Post 252: 4 May 2018, The Inn Way, Yorkshire Dales, Reeth to Castle Bolton
We had a good journey to the village of Castle Bolton, following in reverse some of the route of the Tour de Yorkshire, which is gripping the county with massive crowds turning out and leading to all sorts of things being erected in the oddest of places. The people of Yorkshire really enter into the spirit of the Tour. I will be attending 3 of the stages, making fitting a walk in quite difficult and tiring.
Sid the Yorkshireman paid the £3 parking at Bolton Castle feeling quite pleased that the toilets there were free! I think he may have been ill.
Bolton Castle is 102 miles into my route of On Foot from Coast to Coast: The North of England Way from Ravenglass on the west coast to Scarborough on the east coast.
The castle was erected by the first Lord Scrope, Chancellor of England in 1379. From July 1568 until January 1569 Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned at Bolton Castle – in a degree of comfort as about twenty servants were billeted in the village.
We then had to walk to Reeth to rejoin the Inn Way where we had left off last time. We passed the old post office, the Church of St Oswald and the millennium stone.
We ascended to open moorland where only the lapwings could be heard and seen.
Before passing Dent’s Houses (as described on the OS map) to head off right along a path which quickly disappeared.
We eventually arrived at the road towards the youth hostel at Grinton Lodge. 
There were fine views towards our destination of Reeth. 
It was some years since I had stayed at Grinton Youth Hostel when snow was on the ground. On leaving the hostel, Gary’s car slid down the hill whilst I tried to get Radio 2 on his radio – he was not amused. I had warned him about going to the Dales in the middle of winter without winter tyres.
For the memory we had a quick look around. It has pods now!
It was time for our coffee and banana break at the hostel and what a view!!
We could have stayed there all day, but we had to get on towards Reeth (seen on the right in the distance). 
We descended to Grinton. No snow on the road this time, but the big tree is still there! 
We passed the Bridge Hotel and St Andrew’s Church
To cross over the River Swale.
Reeth expects residents and visitors to behave themselves! 
It was market day.
We certainly weren’t troublemakers and so we left and stopped for lunch just past the bridge and by the river on benches provided. We were now on the Inn Way.
We again passed the church in Grinton, where the daffodils were hanging on quite late.
We left the road to head across the ‘Green Land’. This photograph has not been altered in anyway! No wonder England is called ‘this green and pleasant land’ – except that in this case it is a bog! 
We finally reached the summit of Greet’s Hill, which forms the watershed between Swaledale and Wensleydale. We had climbed to 555 metres (1821 feet). No wonder we were tired and both propped ourselves up for the photoshoot by using our trekking poles. 
We started descending to yet more former mining areas. 
Where there was a strange looking beetle which changed colour. 
We arrived back at Dent Houses. A possible life saver in bad weather as it is left open for visitors. Sid the Yorkshireman took advantage of it in the ‘lounge’.
After another ascent, all that remained now was a gentle descent to Castle Bolton, with much of Wensleydale spread before us. 
I suddenly realised my spare small camera battery worth over £30 was missing from my camera bag. It must have slipped out somewhere. I walked on for about another quarter of a mile thinking it was lost and then suddenly spotted it on the grass ahead after 12 miles of walking! Miracles do happen!
I went into the church at Castle Bolton, 
Finally, we found a dragon
What had it got in it’s mouth? Yes someone who had dropped litter in Yorkshire! 
Miles Walked 12.6
Steps 27,000
Calories Burnt 3500
Only 1 other walker met all day – at the Youth Hostel, probably walking coast to coast judging by the size of his pack.
Tomorrow off to the Cote de Sutton Bank on the Tour de Yorkshire.
It’s all go in Yorkshire………
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