We’ve had an easier day today, thanks to the extra 4 miles we walked yesterday, we walked 7 miles from Bolton on Swale to the town of Richmond. My friend and I usually find shorter walks take almost as long as longer walks as we dawdle more, stopping to identify wild flowers or working out the architecture of a building. As I’m still keen on the merlin bird app we also stopped to identify birdsong, today we heard a yellowhammer and s goldcrest among others.
The countryside has changed with today’s walk, it’s more what I think of as the Dales, we’ve had no road walking either which is a blessing.
We’ve walked through some lovely woods with little streams and wooden footbridge.
The walk approached Richmond from the falls, we sat and had a drink and a snack by the falls, we’ve had a fair bit of rain over the last couple of weeks so there was plenty of water coming down. The river here rises very quickly and potentially dangerously to the extent that there are flag poles next to the river and if there’s a red flag up you need to leave the river area immediately. I can imagine there being a big storm further up the dale sending a surge downstream which people wouldn’t anticipate if the weather seemed fine.
Tomorrow we’re walking about 12 miles to the village of Reeth, we’ve studied the guide book and the maps and it sounds like a good walk.
thecraftycreek 
Lovely mix of countryside
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Hi Jane, walking up from the Vale of York into what I call Swaledale proper, we did have a good variety of countryside.
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I love seeing the countryside, thanks so much for sharing.
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Thanks Kathy
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Reading this post I was thinking about the truth of it. We live in rural Japan among breathtaking scenery and thousands of trails that crisscross through the mountains. The scenery beckons … but if you aren’t aware of the dangers and don’t know how to prepare yourself or plan ahead you might find yourself in a very dangerous situation. It’s always good to think ahead. I’m really enjoying your trip here.
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Hi Hanna, I agree that many people are beguiled by the scenery and go walking totally unprepared or walk out of their experience. Whilst we were away someone sadly died on day 2 of the Coast to Coast walk in atrocious weather conditions in the Lakes, some of the paths we walked were probably day 4 or 5 of the Coast to Coast so we met many walkers following it.
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Hi- wow, I’m sorry to hear that! It happens here as well- tourists or inexperienced trekkers- sometimes even seasoned hikers get in a jam. I try hard to be prepared and not go anywhere I’m not sure of. I learned my lesson. I went mountain climbing with a group once- the leader seemed a bit full of himself and when he decided to go down a steep, slippery slope my gut said- NO! But… it was my first time with the group and I didn’t want to cause trouble. Well… I slipped, fell down the mountain and tore the ligaments in my left knee. Learned my lesson. Have fun and be safe! 🥾
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