It had gone 9 when I returned to the route. Again cooked breakfast was between 8.30 and 9. Must be a Yorkshire thing.
Drizzle greeted me on the climb out of Kettlewell and up on to the fells. It came in waves, never heavy enough for the full on waterproofs.
The first 5km was the toughest of the day, levelling off, crossing into Richmondshire. The single track road passed by grazing cows that watched me stroll by.
2km on, began the long descent. Grouse chicks darted across the tarmac, springs trickled at the side of the road.
The sun finally chased the rain away revealing the tranquil valley in front. After 2 hours of walking I stopped at a bench in Woodale, then moved onto Horsehouse.
I called into the pub which was more like someone’s front room. I got chatting to one of the locals. He gave me the history of the area.
One thing that has been apparent over this adventure, are the links to horses. Whether stables, pictures in the pubs or village names.
The reason for this, is Richard III. He resided in Middleham Castle, where he used to race the noblemen on horseback. The area then became the breeding and training centre of racehorses, some winners over the years can trace their lineage to the horses in the area.
Effectively this is the birthplace of British horse racing. Middleham still has a training centre, the highest in the country.
He also told me of the Middleham Jewel. A metal detectorist found a pendant with biblical engravings, below a gem stone. Due to its intricacy, it would have belonged to a noble person. A replica is held within St. Alkelda’s in Middleham.
I moved on reaching Carlton, where my mum and Joe met me to walk the last 7km of this pilgrimage.
The distance flew by and before we knew it, we reached St. Alkelda’s in Middleham. We made it before the church warden locked up. She pointed out a stone knot, which is said to have marked the grave of Alkelda. Then showed us the stained glass windows depicting her story.
Camino magic at the end of this short pilgrimage.
26km
16.16miles
Stu's Camino 