Day 10 Hathersage to Haworth

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The first half of today was ecstatic, riding through the Yorkshire Dales was beautiful, they were open and wild and a few reservoir's and dams up there made the scenery top notch. Traffic was limited and plenty of time just to float and look around. A friendly bike rider said go down X road then there is a good café - and he was right.



The reservoir man

He does what he does whenever he can

Scanning across his giant bath

He lets out a full bodied, echoing laugh

Hidden here in his perfect place

He dances, spiralling, with energy and grace

And then singing Opera at the top of his voice

'' I am the reservoir man and I have the choice''

The giant taps they work only for him

To twist or not - it is his whim.

Out comes the gushing, white water at the foot of the hill

Then its gone again and all is empty and still.

But walking past, can you hear a distant voice?

'' I am the reservoir man and I have the choice''



The dales round here were truly lovely and one of the highlights of the trip - cycling past a stone wall I heard some small birds tweeting and stopping saw about 7 baby pheasants by the side of the road, the mum was on the other side of the wall, no doubt frightened by me, she then flew to the other side of the road to be followed by the 7 children who couldn't fly so had to do that double quickstep walk across the road that pheasants do. Alarmingly as well there was a tied black pillowcase tossed on the side of the road somewhere as well - I decided not to look into that !!

Lunch was in the café and a lot of the route I was on is to be used in the Tour De France that is coming to Yorkshire in early July - looks good and will be great.

The late afternoon was terrible though and this was as it turns out possibly the low point of the whole trip. In short I was told yesterday to be where I needed to be by 4pm otherwise I would get soaked and sure enough they were right. At about 3.50pm the rain started and it did not stop. Holmfirth was nice place (I later found out this was where they filmed a lot of 'Last of the summer wine') and as I left here it started raining. I got a bit lost after this and ended up in the moors to the west of Huddersfield going in the wrong direction just as the mist was coming down and just after I had walked up a huge hill called Scapegoat Hill. Someone stopped here and asked if I wanted a lift anywhere so I must have look pretty bedraggled and fed up !! I said no though but very good of him.

Throughout the trip I did find people generally friendly and very willing to help (when I lost my wallet somebody offered to drive me back to where I thought I had left it !!!) and here in my wetness a couple of flagged down motorists set me in the right direction. Still though the miles needed to be done in the rain !! Through Halifax - from my view quite a good looking place with a few old renovated factories, then on the main road until signs for Howarth appeared. To say they were welcome would not do it justice. I saw a deer as I entered Howarth and then pulled up at the hostel - a big hostel like an old country house but good to be in the dry and at my destination. My relief was partly reduced by realising my phone had got so soaked via my rucksack that it wouldn't work - so had to use a landline to phone home and say about 9pm that I was here and all was well. Walked the streets of Howarth getting a sausage and chips (it had stopped raining then) and then bed.

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