighter as well as physically fitter - All good!
Most excellent to see you out and about Alan!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sir!
DeleteThere's been one or two hiccups since the op, but on the whole, everything is doing well.
The Challenge entry form will be winging it's way to Stainforth Towers in the next couple of weeks.
:-)