Guise Cliff

Today the Thursday Ramblers tackled Guise Cliff, a craggy cliff that overlooks the village of Pateley Bridge. I almost didn't go. It was a cold drizzly morning and it seemed as if the rain might get worse. But I had promised to give a ride to three other hikers, so I decided I couldn't let them down. And indeed the rain did get worse during the start of our hike, but then eased up later on. It was an incredibly tough climb (for me, at least) up to the summit of Guise Cliff. The path was extremely muddy. I tripped on tree roots, stumbled over rocks, slid on soggy moss and staggered my way up the hill. But I am oh so glad I toughed it out. The views from the top of the cliff were spectacular, despite the fact that it was so misty. And the views along the path were also quite scenic. We passed a tree that had been uprooted, perhaps in a storm, but had miraculously sprouted roots from its fallen limb and what would have been branches to the side had grown tall and straight, becoming new trunks. It seems as if every stone and boulder along the way was covered with moss so intensely green it almost looked fluorescent. We came to Yorke's Folly -- two stone pillars erected on the top of the cliff for no reason whatsover but to create a mock ruin and to provide employment for local people during a time of depression. And then there was False Teeth Bridge, so named because you can see the upper portion of a set of false teeth embedded in the cement. No one really knows how they got there. After our descent we walked through the little village of Bewerley and made a brief stop in the Bewerley Grange Chapel. The quaint stone structure, built in 1496, was charming and cozy with just enough room for a congregation of about 40. Lunch was at the Royal Oak pub in Pateley Bridge. I tried a vegetarian version of Yorkshire pudding. It was filled with carrots and broccoli and vegetarian gravy. A great concept, but would have been better if they hadn't cooked the broccoli to death.