There’s a bit of space to park by Hackness Village Hall. So I did. Have my boots shrunk? Have my feet grown? It was an epic battle getting the damn things on. I won it eventually. North up the road then I doubled back up a track leading up Hackness Head. Here a footpath follows the long high ridge that is Broxa Rigg. Like Suffield Heights across the valley this is a lovely, lonely high place, little known and little frequented. After a mile or so this led me into the hamlet of Broxa where I headed right up the minor road towards Broxa Forest but then right again a bit before I got there. This path crosses a field into a rather smaller wood and then muddily downhill towards Hard Dale. Here another footpath heads north towards Newgate Gills. Once opposite Newgate a very steep muddy path beads down to cross the river and then, still steep and muddy, back up the other side to the house. The path up to Springwood Heights is a bit to the right of the house and is very steep and muddy indeed. After crossing Spirngwood Heights it was just a matter of descending into Whisper Dale and following it down to Lowdale Farm. Just before the farm I encountered large numbers of posh people with guns who had been busying themselves shooting small animals and were clearing up and heading home. Just after the farm the road is permanently flooded for a hundred yards or so where it coincides with the river. Pedestrians can avoid this bit by using a field path off to the left. Which I did.
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