Sunday 16 June 2013

Rough Stuff Fellowship Weekend at Dufton Day 1

Something a bit different for the South Lakes Group, to have a weekend away. We were based at Dufton YHA, although some folk B&B'ed, and others camped. As always we were at the mercy of the weather, but  we were lucky, it stayed dry all the time we were out. The two routes we did certainly provided some "Rough Stuff"! more on the Saturday than the Sunday.


Ready for the off outside Dufton YHA

Finding that the MOD range was open we changed our plans at Hilton and rode up the well maintained track in Scordale

This is the end of the good track....its fair to say alot of pushing took place from here to the watershed. Some of it was rideable...but not much!

Once over the watershed we followed the mythical path down to the confluence of Maize Beck and Swarth Beck. The above photo shows the path as good as it got....but much of it is pathless. The jokers on the otherside of the infant Swarth Beck are following the "green dashes" on the OS map!

The sharp right turn in Maize Beck where Swarth Beck joins.

More pushing beside Maizebeck before I crossed it (my feet were very wet anyway), then easy riding over short cropped turf brought us to the edge of High Cup Nick.
No matter how often I visit this magical place it always thrills and inspires.
It would be nice to think its all downhill to Dufton from here but it isn't!

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