A Walk to Windy Hill

Day 2

I woke to a bright and early Saturday feeling pretty awful. It wasn’t the aches and pains so much, they weren’t too much more than my aging body often faces while adjusting to the onset of another morning; it was probably more to do with having so little food the day before. An allergic reaction to losing weight no doubt. After a healthy breakfast and then another unhealthy one, I felt fine.

The plan was to tick off the fifteen miles to the M62 by the end of the day but there was no rush setting off. One advantage of coming home at the end of the day meant that I didn’t have to get to somewhere while they were still serving food. With the light June evenings I could walk until late, so I didn’t start early. I eventually left Crowden at 10.45, the weather was fine, a bit hotter than the day before but still with that cooling breeze.

I managed Laddow rocks (it was becoming a little boring) without too much difficulty, so my general fitness must have improved from a few weeks ago. Being a sunny Saturday the moors were popular, though not as busy as I expected. There was quite a large group of climbers on the rocks but I restrained from pointing out to them the easier way up. Apparently this area was exceptionally popular with climbers before the second global unpleasantness as it wasn’t patrolled by game keepers, therefore they weren’t as likely to be used as target practice while dangling from a rope.

Laddow Rocks again

As I was winding my way up the slabs towards Black Hill a couple of runners were coming down towards me, one close on the heels of the other. Don’t you just hate it when you come across these sort of people? They’re obviously ten times fitter than you, going ten times as fast and don’t have an ounce of fat on their horrible musclefied bodies. I managed to put these two fitness freaks off their stride as they passed me, for a moment at least, by commented that it was an incredibly close race considering the distance they’d obviously come.

Heading down from Black Hill I was greeted by everyone I met with an “’ow do”, because they all speak Yorkshire on t’other side of t’ill. That’s West Yorkshire of course, if it had been North Yorkshire they’d have said “now then”. It had never struck me before but on this day crossing the border was very noticeable

When the weather’s good the view is vast over God’s own county and it’s a pleasant stroll down until you come across a small and steep sided valley. How delightful you’ll probably think, a hidden gem, then you have to sweat your way back uphill again. There is always a caravan café by the side of the road here but they don’t sell ice creams and I didn’t fancy a hot tea. Across the road a Pennine Way sign directs you over a few hundred yards of moors before joining a track which runs along by the side of the reservoirs. I think most are like me and simply follow the road round.

Looking Towards Holmfirth

When you reach the dam next to Wessenden lodge there is a choice of routes. You can carry straight on and cross the stream by a footbridge down a very steep descent and up a longer, just as steep ascent or you can cross the dam and follow an easy path round. However, just where you make your decision there is a sign warning of the dangers of subsidence on the easy path across the dam. Just ignore this. Officials are always putting signs up for the sake of it, it gives them something to do and there is no evidence of subsidence anywhere to be seen. After you’ve crossed the dam and gone along and round the corner there is another sign, identical to the first. This is placed in front of the recently erected fence in front of the hole where the path used to be. You might be tempted to turn round and go back at this point. Don’t do that. You’ve come a quarter of a mile out of your way which will be half a mile wasted if you do. Instead,go up the bank on the left and skirt round the problem. The going gets a bit tricky but never mind, anyway, you’re committed now. Above the waterfall, because of the sheer 20 foot drop to the stream you have to go a bit further than you thought to cross it but once you’ve managed that it’s a great stamina building exercise fighting your way through the tussock grass up and over the hill before eventually finding the path again an hour later and all of half a mile further on.

Don't take any notice

That's what I did on my walk a couple of weeks earlier and you too can enjoy a similar experience if you're similarly stupid. On this occasion I meekly followed the sign-posted route which I must admit to being rather easier and a lot quicker.

For anyone doing the standard stages this would be nearing the end of the second day. If you have the time you can enjoy one or both of the Black Moss reservoir beaches, there is one at both ends. I had a beach to myself when I stopped for a drink and a biscuit, though as I moved off a group of four came along and took the whole place over.

Diving Platform and Main Beach at Black Moss Reservoir

Being a weekend there was an ice cream van in the car park next to the cutting so I set off along Standedge trying not to lose the chocolate from my Magnum Classic as it fell off in slabs every time I bit into it. Along the soot blackened rocky edge there are excellent views to the west. My attention was drawn to such an extent I didn’t notice a large herd of black cows, camouflaged among the rocks, until one jumped up and mooed at me from 20 feet away. I was quite startled. It takes a considerable amount of lack of observation to walk into the middle of a herd of fifty or so cows in broad daylight, unseen until one of them says hello to you.

A Herd of Cows Disguised as Rocks

It was a very pleasant evening walk and I didn’t see another soul until my wife and son on White Hill. They’d walked up from the car park next to the mast on Windy Hill in their flip flops and trainers which contrasted somewhat with my two pairs of socks and boots.

My day finished at 7.30 and apart from a spot of sunburn on the backs of my legs and a few of those aches and pains again (you can’t write an account of a long walk without moaning about your feet) I felt pretty good and very happy with the progress I’d made. I also had an easy half day to look forward to tomorrow.