Day 10: June 17, 2011 - Keld to Reeth

Today's walk of 11 miles took us from the remote village of Keld along the Swale River valley to the market town of Reeth.   Keld is tucked up in the western Dales on the headwaters of the Swale.  It is a tiny, self-contained stone village in a countryside populated mostly with sheep.  Here is a photo of the village in the early morning:

The Yorkshire Dales were settled 1000 years ago by Vikings.  Many of the place names are Viking in origin.  There were lead mines here from the time of the Roman occupation, and there are still ruins of lead mining operations from the previous century along the barren hilltops throughout this region.  The C2C trail as originally mapped takes the high route through these old mines.  There is an alternative route along the Swale River valley which is less exposed to the weather, and we opted for this cushier path today.  Here is a photo of "Swaledale":

Laura and I took a detour off the path to the village of Muker to check out a store selling woolen goods made by local artisans.  We enjoyed a cup of tea and a chat with some well-traveled Dutch hikers, but, alas, the woolen goods were too dear (and too heavy) for us to take away.  The path to Muker crossed a series of fields filled with wildflowers, on a walkway paved with flagstones.  Gate after gate, field after field, we walked through this golden paradise:

Here is a very contented resident of the region:

I loved the visual textures of the stone walls, and their patterns across the hillsides.  You may notice the walls as a central element in many of the photographs.  It is hard to capture the complexity of the countryside in a photo frame.  Here's another effort:

 Throughout our walk so far we have shared the countryside with a variety of animals, mostly sheep, but also cows and horses.  They are contained and separated by the walls, and every wall has gates for people and vehicles.  These may be stiles which require climbing over a fence or wall, or swinging "kissing gates" which open only enough to admit one person into an enclosure, and must be closed again for the person to exit on the other side.  Some gates appear designed to only admit the slimmest farmers and hikers, such as the one below:

Here's a view of the Swale River and the pastoral countryside which it flows through on its way to the North Sea some 80 miles downstream:

Here's an abandoned stone barn in the corner of four fields.  In the days before motorized tractors, hay could not be transported far for storage, so barns were constructed for the fields abutting them.  Most are abandoned now, but are maintained and preserved as historic buildings.

The end of our day came after a walk through the town of Reeth to "The Barn", a lovely B&B on the opposite side of town.  We enjoyed a pub meal and a pint at the Bridge Inn, and gratefully put our heads down on some really nice pillows.