We leave Masham by way of the Co-op and walk along the road towards Leyburn, soon attaining a footpath. The path and its stiles are not in great condition but neither is the farm itself, so it’s understandably not high on the list of the landowner’s priorities. There are some positives though. We see another group of hares playing in a field along with the usual buzzards, swallows and goldfinches; all of which we meet almost every day. Several of these early paths are stickered with blue and yellow ‘Camino Ingles to Santiago’ signs. These are obviously rarely frequented but they are part of the Camino routes in the UK certified by the British Pilgrimage Society and the Spanish Confraternity of St James. The original Camino Ingles, however, is in Galicia.
We next go into a wood on a clear path. There are feeders and water for several pheasants here, who are rather flustered at our arrival. It reminds me that in a few weeks, our own garden woodland in Norfolk will be full of pheasants again, sheltering from the shoots. As we go further into the trees, there are more wild raspberries and tall Himalayan Balsam, a non-native cold weather plant that, like the rhododendrons in Cumbria, escaped from gardens and has taken hold in the temperate maritime climate in Yorkshire. On the plus side, the flowers are beautiful, providing plentiful nectar for bees, and it doesn’t sting or scratch.
Deep into the forest, we come across an electric fence across our path. There is a way mark sending us up the hill but, when we reach the top, the path peters out and, as with all diversions, the signs have disappeared. As we are off the designated footpath, the map is not much help. We eventually find our way out and stop in a field for a break. We both feel exhausted although we have only gone four and a half miles so far. We surmise that this might be because of a lack of adequate breakfast. This morning, we both ordered pancakes, as our hotel had run out when we were in Ripon. Each portion was one and a half beer-mat sized pancakes with half a banana, so there seems to be a pancake shortage throughout North Yorkshire. It’ll be a full cooked breakfast for us tomorrow.
We walk down the hill, past Jervaulx Abbey, towards the river Ure and join the Six Dales Trail (Wharfedale, Washburndale, Nidderdale, Colsterdale, Coverdale and Wensleydale, opened by Janet Street-Porter). It’s nice to follow a more straightforward route for a while. We cross the river Cover and follow the trail on the left. This is not, in fact, the way we want to go, as we realise after half a mile or so. We decide to carry on, even though it’s a bit longer as Rich says there is a ruined castle on the hill. There certainly is!
Middleham Castle is a very handsome English Heritage property with just the right amount of decay to look romantic rather than decrepit. We walk past, make our way down to the road and finally cross the Ure, via a somewhat imposing bridge, and find ourselves in Wensleydale. It’s up yet another hill (perhaps why the distance seems farther than it actually is) and make our way to Haven House B&B in Leyburn. Our room has a stunning view over the Pennines and great coffee and suddenly all is well.
Total distance so far: 280 miles
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