LEJOG Day 56: Dufton to Garrigill

Weather: Sunny to start, then cloudy, with bitter southerly

Distance covered today: 25.2km (15.7mi)

Last night's B&B: Hallcroft (£28)

Cumulative distance: 1118.0km (694.7mi)/ % Complete: 58.4%

GPS satellite track of today's route: Day 56 (click!)

Amazing though it may seem to many, I had never heard of the Appleby Horse Fair. I hadn’t even heard of Appleby. Yesterday morning, Ray, my host at the B&B, suggested I go to the nearest town which was indeed Appleby, because I needed one or two supplies and there was no shop locally. On the way I noticed a curious set of crowd-restraining balustrades along the road and on enquiry, I found that I had just missed the fair, described in an official blurb as follows;

“Appleby Fair runs for a week in June, ending on the 2nd Wednesday, in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria. It is probably the best known of the horse fairs attended by Romany families travelling to meet up with old friends and conduct business. It is world famous, the largest of its kind in the world, and attracts a huge gypsy gathering. It has existed as a fair for horse trading since 1685, under the protection of a charter granted by James II. The field on the outskirts of Appleby originally known as Gallows Hill, due to its usage in earlier times is now called Fair Hill and looks over the town of Appleby. During the Fair, horses may be found everywhere - in the river, on its banks, along the roadsides or tethered outside hotels and shops. Young people wash the horses in the River Eden and are then ready to show them off. The tradition of racing and trotting the horses along Flashing Lane takes place throughout the day.”

I found that my route into Appleby was in fact via Flashing Lane! The fair had ended the previous week and although cleansing operations had already finished, the detritus of such a show was everywhere evident.

On my way back to Dufton, I met an old man right in the middle of Flashing Lane. He was distraught. He was looking at a scruffy pamphlet and bemoaning the fact that the fair was over. He grabbed my attention. “T’fookin’ fair is over!”, he wailed. “They told me in fookin’ Skipton that t’fair was on this week, but ‘tweren’t! T’was last week! Cost me fifteen fookin’ pounds, it did, t’buy my train ticket! ‘Tis a fookin’ disgrace!”  I looked at his pamphlet, which turned out to be a program for 2012, which I politely pointed out to him. But he would not be placated. Eventually, he decided I could be of no further use to him and he started to amble off down the lane. I asked him if I could take his picture, which slightly alarmed him, but I got my shot and we parted amicably enough. I walked back to Dufton, feeling that he had enlivened for me the extraordinary fair that I too had just missed.

Back in Dufton, at my most tasteful and comfortable B&B, I was getting to know my gracious hosts, Ray and Frei. At breakfast I was amused to note that Ray was standing talking to the assembled guests on a whole range of erudite subjects while Frei was slaving over a hot stove in the kitchen. I couldn’t resist it. At a break in the conversation, I asked “Basil, doesn’t Sybil mind you holding up the doorpost in here, while she does all the work?” The place erupted! There is more than a passing resemblance between Ray and John Cleese, both in looks and mannerisms. To give him his due, and though I’m sure he had heard this one before, Ray jumped immediately into character and had us in stitches. He also mentioned that he had recently had a lovely German couple as guests and it was all he could do not to “mention the war”! He was about to show us his silly walks routine when Sybil, (I mean Frei) appeared and ordered him to get on with clearing the tables!

Ray had picked up on my South African accent almost immediately. He has a long history of anti-apartheid protest and he was very negative about the oil companies who remained in SA through the protest years. We only discussed it briefly, but I doubt that he found my arguments convincing. Still, it was refreshing to have a number of interesting discussions with an intelligent couple, refugees from London, who have successfully made their life in the country and beautifully and authentically restored their lovely house.  I think they also enjoyed the stimulus. They were careful not to criticise the locals, but reading between the lines, I didn’t think there were too many Guardian readers in their immediate vicinity. Still, they have clearly enthusiastically hooked into the local scene, both in terms of crafts and the arts, and I suspect their contribution is highly valued. They talked vaguely about moving to Shropshire at some time in the future. I’m not sure that they will find it all that different!

All the while, I was preparing for today’s assault on Cross Fell! This particular obstacle is, at 895m (2,940ft), the highest fell on the Pennine Way. To get to it, I first had to ascend Knock Fell to the delightfully named Knock Old Man and then after a disappointing decline to a saddle, up to the radar station at Great Dun Fell. That led to the surprisingly abrupt Little Dun Fell and after yet another boggy saddle, I finally made my way up to Cross Fell itself. The weather had been hot and sunny back in Dufton, but the higher I climbed, the stronger the wind and the colder. Eventually it was perishing! Still the visibility was most unusually, excellent. And the view, beyond description. I could see all the way over the Eden Valley to the fells of the Lake District and as I descended gratefully from Cross Fell, there on the horizon was the Solway Firth and on its other side, my first view of Scotland! It will take me some days to reach it, but it does feel as if I have turned another page.

On the way down from Cross Fell, I met Andrew and his delightful daughter, India. Andrew is a great and very longstanding friend of Richard B., who had arranged for us to meet. Andrew called me yesterday, having persuaded the landlady at tonight’s B&B to give him my mobile number. We agreed that he would start out from my destination for today, Garrigill, along with two dogs and an unspecified number of children and that we would meet somewhere on the way. I told him I would be wearing a white carnation with a copy of the Times under my arm. I recognised him by the dogs and no doubt he recognised me by the white hair, and we had a most enjoyable walk all the way down to Garrigill, interrupted only by the need to administer Compeed to poor India’s blistering feet! It was a thoroughly stimulating encounter and I do look forward to meeting Andrew sometime again in the future.

Which reminds me! In the great Battle of the Little Toes, between Kevin Compeed, and The Boots, the half-time score is 1-0 to Kevin and his Compeed. In fact, I decided today that I really was into the second half and that by tomorrow evening, I would be able to declare the battle over!  There is some collateral damage. I few of my nails have gone black and will no doubt come off in time, but that is just fine. They don’t hurt!

Basil.  Sorry, I mean Ray and Frei

Too late for the horse fair!

Flashing Lane, with the balustrades to restrain horse fair attendees

Hallcroft, the restored B&B

On my way up towards the high fells. This is a typical "clapper bridge". I don't know the derivation of the name, but I like to think it is from the sound that loose stones make as one walks across!

Starting the ascent. The domed hill is Knock Pike

Further up the hill; looking down on Knock Pike

Even further up. Knock Pike is now that little bump on the right

Looking down on the Eden Valley from the high fells, The fells on the other side are in the Lake District

Shake holes are produced by subsidence as a result of water dissolving the limestone. Sometimes they are dry, sometimes not 

The cairn at Knock Old Man

That white dome on the horizon is the radar station at Great Dun Fell

The way up to Cross Fen, The shelter at the top is just visible

Me, at the summit trig point

Far from clear, but that indistinct white strip in the extreme distance is the Solway Firth and Scotland lies beyond!