12th September - I was supposed to be taking my elder daughter back to university yesterday but her badly thought out, last minute plan to get her flat key from any of three flat mates (who weren't at the flat themselves) failed, as I always knew it would, and instead I found myself having to go for a run instead.
I went for a humdinger of a run too, something like 18 miles and 2,800 feet of climb in wall to wall sunshine and 'torrid' heat.... well 18 degrees anyway. The route went up through the fields out of Settle to Lambert Lane, along that to High Hill Lane which I followed until just past Scaleber Force, before hacking through 'open access' moorland with cotton grass up to the gun'oles, High Greet on the map, up to the old radar mast, then following the wall and hitting the trig on Rye Loaf Hill. From there I picked up the main Settle to Malham bridleway which I followed for a bit before hacking off the side of Kirby Fell down into Malham. From Malham I took the path parallel to Gordale Beck, through the woods at Janet's Foss and up the waterfall onto the tops at Gordale Scar.
I was now at the furthest point from home and had already drank most of my water, just as ironically all the springs and streams disappeared from my route! I was sweating like a pig on a stick and getting very thirsty.
I hacked back along the top overlooking the Gordale valleyand dropped down to the track heading to Malham Cove, had a bad vertigo moment overlooking the cove from the east side and then went up Ing Scar before crossing the top lane out of Malham at Langscar Gate. It was then just a case of following the bridleway in the direction of Langcliffe for what seemed like a very, very long time.
I was now caked in salt crystals from the heat and my mouth was a dry as dust. I still had a little water but I was trying to conserve that. Randomly in the middle of this track I passed a 6 mile marker, put there I guess for today's Malham trail race, but I never did see a 5 mile marker before it or a 7 mile marker after ???
Finally after what felt like a trek through the gobi desert, albeit with fabulous views of the three peaks on one side, I branched off the path and went through Attermire Scar before doing the last climb of the run up to the trig on Warrendale Knotts. I now drank my last water, which barely made a difference at all to my raging thirst, and pretty wearily staggered down the final drop back into Settle.
A brilliant run but one that left me sun burnt and frazzled by the 'raging Yorkshire Dales heat'. Luckily when I got home my daughter dragged me over to Stainforth where we plunged into the swimming hole for a much needed cool off.
Full set of pictures taken on this run can be found here
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