I suppose pilgrims in medieval times must have reached a point where they left familiar countryside and got to places about which they had only heard from others. I reached that point this morning: while the Pennine Way is an old friend, the rest of the walk to Dover will be all new to me.
The omens were not auspicious. The northeast wind was still blowing, and bringing with it a hint of rain. The sky was overcast with low cloud. In short, a grey day.
The navigation problems came as the route took me up onto high moorland and into the cloud. Visibility dropped to perhaps a hundred yards, and tracks multiplied and became confusing and indistinct. There were no real features to navigate by, but the map showed an “obelisk”. It was a notable relief when a faint blur in the mist resolved itself into the obelisk (it’s on the shoulder of the hill in the photo below).
Many of these monuments on the South Pennine moors date back to the Napoleonic Wars, but this one was from the First World War, commemorating the dead from the local area. Many of the men from the industrial Pennine valleys were recruited into “Pals’ Battalions”, where men from the same town served together. The Pals’ Battalions were supposed to help morale, but they also meant that a town’s recruits could be decimated in a day if the unit was in action. It struck me as I stood there that I would in all probability pass cemeteries in Northern France where some of these men now lie.
The cloud lifted somewhat, and my route took me lower, so that I could enjoy the contrast between the green valleys lower down and the high moorland above.
The day ended with my last long stretch of moorland: tomorrow the landscape will change. It also ended with some luck, as I got the last available room in the only convenient hotel.
Day 5
Route: Standedge to M67 terminus via Oldham Way and Tameside Trail. Terrain: fields, moorland. Weather: cool, overcast, increasingly windy. Daily distance: 30.5 km/18.9 miles. Cumulative distance: 119.3 km/74.1 miles. Accommodation: Premier Inn, Manchester Hyde.
Come Wind, Come Weather 