A two-day hike in the Dales that turned into a much wetter and rougher outing than we expected. We covered 44.19 km with 1923.8 m of ascent before cutting the trip short and heading home.

Quick Summary

We set off thinking we had a decent weather window for our first trek in the Dales, but the rain arrived mid-morning and never really let up for most of the trip. By the second day we were dealing with soaked kit, strong wind, swollen rivers, and a blocked path, so after weighing it up we decided to stop early rather than force the final stretch.

Day 1

We caught the train out and started walking under uncertain skies, hoping the forecast would hold. Instead, the rain moved in during the morning and quickly became the main feature of the day.

Lunch brought a short break when we got into the group shelter, but after that the wind picked up and the conditions became much harder work. By the time we reached the campsite it was deserted, so we found the owners and pitched up. We were the only people there that night.

Cooking in the tent felt like the only realistic option, but even that was awkward in the wind. A gust pushed the door onto the stove and melted a hole, which summed up the evening pretty well. With wind and rain battering the tent all night, and no signal to check the forecast or call for a pickup, it was a restless night.

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Day 2

Packing up in the morning was grim. Everything was wet through, including our hiking gear and shoes, and it was still pouring with rain as we set off toward the next campsite in Kettlewell.

It became obvious quite quickly that the rivers were far higher than we wanted. Crossings were difficult, and every decision took a bit more care than it should have. Around lunch the rain finally started to ease, and we found enough signal to check the forecast. It looked like things might clear by mid-afternoon, so we kept going, even though we were tempted to bail earlier.

That plan lasted until the final miles, when we found the river had completely blocked the path. At that point the decision made itself. Rather than push on into worse ground and more uncertainty, we called it and headed home for pizza.

Highlights and Learnings

A few things stood out from this one:

• A forecast that looks borderline at the start can still turn into a very hard couple of days.
• Wet kit and poor sleep make even simple decisions feel heavier the next morning.
• River levels mattered more than anything else on this trip.
• Having no signal added a lot of uncertainty when conditions were already deteriorating.
• Knowing when to stop was probably the best call we made all weekend.

It was disappointing not to finish as planned, but it still felt like a useful trip. We got a sharp reminder that in sustained rain, the route on paper matters less than what the ground and rivers are doing in front of you.