10 June - Middleton to Dufton

This was always going to be a long day, and so it proved.  The pain in my thigh had thankfully gone, it was dry and initially the route follows the River Tees,

passing the 2 waterfalls of Low and High Force,

and generally being an easy, level walk on good paths alongside the river.  Then comes the sting, the rocks of Falcon Clints!  In my youth I’m sure I would have skipped over the mile or so of boulders but at 60 I found them very difficult and slow to cross, so I was immensely glad when it was all behind me.

Cauldron Scout was an amazing sight, in full flow after the recent rains, and is probably one of the, if not the, most impressive waterfall in the UK. 

Having climbed up to the top the nagging ache in my right thigh, which had appeared late yesterday, was back.  By the time I’d passed High Cup Nick

and was starting the descent towards Dufton it had slowed my pace downhill to around 2 mph, and so I limped into Dufton Youth Hostel worried about the impact it might have on the coming days.

The evening meal at the YH was a typical YH meal, washed down with a bottle of Undertaker Ale, and then it was an early night for 3 reasons.  The days walk had really tired me out, tomorrow was described as a ‘tough day’ in the Cicerone guide, and I wanted to give my leg the chance to recover as it was clear that if it didn’t, or even got worse, then all hopes of finishing might be wishful thinking.