DAY ONE

DAY ONE

The first struggle was getting all of our bags to the train station In manchester. Fortunatelly Johnny had agreed to drop us off and we were glad he did as clearly we had packed far too much!

Johnny was quiet, but then it was very early for Johnny, since it was almost 10'oclock. Johnny did however keep reminding us that it was a long way. "oh it's a long way" he repeated like a Parrot, or raw onions the day after that Big Mac you shouldn't have had.

We caught the train to Edale and talked to a monotone man about his experience of completing the Pennine Way back in 1976. He was clearly in a chatty mood and Ash was clearly not. We got off at Edale and searched high and low for a White van with 'Arrow' written on the back that would be our baggage transport for the next two weeks. We met a lovely couple, a charming couple, a delightful couple, who we called Peter and Margaret. We missed their names but these seemed appropriate for a retired couple carrying bags and walking into there twilight years.

By now it was almost eleven and it seemed only appropriate to go to the Penny Pot Cafe for tea before we set of, and besides, we had walked all the way from the train station!

After tea and a very welcome bacon and saysage buttie, we strode along the lane to the Nags Head and the official start Pennine Way. Walking up the lane we spotted about ten flowers from the spotters guide and Ash did insist on taking photos of the wrong colour poppies. He carried on doing this for the next four days and took increasing delight in pointing then out to me.

The first real physical challenge came when we reached Jacobs Ladder and all those steps. We met four ladies huffing and puffing on the way up and didn't really cheer them along by telling them how much further up it went. However they seemed perfectly motivated to follow us as we marched on ahead in our shorts.

At the top of Kinder Scout we sat on the rocks and admired the view. I reminded Ash it was time for a lemon slice, he rolled his eyes! We sat for a while and watched others climbing Jacob's ladder and laughed as a man almost fell off the edge of some rocks trying to photograph the views. His soon to be wife was not as amused.

We soon reached Kinder Downfall and wondered if anyone would be under attack by the vicious flock of sandwich eating sheep. We were delighted to see the full sheep mafia were out as poor unsuspecting victims lost there lunch to an organised attack. Fortunatelly we had learnt this from previous visits and continued on further for our lunch. Of cause before we did, it was only right to watch as bleets and screams followed more bleets and shreaks of the poor unsuspectind day trippers.

The next few miles over the barren moors of Bleaklow were as usual pretty dull. Having walked them many times before didn't help in making them any more exciting. I did however remember some paths, I had walked along some 4 months earlier, in thick thick snow which now looked very different surrounded by the new shoots of bilberrys and wild flowers.

Lunch time was declared upon findind a small stream and a blessed releaf from the unchangung landscape. I tucked into my now melted cheese sandwich while Ash munched on a Tesco BLT. After eying up my sweaty sandwich he offered to go halves.

The end of day one was only round the corner so we set off along the edge of the valley heading down to Crowden. Fortunatelly we decided to use the power of the IPod to locate the first nights B&B. We were glad we did as it was actually two miles out of Crowden and we would have endedup walking right past it and then had to turn round. Ash smugly applauded himself for suggesting we checked and saved ourselfs an unecessary four miles.

On realising we were only a mile from home I was like an impossible school child desperate to get there yesterday. Ash had to rein me in by denying me cake if I didn't calm down.

By six we were walking into the gravel enclosure of the Old House B&B. The place looked deserted, the only sign on the door said reception but the doorbell didn't appear to work. We gingerly krept in as the door creaked with every cm. No sooner had we set foot into the hall and a stocky guy James came over pointing to a corner of the floor exclaiming "leave your boots there!"

After obaying his every command quickly and preciskey, the mood soon lifted as he showed us our room and offered to make a large pot of tea. The feeling of calm only improved as we realised our bags had arrived as planned.

We settled in and enjoyed the huge pot if tea in the conservatory before perusing the menu and selecting a home made steak pie for tea. It was lush! The gravy rich, the meat tender and the pastry light and delight. We complimented Joanne on her cooking before realishing how shattered we were, and how a good nights sleep was in order.

The room was charming, with oak beams and chandelear; A fresh jug of milk with a selection of teas, and above all two very comfortable beds! Before we knew it we were sleeping soundly to the gentle bleet of sheep on the hills outside.