Day 11: Dufton to Garrigill
25.5km along the Pennine Way
I finished day 10 on 10th June 2023 and started day 11 on 29th August 2023, about 11 weeks later. I was nervous about the remaining 7 days on the Pennine Way, especially ‘day 11’ as I was heading over Cross Fell, the highest and most remote part of the trail. It was definitely a factor in my decision to stop after 10 days given how much pain I was in, as I didn’t want to be so far from civilisation if I couldn’t keep walking. Nevertheless, I was excited to start walking again and eventually finish the Pennine Way.
My parents dropped me in Dufton the previous evening and I stayed at the YHA there. I had already decided that I wouldn’t be camping on this second leg of the journey just to be safe and give myself the best chance of making it to Scotland. So all of my accommodation from here northwards would be in hostels, bunk houses or in our campervan. I left Dufton early in the morning, around 7am, as I wanted to take my time and do my best not to get lost. The ascent was immediate and unforgiving but after passing a few cows I reached the summit of Knock Fell.
Between Knock Fell and Great Dun Fell the weather changed, but I could make out the ‘radome’ in the distance so kept heading towards it. Unfortunately I wasn’t blessed with the sunshine and cloudless skies that I’d experienced 11 weeks ago in Dufton, but at its worse I only had about half an hour of rain throughout the day. It was very apparent why this was deemed the most remote part of the path and I’d highly recommend going slow if visibility is poor as it would be easy to get lost in the clouds.
Thankfully those clouds passed as I headed onwards and upwards to Cross Fell, where I was surprised to see other walkers on the summit - the first people I had encountered all day! A huge sense of relief washed over me knowing that the worst was behind me for now and it was all downhill to Garrigill.
The path down is pretty easy to follow and the sun came out to join me as I happily strolled the remaining 12km down to the village. I stopped briefly at Greg’s Hut but there was a family inside having lunch, so I decided to stay outside and give them the space.
Check out my walk on Relive to see the elevation »
I stayed at the village hall in Garrigill, where you can either camp or stay in the bunk room. I had the place to myself so enjoyed a peaceful evening reading and an early night.
Happy walking!
Kate x