HRP ... and beyond: Pennine Way day 14: Cowling

Monday 23 September 2019
Miles: 12.5 (+1.4 miles in Hebden, not added to total)
Total miles: 226.0

I was woken up about 6.30am by a very heavy shower of rain. Not a good omen, but after 1/2 hr or so it slowed, then stopped, having done its job of frightening me. It did not rain again all day, I am very pleased to say. Actually it is raining now, but I am safely tucked up in the Hare & hounds so have escaped once again.

I had a coffee and a fine bacon bap with Olwen, packed up and said goodbye to my summerhouse, and set off.

Getting to my destination for the day, the Hare & Hounds in Chiserley, was tricky. It is about a mile from Hebden, and about half a mile above it! It is also on the wrong side from the PW, which does not actually go through Hebden but passes by it to the West. Nowadays they have instituted a "Hebden Loop," for those wishing to visit this remarkable town, but that doesn't go near the H&H either, so a bit of creative route finding was required. On my phone it is quite easy, all the maps are there.. in the end I decided to follow the official PW route as far as Ponden reservoir and then work my way across the moor to the Aire & Calder Link path, which goes the way I wanted. En route I would take in the Bronte Bridge and the Bronte Falls, since we are deep into Bronte country here.. my route goes within a mile of Haworth.
For me, the highlight of the day was crossing Ickornshaw Moor, a wide and majestic expanse of open moorland, nature in full flow. Curlews and lapwings, though not so many as the last time I came this way. As for the bridge, it was nothing special and it is a replica anyway. The falls, not even worth a photo. Despite this, there were quite a lot of people there.. more than I saw the whole of the rest of the day. Our human concentration only on ourselves and our works, to the exclusion of virtually all else, never fails to astonish and dismay me. No wonder the natural world is in crisis.