Coast-to-Coast - Day 9

Keld-Reeth (12 miles, 7 hours including diversion to Muker). There was slightly better weather this morning, with sunny intervals but occasional showers and a strong northerly wind as we set off from Keld. Shortly after leaving Keld, we joined the Penine Way for a short distance to cross to the  north side of the River Swale, where there were some nice waterfalls at East Stonesdale.  

Shortly after, below the wonderfully-named Crackpot Hall, the C2C path divides into low and high level options - we selected the low level option down Swaledale in view of the frequent showers and strong wind.     

This low level option still provided very pleasant walking and good views of the River Swale, and also allowed us to add a short diversion to visit the Muker Show,  which was in full swing on the day  of our visit.  

Back on track after Muker, the path follows closely by the River Swale to Ivelet and Gunnerside - we stayed by the river after Gunnerside, although there is slightly higher level option for the low level route after Gunnerside in some guide books.  The scenery gets slightly less dramatic on this  stretch, so we plodded on passing through various short sharp showers, with the occasional rainbow thrown in for good measure. 

After what seemed like quite a lot of riverside walking, we arrived in a slightly damp Reeth, which was still recovering from some serious flood damage sustained in the summer.    

We stayed at the Black Bull Hotel. which we would not really recommend.  The bedrooms were small, very much in need of refurbishment, and our shower did not work ! However, the breakfast was good and the landlady quite friendly.  We had a nice meal at the Buck Hotel,  which may be  a better option for an overnight stay in Reeth.