By Sonja Allen
This year's spring walking weekend took place in the quaint village of Dent in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
We met on Friday morning to start our first walk together. It was 9 miles and started with an easy section along the Dales Way and the River Dee in the easterly direction until Barth Bridge. From there we climbed 300m up towards Combe Scar and then went along Barbondale Road to Deepdale and back again along the Dales Way towards Dent. In the evening, after having had some rest, we met at the George and Dragon Pub for Dinner and a social drink.
On Saturday, we started again on the Dales Way, but this time in westerly direction. From there we ventured up Whernside, one of the three Yorkshire Peaks. It was a long, steady but manageable climb on the quieter side of Whernside. The higher we climbed, the more the fog closed in on us and unfortunately deprived us from any scenic views from the top. Once we got close to the top, it became very busy as it was the day of the Three Peaks Race where some very fit people were running a mountain marathon.
We took our lunch break at the top and suddenly saw some sheep coming quite close towards us in search of food. These fellows must have got used to the crowds and the food waste they leave behind. One of them enjoyed the rest of an apple someone (not from our group) had dumped on the ground. It also tried its luck with a banana which someone must have lost, however, it was unable to make use of it.
After the break, we made our way down towards Deepdale where we also came past a flock of sheep with a little lamb caught up in some fencing. Helen freed it and it was heartwarming to witness how it then tried to be reunited with its mum - a spectacle which was accompanied by a lot of bleating and erring in the wrong direction. We then ended our 11 mile walk back along the Dales Way to Dent in the sunshine. In the evening, we all met again at the pub for some dinner and socialising.
On the Sunday, some of us went home in the morning and some braved the rain and met in nearby Sedbergh for another scenic walk, this time an easy six mile circular. Again we started off on the Dales Way towards the viaduct and from there headed back to Sedbergh via some hills where we had some refreshment and started our drives back home to Selby.