Pennine Way 6. What I’ve learnt but forget to tell you yesterday.

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1. Lee’s socks, well not Lee’s socks because they’re my socks, but socks that Lee knits are better than even I thought. Two or three pairs will get me through the worst of conditions. My boots were so bad at one stage I dunked them in a cow drinking trough just to get mud off them.

2. Jake and Marie’s map wallet, well not their map wallet because it’s mine, but a map wallet that they gave me has served me really well. It has survived several big walks and is still waterproof and still with me everywhere and every time I walk. It is actually waterproof.

3. I should write a guide book. Then there would be no phrases like ‘right at the top of the incline turn left’, ‘taking the right turn will lead you where you don’t want to go’ or ‘go diagonally through the field’ when diagonal has a mathematically precise meaning that obviously (and unfortunately for us) does not match a walkers definition.

4. I probably wouldn’t include optional side walking detours in a 450 km walk. But then again we were silly enough to do it so maybe I would.

5. Sarah does not need to send an emergency fruit pack over here.

Yes the terrain has changed and will continue to do so for a while. My beloved heather has disappeared (but will reappear later) to be replaced with open fields and beck sides (that’s a stream for you non Anglophiles). We go to, around and over Malham Cove tomorrow which will be exciting, prior to a long stint on the high moors and up to Pen-y-gent. This is not an easy day (to be honest we don’t have any easy days) as there’s quite an uphill/downhill component. It was hot today and forecast to be even hotter tomorrow when the temperature is expected to be 24 degrees. Even today we saw some ‘swimming’ at the waterfall.

Our BnB is nice but our room small. How the English squeeze 2 beds and a shower into a few square meters stumps me. I had to move a chair out of the room so I could open my case. But the hosts are gracious and obliging so all is OK.

So all good after day 6.

Caio for now.

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