Guided Walk Cowshill Upper Weardale

When I thought up this walk – a couple of years ago, the idea was for easy walking across deep and hard neve under blue skies….  and the nearest we got to it was last January when it was a bit snowy and frozen, but not quite there…. One day, though…  Yesterday, it was just driech. The forecast, in fact, was a damp one so I was a bit surprised when 25 people turned up at Cowshill, including the stewards, Compulsory Daves (x2) and Jane.

So we set off – me in my new Brasher Hillmaster GTX boots that I won (yes, folks, i got lucky) in a spot the obscure ford in the Howgills competition in Lakeland Walker. A fine magazine , specially when It supplies me with new boots. I was in desperate need of these, as it happens, since everything else I have for hillwalking footwear leaks like a ..er….leaky boot…..

Me and the Dawg had done a reccy a week before in actual sunshine and, since the sheep were all having a meeting down at the bottom of the hill about the financial crisis and whether or not bankers should get 100%+ bonuses, Bruno had a good old run about….. 

Anyway, both walks went reasonably well, I thought, and on the reccy, there was an unusual sight of half a dozen deer grazing in a field at Wearhead. They saw me and the dawg and noted our presence and just kept right on eating the pasture. I took four pictures of them, all of which are blurred – it was going a bit dark at the time. Anyway, they’re not worth publishing here, so I haven’t.  If anybody wants a blurred picture, contact me at Pietowers. There’s a discount for the full set. We can haggle.

There’s a map below for anybody determined to have a go at this walk – its got nice views down into Upper Weardale and you can practise your map reading and pacing on the little traverse across the moorland. Baggers can bag Middlehope Moor as well, if they want. Its a bit boggy in just a few parts. I’ll probably retain this walk in the winter programme, if there is a winter programme! The walk is just under 9 miles..

Thanks to Graeme Ferguson for a couple of the pics (and for the odd nip of sloe gin – don’t dilute it, Graeme, it’s fine as it is….)

And I had dry feet at the end, which was nice.