DAY TWO

Day Two
DAY TWO

Day two. The plan was to set off by 7am. After listening to the rain on the slate roof for hours throughout the night, after a toast and crunchy nut breakfast it was acually about 8am before we set off. 
We had to walk two miles back to Crowden before the actual second day of walking started. The faces round the dinner tables the night before had been agasp at our plans to walk the 28 miles to Hebdon Bridge. Only after completing today's walk did we realise quite why they sucked air thorough their teeth and uttered "Oh it's a long way!"
The first four miles was easy going before Ash realised something wasn't quite right in his boots. On closer inspection he realised he had peeled a layer of skin from his heel and it looked especially angry. Ash remained cheery with a whitty joke which resulted in a five minute rolling laugh for sheer whit and stupidity.
From here on it was down hill through bogs and rivers before the gradual asent up to Black Hill and Soldiers Lump. Pretty quiet traffic wise apart from the occasional lunatic fell runner.
Time for a well deserved handful of Asda smart price mixed nuts and a Mr Kiplings bakewell slice.
The remainder of the morning was especially dull with a flagstone path for miles and miles and miles. It wasn't until we reached some reservoirs that it got even more dull. I think we have both seen enough if these for a full lifetime.
After reaching a main road and running back to take a photo of the 76 Pennine Way sign, we stopped for lunch consisting of a ham and cheese salad sandwich provided by Joanne from guest house the night before. A handful of Ash's reggae reagge nuts, Meg, the grumpy mans, Hyper hound came bounding over to mob us, with excitable tail and lick our hands. Did I mention Joannes sandwiches? They were very Good and Ash pointed out I kept mentioning it.
After miles of further walking, and Ash winning an arguement over the name of the Pack Horse path we marched up to White hill covered in old mans beard before the walk down to the M62 footbridge, more crazy fell runners and just in time for more crazy fell runners.
I've always wanted to walk on this footbridge and now I've done it I don't feel a great need to do it again very soon. We had planned to meet dawn here but being ahead of schedule and the heavens opening we were not surprised to walk on without her.
When walking over the bridge we heard a car sound it's horn. It was only on getting to Hebdon did a text let us know that oud friend Colin had, at that precise moment, been driving along the motorway and had seen us. They do say it's a small world.   
The next two hours and forty four minutes (ash insists on acuracy) was made up if about four more reservoirs, kept interesting by a large bag of peanut M&M's and silly categories games.
By now we were soaked through and chafing was becoming a real problem. The final assent was up to Stoodly Pike above a steaming Hebdon Bridge as smoke and mist rose from the valley. 
Inside the tower was pitch black and we couldn't see more than the first three steps up. After searching through Ash's backpack in almost every pocket we found his torch and gingerly assended the tower for fear of a sheep, or worse, coming down from the darkness. Once reaching the top it really wasn't worth the effort in the pouring rain and mist but it had to be done.
And so to the final three miles walk down to Hebdon Bridge. We had to negociate a especially angry bovine hurd who thought the pennine way path was all theirs.
A few final handfulls of Haribo and we arrived in Hebdon Bridge and located the White Lion Hotel.
We were welcomed by a local who at first wanted to know which of the  two football teams we supported before starting a long chat about the pennine way, what jobs we did, how he had owned a walking shop, where he lived and that his wife said no to opening a b&b. He was very nice but I was so tired I soon found myself making polite nods and "oh yes" comments.
After moving our bags from the flooded room we headed out for a very nice Turkesh meal at the olive branch.
Considering I'm writing this at eleven pm and am shatered I'll be amazed if half of it makes sence! Night