Balancing the Arts with Technology

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mood: invigorated

Sunday 1 April 2007
:: Gargrave, England - Yorkshire::

Just as the adventure party expected, Vanessa's nephew, Sir Luca the Valiant, who has explored Skipton in great detail, must have found the parchment for the details about seeing entrance with the Faerie Queen of Janet Foss. Since Luca the Valiant is far away in the lands of Germany, they would have to continue on their adventure without the scroll.

10:30 in the morning, Queen Susan and Robin the Fool picked up the adventurers from the JenDen and took them to the 6 mile section of the Pennine Way that runs from the villages of Gargrave to Malham. They walked with Vanessa Lady of the Rhine, Sir Thomas Leaf, and Sir Ingo the Great and set them off at the trailhead where they climbed over the wall to the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales as they started their walk across a sheep pasture. Just shortly before the pasture, they sat and watched the operation of the locks for the houseboats in the canals. Thoughts of owning a houseboat bombarded Sir Thomas Leaf's head. Someday he thought. It would be a new adventure ground. Back on the walk they said their departures to the Royal family and started their trekk on the trail. The ground was mushy, odorous, and one could not see the trail. Sir Thomas Leaf did his best to navigate between the sheep patties and the mushy ground down to a gate, where unknowingly he lost his journal with notes of directions. As they went through the gate, he discovered his loss, backtrekked and luckily found the journal. A short delay, but they were back to the adventure momentarily. Unknowingly, Sir Robin the Fool was spying on the party and had noticed Sir Leaf going back, and worried they were lost. But as the party turned back around and vanished over the hill, one would hope the party would find their way.

The adventure party and the Royal family: Sir Ingo, Lady Vanessa, Sir Robin, Queen Susan

Canal locks at Gargrave

Pennine Way signpost

Pennine Way Trail head

the Sheep fields

Lady Vanessa and Sir Ingo

The trail was not very well marked from its onset in start of the journey. The adventurers found their way regardless of the missing trail imprint on the fresh moist sheep meadows. The trail became easier to spot along the journey and before long, especially once off the pastures. They crossed past many farms, past Heber Hill, Harrows Laithe, Hartows Hill, through the Eshton Moor, Eel Ark Hill, a quarry, past the Tarn Dike, Kiln Hill, through Air Tort, Hanlith Wood, Hanlith Village and Hall, Windy Pike, Black Hole Bridge, past Mires Barn, and into the village of Malham.

All of the adventurers haven't been hiking much over the past winter so the journey was strenous and invigorating. After passing through Airton, along the river, up towards another spring there was a small historic (sealed) lime kiln along the streambed with very interesting archwork. Sir Thomas Leaf, the archaeologist he is, was fascinated by these kilns along the journey. So he had to take a peek. Made him fall a little behind the party, but he was quick to catchup.