We decided to try out our footpath today. First though we had to wait for our mail
carrier to arrive. Greg had received a
text about a package coming from the cable company. For the first time I finally heard him arrive
and was able to step out and introduce myself.
His name, of course, is Peter.
I’m beginning to think this might be a game they play with
newcomers. Everyone just introduces
themselves as Peter no matter what their name might be. Nice guy.
Seems a bit skittish of the pups.
Introductions done, we were off for an adventure. I’d been curious how long it would take to
walk The Nidderdale Way into Pateley Bridge.
We have yet to figure out how to get from the house to Wath without
walking on the road. Today it wasn’t a
bad road walk since traffic was very light.
On the weekends the traffic can be very busy. At the bus stop at Wath we crossed the old
bridge over the River Nidd. Then we had
the narrow little log bridge that the footpath crosses. Deep breath… to get across this with two pups
on leads with none of us slipping. I had
considered sending River across on her own but I looked ahead a saw sheep
grazing in the pasture and decided against that plan. Turned out to be much easier than I
expected. River walked ahead, MacGyver
behind and we all took it slow. No
problem. But that was just the first of
many new obstacles for us to learn our way through.
Now we found ourselves in a pasture with a flock of
sheep. Some sheep ignored us. Some moved away. The pups took no interest. It was a good start. The footpath itself was interesting. Unlike the dirt trails we are used to
following, this one was grass. And though
it went through a grass field it was still clear which direction people had
been walking. Straight across the field
toward the rock wall on the other side.
The first rock wall had steps built into either side. Then across another field. In this field the path was lined with giant
old trees. This is where I saw my first
tuft of wool. I had joked with a friend
that walks around the neighborhood were for collecting wool. Unfortunately this tuft of wool was lying on
a pile of manure. I passed. The next passage was through a swinging V
gate. These are a little more
complicated. They require stepping
through the gate into a small holding area, closing the gate and stepping out
on the other side. River preferred to
try to force herself underneath. Since they are built to keep in sheep about
her size, this didn’t work. She had to
learn patience and take the correct route.
MacGyver’s greatest fear has always been doorways and getting through
these gates as a big deal for him. To
trust me enough to follow me into a small enclosure and then out the other side
was hard for him. But they both
managed. We had several of these types
of gates on our way to Pateley. By the
end they were both getting very good at it.
We cross another field with sheep, then into a field with
lots of cow piles, but not sign of the cows nearby. Eventually we entered a small wood with a
dirt trail, which is much more familiar to us.
Before arriving in Pateley the River Nidd, which had been running off to
our right took a turn and came up next to our footpath. The last couple of fields we were walking
along side the river. As we arrived in
the outskirts of Pateley we crossed over a bridge to the west side of the river
and walked the trail next to a very large and active caravan (RV) park. The footpath enters Pateley at the park on
the north side of the village.
I’d been thinking it might be nice to get some fish ‘n chips
for lunch but realized I left the pounds Greg had given me on the counter at
home. All I had were dollars. But I did have an apple and cheese and some
Milkbones for the pups. We sat on a
bench in the park and had a picnic. I
forgot to look at the time when we left the house so I wasn’t exactly sure how
long the trip had taken, but I believe it was about 45 minutes. Considering we weren’t walking fast and we
were taking time learning all the new gate crossings, I thought that was a
pretty good length for a walk.
When I stood and said it was time to go home River looked at
me with such disappointment. Her
expressions are so vivid, it’s funny.
She wasn’t near ready to go home but the main street through town is so
narrow I didn’t feel we could walk around safely. Later I realized we could have taken the
opportunity to explore the back roads and side streets of the village. That will have to be our next adventure.
By the time we got home I was sweaty. It’s going to take some work to figure out
how to dress in this damp and cold climate.
When we entered the house with the heat off I got chilled. I took a hot bubble bath to warm back up,
which of course made me sleepy. Then we
all crawled into bed for a nice afternoon nap.
Taking a nap every time I take a walk probably isn’t the most productive
way to spend the day. I’ll have to find
a way to adjust not only clothes, but the house temp and my energy level. But, for now, an afternoon nap isn’t too
bad.
The rest of the day was spent trying for organize
clutter. We have all this stuff that
came with our express shipment, but without furniture no where to put it. So there are just piles of stuff all
over. Every now and then I’ll sit down
with one pile and at least figure out what should be in what room. And then I make more piles out of the one
pile and put them into different rooms.
I’m just really moving around clutter.
The rest of the household shipment can’t get here soon enough.
Then I made dinner.
In the evenings Greg and I have been watching movies that I had recorded
from old VHS tapes and saved on my hard drive.
We’ve just about gone through them all now. We spent most of the night watching videos of
the kids when they were little. They
were so cute! Well, they’re still pretty
cute. Missing them today.
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