Horton in Ribblesdale to Edinburgh

Horton in Ribblesdale to Edinburgh

I woke up to a cloudy day, with rain off and on. At the hostel last night I shared a room with Kirsty, an ultra runner from Scotland and Antoine, a Three Peaks challenger from France. Kirsty and I went to the Crown pub, very nice. While I was there I tried to buy train tickets to Edinburgh, but it just didn't work. Tree times the app reserved money on my bank account but I didn't get the tickets. I know I'll get the money back eventually  but it's a bit annoying! Just after 8 pm (on a Friday night) I tried to call the train company, but of course there was no reply. Instead, I tried to WhatsApp them and they replied! Apparently, if there is no ticket office and no ticket machine I can pay on the train. So much better service than Sweden! I chose between Edinburgh and London as my hub for going back home, but decided on Edinburgh. London is so big and going to and from the airport takes longer. Besides, I just spent a couple of days there before starting my LEJOG.

I got to the train station in plenty of time which was lucky. The train I had planned on taking was very delayed, it wasn't even possible to buy tickets for it today, but luckily I was in time for the earlier one. In Leeds I changed to a train to York, where I changed for the final train to Edinburgh. The journey from Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Edinburgh took around six hours. 

Many trains have special areas for bikes and on many of them you can also reserve your space beforehand. Also better than Sweden! 

The day has been cloudy and quite dark, but shortly before I arrived to Edinburgh the sun came out. When I arrived I first took the tram to the airport to see if I could fly out today. There was however no one that could help me and I didn't want to wait for three hours until check-in for the next plane to Stockholm, so I took the tram back to Edinburgh. My first stop was FOPP, where I bought a couple of Blu-rays/DVDs, then to my hotel. I only after I knew I couldn't fly out today and the prices were a bit steep, or maybe they're always steep in Edinburgh, I don't know. Anyway, I booked at the Old Waverly on Princes Street, a very nice surprise. Apart from the elevator! As I was walking towards it the doors were closing, so I stretched out my hand to keep it open. The door hit my hand very hard, it immediately swelled up and I've still got a large bruise a week later. 

After leaving my backpack, the DVDs and Blu-rays and everything I didn't need in my new room (very nice room, just wish I had a walk-in shower, since the knee will be a problem with the bathtub) I went for a walk along Princes Street.

You can't go to Edinburgh without posting photos of the castle!

I spent a long time at Waterstones looking for a couple of books, but they didn't have them, so I walked back to my hotel. On the way I saw a MacDonalds and realized I was very hungry! My plan had been to make one of my hiking dinners, for which I only need boiling water, but my feet led me to the MacDonalds with one of the best views in the UK, maybe even the world? I had a view of Princes Street Gardens, the old town and the Scott Monument.

Sir Walter Scott Monument.

The evening was spent repacking my backpack and (new) shoulder bag, where I packed anything fragile or necessary, and went to bed ready to fly home tomorrow.

Om du vill stötta min insamling utan att ange adress osv, så kan du swisha mig och skriva om du vill vara anonym eller inte, så betalar jag in motsvarande summa i pund.

My fundraiser, Rare Cancers research ❤️

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/ullas-giving-page-9

Day 41 Malham to Horton in Ribblesdale

Day 41 Malham to Horton in Ribblesdale

Kilometers: 

Last night was a bit difficult with pain in my back, hips and right knee, which is also stiff and a bit difficult to bend. If I wasn't on a tight schedule I'd stay here another day, but that would mean that I probably wouldn't get to Scotland in time for my TGOC start. I've had a feeling for some time that my body is too old for this, I need more time to rest and recuperate.

I wanted to take a bus or taxi up to Malham Cove (the stairs I came down yesterday), but there is no bus going north from here and no taxi service, and I don't think I could have made it all the way to Horton-in-Ribblesdale, my goal for today. So, I took the bus to Skipton where I got on the train to Horton. I left my backpack at the hostel and went for a walk. I wanted to see how my knee was really doing, so I set off for Pen-y-Ghent.

   Pen-y-Ghent from the train station.

This is how far I got. It's hard to see in the photo, but it's very high. My knee hurt and I was thinking "I wouldn't do that at home, so why should I do it here, and with a bad knee?" 

Walking back towards Horton in the distance.

   The eluding Pen-y-Ghent

Now I'm sitting on my bed wondering what to do and what my options are. My husband suggested I go home and return when my knee is better. I have some serious thinking to do tonight!

Om du vill stötta min insamling utan att ange adress osv, så kan du swisha mig och skriva om du vill vara anonym eller inte, så betalar jag in motsvarande summa i pund.

My fundraiser, Rare Cancers research ❤️

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/ullas-giving-page-9

Day 40 Malham - Rest day

Day 40 Malham - Rest day

Kilometers: 10

Rainy and windy day! In the morning it was just cloudy. I had decided to take a walk to Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss. It was supposed to start raining around lunch time, but I was so tired this morning that I got a bit of a late start.

   Still the same river as yesterday!

Entering the land of Janet, queen of the fairies.

   Janet's cave

I can understand why people thought fairies lived here, it looked truly magical!

   Janet's Foss 

   At the top.

Entering Gordale Scar. It was created when a rock system collapsed a very long time ago.

   The end of the trail

See the man who tries to continue? I don't know how he did, I had just decided to visit Malham Cove on the way back, so I left before it started to rain too much. It wasn't too far and I'd read that it was so beautiful.

Malham Cove from above. See that rock ledge across the top? It looks so nice and flat, I couldn't understand why people were walking so slowly. When I got there it wasn't flat at all, it was a huge field of differently sized rocks, both large and small, and it was a bit difficult to cross. I'm so glad I had my poles! And that wasn't the end of it. Walking up had been easy but going down was hard. There was a very long staircase where the steps were of different height and width/depth. For a couple of days now I've had some slight knee pain off and on, probably from all the walking. Going down the stairs was difficult! I was very careful, stepping down mostly with my right leg first. That's the knee I hurt two years ago when I fell and damaged the meniscus. But the left knee is a bit painful as well. Let's see how it feels tomorrow!

   And Malham Cove from below 

   I found a clapper bridge 

I ended up walking 10 kilometers and lots of up and down on my planned rest day, so my legs are still just as tired as yesterday 😂

Om du vill stötta min insamling utan att ange adress osv, så kan du swisha mig och skriva om du vill vara anonym eller inte, så betalar jag in motsvarande summa i pund.

My fundraiser, Rare Cancers research ❤️

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/ullas-giving-page-9

Day 39 Haworth to Malham

Day 39 Haworth to Malham 

What an amazing day this has been, warm snd sunny, glorious and wonderful, but slso very tiring. It almost feels like summer 🌞 

This morning I took the bus back to the Pennine Way but accidentally went to far and had to do some road walking again. Around lunch it started to get really warm, but there was a lovely breeze off and on and I hardly realized that it was getting quite warm.

   Gargrave, where I got on the Pennine Way again. After lunch at a pub 😋

   It's been so incredibly green all day!

I temporarily lost the Pennine Way, but who cares when you get to walk a tiny road like this? Also, according to the map there would be a Bridleway that would take me back on the PW in a little while.

The Pennine Way should be on the other side of this seemingly endless field (and it almost was).

   Hello!

After a while I came to a small river meandering across the fields. I walked along it for a very long time all the way to Malham, crossing over it every now and then.

Not my favorite thing at the end of a long day when the legs are really tired!

Entering Malham I was just passing the Methodist Church, when a man asked me if I wanted a cold drink and some biscuits. Inside was an exhibition called the Knitted Bible. 40 scenes from the Bible had been knitted and made into an exhibition, and the exhibition was now traveling around the UK. People were very interested in what I was doing and some of them donated to my fundraiser, thank you so much ❤️ 

I was very close to the hostel and after checking in I went to my room wondering what it would be like, I've stayed in two very tiny rooms at hostels. I was do pleasantly surprised, the room was lovely and the bathroom very nice. And a view of the hills!

   The view from my room

Om du vill stötta min insamling utan att ange adress osv, så kan du swisha mig och skriva om du vill vara anonym eller inte, så betalar jag in motsvarande summa i pund.

My fundraiser, Rare Cancers research ❤️

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/ullas-giving-page-9

Day 38 Hebden Bridge to Haworth

Day 38 Heptonstall to Haworth 

Kilometers: 21

I stayed at the IOU Hostel in Hebden Bridge. The hostel is nice with a good kitchen and large communal areas, but for some reason I only saw two other people staying there and they were just going to their room. I wonder if the reason is that it's a vegetarian hostel? They don't want you to cook or eat anything with meat or fish, so guests probably go down Hebden to eat? 

This morning when I looked at the map I saw that the route would take me via Heptonstall, and since I walked there yesterday I took the bus up the hill today. I really didn't feel like walking up the hill with my backpack!

Just before I arrived at the first reservoir and the dam I had to cross, Jenny and Mike from Australia caught up with me. I was so happy I didn't have to cross the dam alone. As it turns out the dam was very nice, if all dams are like this one I won't have a problem. And to think I've been worried about the dams for months 😂

   Looking back at the reservoirs.

Jenny and Mike had walked the Pennine Way before and were now walking a section they missed that time. It was very nice to have someone to talk to again but they were going farther than I was so they had to continue. I was now walking up a long hill from the reservoirs almost to Top Withins, a ruin that by many is thought to have inspired Emily Brontë when she wrote Wuthering Heights. 

   Top Withins 

At Top Withins I met Lynne and Dave who told me about Haworth, the town where the Brontë sisters lived and wrote many of their books. Also, there's the Brontë waterfall and bridge on the way there. I decided to go that way to see some of the places that inspired the sisters in their writing.

On the way to the waterfall I met Jenny and Mike again, they had also decided to go to the waterfall and were now on their way back. And at the bridge I met Lynne and Dave again.

   Brontë bridge and waterfall

   On the bridge 

I walked with Lynne and Dave to Haworth and once there I got a room at the Old White Lion hotel.

Om du vill stötta min insamling utan att ange adress osv, så kan du swisha mig och skriva om du vill vara anonym eller inte, så betalar jag in motsvarande summa i pund.

My fundraiser, Rare Cancers research ❤️

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/ullas-giving-page-9