Training Walk (Malham - Skipton)

I have just got back from a training from Malham, where I live, to Skipton. I followed the Pennine Way out of Malham as far as Gargrave, at which point I turned off along the canal to Skipton.

I needed to be in school for open evening, as I had been asked to help with the DT department as part of my role as "DT Ambassador" (I'm yet to receive the official badge). I agreed to this, and then it turned out that neither of my parents could get me to school for six o'clock, when it was due to start. It was also speech day, and years 8 and 10 are not required to attend, meaning I had a day off school anyway.

So I set off to Skipton at half past two, giving me three and a half hours to walk there. I kept a good pace as I was on my own, and was in Gargrave by four. I had only taken half a litre of water to drink, and as anyone who was out in the dales today will know, it was sweltering in the sun. I finished the water before I got to Gargrave, but fortunately there was some cloud cover over the canal as I walked, and I made it into Skipton by five fifteen, and meandered to the high street, where I bought tea at Subway.

There were plenty of nice views on the walk, and the canal footpath is wonderfully easy going. It's probably worth a potter along from Skipton to Gargrave, then either walk back, or catch a train at Gargrave station back into Skipton. There were plenty of places to stop by the sides of rivers or on top of open hills and enjoy the view, or eat some lunch. I would recommend either of these sections to anyone wanting a nice day out without much need of a map, as canals are hard to loose, and the Pennine Way is very well signposted. I would, however take more than three hours over it if you were going to both sections in one day.

I arrived at school by ten to six, and had just enough time to change into my school uniform, which I had carried with me in my rucksack. I then spent the rest of the evening helping various people in the Design Technology block, and playing with the various interactive displays that they had set up for the primary school children, but hey, they were fun.

Training Walk (Gavel Gap - Stainforth)

We have completed a training walk for the Pennine way, this was to check that all of our gear worked and that everything was generally okay. We did the walk on Sunday June 15th, Father's Day.

The walk that we chose was the start of the Ribble Way, from the source of the Ribble at Gavel Gap down to Stainforth. It was a 17 mile walk, and was a good opertunity to test our feet. I particularly liked the stretch where it used the Pennine Way footpath, which we will be using again in a few week's time.

There were quite a few midges about, and the fog was down on the higher ground. The weather forecast correctly predicted showers, and we were in and out of our rain jackets throughout the day. It was not, however, too cool, and this made the walk easy going for the most part.

John Asher, my grandfather with whom I was walking said:

“The Ribble Way makes an ideal route for anyone walking a long distance path for the first time. You can break it into sections to suit your own pace – and there are plenty of good pubs and B&Bs along the route.”

We both thoroughly enjoyed the walk and would recommend it to anyone who fancies a long day out around the dales.

Here is a picture of me at Gavel Gap, the start of the Ribble Way, taken by John Asher.