Jeri’s Steps: 28,642
Miles walked: 11.2
Elevation: 912
Pints: 4
Churches: none
Stiles: 6
Benches: none

A milestone-500 to be exact…

We took our time over breakfast as this was not a particularly long day and we enjoyed chatting with our co-walkers from last night. Frith Lodge was a great place to stay; thank you Karen and Neil! (Frith is an old English word meaning a state of peace but Tim and I were reminded of Watership Down.) At 9:30 we hit the trail and were impressed by the cold wind so we added layers and gloves. After a mile we hit the first and only hill of the day and at 11:00 arrived at the Tan Hill Inn, the undoubted highlight. To our immense relief they were open and we ordered two pints and nursed them for an hour whilst enjoying the warmth and ambiance. How great it must be to arrive here at the end of the day when the wind is even colder to be greeted by this oasis of drink, food and comfort. We didn’t want to leave, but leave we did and then decided to take the alternative route via the road and track instead of the boggy Sleightholme Moor. The OS Map even labels the area just north of this ‘Bog Moss’.

For lunch we chased away some sheep and sat down on the grass eating our sandwiches. The area was bleak beyond measure, but at least the walking was easy. Although it didn’t rain, we were chased by some very dark clouds all day and the sun did not appear. Once off the moor, the walk into Bowes was through pleasant sheep fields near the river Greta. Greta derives from the Old Norse “Griótá”, meaning “stony stream”. Bowes castle was a nice surprise; the Way goes right past it. Built in the 1170’s from the stone remains of a Roman fort, it was later besieged by invading Scots.