THE DALES HIGH WAY

DAY ONE
 Saltaire to Addingham 
(11.7 miles)

An early alarm at 05:30 allowed us to have breakfast, get ourselves sorted and walk to the station to catch the 07:56 train.   After a change in Leeds we arrive at Saltaire at ten o'clock.

From the station we headed uphill to the official starting point, Victoria Hall, then spent twenty pennies (yes, twenty !) at the public convenience before retracing our steps to pass over the railway line and canal. Now we are on our way proper. 

Initially we walk along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, but soon depart the tow path and head uphill into woodland. At this point we are joined - nay, overtaken - by several cows who seem intent on walking along the route. Perhaps the Dales High Way is more popular than we realised ...

Emerging from the trees at the top of the hill we are soon walking alongside a training track for racehorses. There are no horses to be seen, but after a short distance we ourselves are racing along the narrow grass verge alongside the busy Otley Road. Fortunately this is a very short, though harrowing, dice with death and we soon turn off onto Rombalds Moor.

Next Ilkley comes into view, way down below us as we pass from Rombalds to Ilkley Moor. To our great joy, the flag was flying at White Wells. After a quick look at the spa pool (Charles Darwin was 'ere apparently) we baggsied a table and tucked-in to afternoon tea and ginger cake. Great tea - proper Yorkshire 'stand yer spoon in it' tea - and even better sticky 'so good it coats the roof of your mouth' ginger cake!

Prising ourselves away from the teashop we continue along the escarpment edge, passing Willy Hall's Spout and the swastika stone, all the while with cracking views over the Wharfe valley where we walked on last year's Dales Way.

Dropping down from the ridge heading for Addingham Moorside, we were joined by a friendly pigeon who presumably thought one of us looked like his owner. A little further on, nearing the outskirts of Addingham, we were approached by a small herd of inquisitive cows. See, there's wildlife galore on the Dales High Way! (Later in the evening I had a very enjoyable experience with a couple of Black Sheep ... but that's nowt to do wi't wildlife !!) 

On reaching Addingham, we inexplicably turned the wrong way down Main Street and after walking for ten minutes finally decided to eat humble pie and asked for directions to the Craven Heifer. Twelve minutes later we were sat at the bar, Black Sheep and lemonade in hand, studying a very promising list of 'specials' served for dinner ...

Evening meal was O.K., but maybe not quite as good as expected. Carolyn started with goat's cheese tartlets and followed with salmon and crab cakes. Steve decided the fish cakes sounded good for starters and opted for chicken and bacon salad for main course. All the dishes were good, enjoyable even, but not just quite as spectacular as anticipated. The wine, however - a crisp, fruity Australian Pino Grigio - was ample compensation for our (very minor) disappointment.