Dodd Fell Hill & Drumaldrace

[poppiesrara]

The forecast for Sunday was appalling – frequent heavy showers, 40-50mph winds and heavy hillfog over 300m… Normally that would be more than enough to send me off to do something else. But, after a month without climbing anything to speak of, I had very itchy feet indeed and a rare sort of determination. The Dales seemed to have the least bad weather, and a route that was three-quarters on surfaced and marked tracks seemed at least immune to too many navigational horrors or to be being flooded out… The power of positive thought!

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After a clear, sunny drive along Wensleydale had raised hopes, the conditions asserted themselves fully almost immediately upon leaving Hawes to climb the Pennine Way south. Not too many visual memories (and no pictures) of what was a head-down gritted-teeth slog gradually uphill for an hour or so, but zero visibility, gusts that made it hard to stay upright, and a constant, cheek-stinging, lashing rain would have made the best of routes rough. After passing a couple of people gingerly leaving the town, I had the rare experience of traversing a longish stretch of the PW (marshy field paths followed by a typical Yorkshire walled track) without seeing a soul, which perhaps speaks volumes. At least the pathless departure east to locate the summit of Dodd Fell Hill was wind-assisted, and there’s a definite pride in your compass-work in such conditions and across seemingly featureless ground when the faint shape of the trigpoint starts to appear through the mist. And, after another blind slog south to locate the guiding wall (the going – bar the occasional deep black hag – wasn’t actually as bad as expected; very rough and tussocky, but bootful-of-water wet rather than sticky-knee boggy), the worst of both the going and the weather was over.

Dodd Fell Hill summit

It’s a long enough (if very quiet) stretch of road/track-walking before a short, well-trodden detour leads up to the little moorland summit of Drumaldrace, but clearing skies and a dry spell made it seem rather like walking on air... And the easily-graded winding track from there back to Hawes via Burtersett is typical pleasant Dales walking, the green views doubtless better in sunshine but still a comforting end to the day. Doubtless this wasn’t the best sight of these two hills, it certainly wasn’t the best summer’s day, but after a day back at work it somehow still already seems a happy memory…

Almost a view of Dodd Fell Hill, from the Cam High Road

...and of Drumaldrace

Sleddale

Drumaldrace summit, the mist back in

Glimpse of Semer Water, behind Yorburgh

Shadows of G Knoutberry Hill and Lovely Seat

Drumaldrace from the buttercup fields leaving Burtersett

...and Dodd Fell Hill on the horizon

The church in Hawes

Gayle Mill and Beck

[ChrisW]

Now that is a determined effort P, 20k in that must have been a bit gruelling even if it was needed as a 'fix'. I know the dales are beautiful but rarely so in those conditions. You still grabbed enough good shots to leave me recognise my home county with a little yearning, I love that shot of the church in Hawes, I stayed in a B&B there a couple of years ago called Herriots, really good food....now I miss it more

Great effort mate in really poor conditions, I think the weather gods owe you one

[colgregg]

And thats a couple more Hewitts knocked off. Pity about the weather as there's some decent views to be had. Ingle borough from Dodd fell is prominent. I did the same route a couple of years ago when there was a canny amount of snow lingering on the tops. .