A Long Walk
Today I joined the hiking group for a ramble on the mosaic trail in Yorkshire. The trail follows a six-mile circular route marked by whimsical mosaics mounted in stone. The mosaics, created by local craftsmen and women, depict local flora, fauna and landmarks.
Getting to the start of the trail was an adventure in itself. We drove through the village of Pateley Bridge (about a half hour outside of Harrogate) and began our way up and up. I thought I had seen steep and narrow roads before, but this route beat them all. At times we were on a roadway just wide enough for one car, with stone walls on either side of us. Mind you, this is a two-way road -- I don't know what you do if you come upon an oncoming vehicle. I guess someone has to back up to a wider spot to let the other one get through. And steep roads! My heart was in my mouth more than once. Finally, we made our way to a small car park, seemingly in the middle of nowhere and began our ramble.
It was a vigorous hike that took us through many different types of terrain: muddy patches, marshy grass, rocky paths, a small stream, narrow stiles and bridges, a few gentle and not so gentle hills. We even walked through moorland heather (difficult to walk in!). We walked through one sheep field after another and saw many different species of sheep. The best part was seeing the adorable little lambkins, either nursing, sleeping or gamboling about. We also saw horses, cows, pigs and lapwings. The countryside was beautiful in a raw and rugged way. We passed a few farms here and there and marveled at the life these people must have high up on the moors -- I'm sure they work very hard, but they are surrounded by such beauty. The mosaics were a treat as well. Every time we came upon one all the camera-toting hikers (me included) began taking photos.
It began as a pleasant walk...until we got lost! We were wandering about for a few hours on the moors, backtracking and walking in circles (or figure eights as someone suggested) till we found our way back to the starting point. We had begun at 10:30 in the morning and by that time it was 2 p.m. This means we missed lunch (pubs usually close by 2 p.m.) and we began to get rained upon. Despite the last couple of hours wandering about in circles, it really was a rewarding hike.
Today I joined the hiking group for a ramble on the mosaic trail in Yorkshire. The trail follows a six-mile circular route marked by whimsical mosaics mounted in stone. The mosaics, created by local craftsmen and women, depict local flora, fauna and landmarks.
Getting to the start of the trail was an adventure in itself. We drove through the village of Pateley Bridge (about a half hour outside of Harrogate) and began our way up and up. I thought I had seen steep and narrow roads before, but this route beat them all. At times we were on a roadway just wide enough for one car, with stone walls on either side of us. Mind you, this is a two-way road -- I don't know what you do if you come upon an oncoming vehicle. I guess someone has to back up to a wider spot to let the other one get through. And steep roads! My heart was in my mouth more than once. Finally, we made our way to a small car park, seemingly in the middle of nowhere and began our ramble.
It was a vigorous hike that took us through many different types of terrain: muddy patches, marshy grass, rocky paths, a small stream, narrow stiles and bridges, a few gentle and not so gentle hills. We even walked through moorland heather (difficult to walk in!). We walked through one sheep field after another and saw many different species of sheep. The best part was seeing the adorable little lambkins, either nursing, sleeping or gamboling about. We also saw horses, cows, pigs and lapwings. The countryside was beautiful in a raw and rugged way. We passed a few farms here and there and marveled at the life these people must have high up on the moors -- I'm sure they work very hard, but they are surrounded by such beauty. The mosaics were a treat as well. Every time we came upon one all the camera-toting hikers (me included) began taking photos.
It began as a pleasant walk...until we got lost! We were wandering about for a few hours on the moors, backtracking and walking in circles (or figure eights as someone suggested) till we found our way back to the starting point. We had begun at 10:30 in the morning and by that time it was 2 p.m. This means we missed lunch (pubs usually close by 2 p.m.) and we began to get rained upon. Despite the last couple of hours wandering about in circles, it really was a rewarding hike.
posted by lenora at 12:00 PM
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