Date walked: 11th August 2014

Distance: about 7 miles

One of the most enjoyable aspects of blogging is that people who you have never met get in touch and (usually) say nice things. This communication I received recently was one of the best:

Hi, I love this blog. I’m the producer of BBC Radio 4’s walking
series, Ramblings, presented by Clare Balding. We’re about to make an
entire series along The Dales Way and would be most grateful to have
the chance to talk to you about this.
All good wishes, Lucy

Producers are the people who make things happen. Their job is to make sure that the “talent” (that’s me in this instance) can deliver what the programme wants. So they are usually good at getting people to talk (and do anything else that they want). So when Lucy rang me she practically wanted my life story.

The upshot was that a couple of weeks later Anne and I headed up to Burnsall where I had booked us into a holiday cottage for a couple of nights owned by  The Red Lion. Anne came to help me with the driving and to have a little time out. If you look back at my Dales Way Day 1 post you’ll see that Bob and I had stayed in the Manor House which they also own, when we did this walk in June last year.

One of Lucy’s last emails was to declare that “there will be no rain”. Anyone working for the BBC should know by now that God does not like being  taken for granted and as a consequence he sent the remnants of hurricane Bertha to contend with.   This meant a six and a half hour drive up to Yorkshire rather than the predicted  four and a half.

The cast of this drama assembled at 8.30 am on Monday morning in the car park of the Cavendish Pavilion next to the River Wharf. We were: Clare Balding, her partner Alice Arnold, Area Ranger for the Dales National Park, Phil Richards, his apprentice, Arkardy, the producer cum general factotum Lucy Lunt, wielding a big fluffy microphone on a stick, and Moi.

Lucy Lunt, producer of BBC Radio 4 Ramblings programme at Cavendish Pavilion, recording Clare Balding walking The Dales Way

Lucy and her fluffy friend – and a duck

It was pissing down as my mother would say, so introductions were brief as we rushed to get our wet weather gear on before we got soaked. Lucy had one instruction: she walks on Clare’s right or immediately behind her. That didn’t seem too difficult to follow.

Clare Balding recording a walk on the Dales Way for BBC Radio 4 Rambklings programme, photographed by Charles Hawes

Clare setting the scene

Clare did an introduction to the fluffy stick about where we were starting from and walking to and who she was with and we were off. Clare set a brisk pace.

The path from the tea rooms at Cavendish Pavilion to The Strid was wide and fairly flat , giving Clare a chance to talk to Phil and me.  Walking and talking at the same time was clearly going to be the norm, which hopefully made for a natural sounding conversation; I chipped in about the glories of the carpets of wood garlic that we would have been filling the air with their scent earlier in the year and received an appreciative touch on the arm from Lucy.

The Strid in full spate, River Wharf, photographed by Charles Hawes

Have a look at my Day 1 post when I walked the Dales Way with Bob and you’ll see the difference

The Wharf was in an absolute rage at the Strid , its muddy water nearly filling the narrow gap between the feature’s  gritstone sides. The rest of the party heeded the warning signs of its dangers whilst I went to its edge for a pic. I imagined that if Clare had even wanted to get a closer look she would have been tackled by Lucy and Alice who would not have countenanced risking losing her to the angry torrent.  Back with the group I whipped out the photo that I had taken of Anne and I sitting by the Strid on our honeymoon in 1990 which met with general approval; Lucy thought that we looked like a pair of old hippies.

Anne wareahm and Charles Hawes photographed at The Strid in Yorkshire in 1990

Does a selfie have to be hand held?

Clare was angling for a coffee stop at The Strid cafe but the general opinion  was that it wouldn’t be open yet. She took it well.

“Sunshine and showers” would not do justice to the downpours we were receiving as we walked but the sunshine did illuminate the rain rather well.

Clare Balding walking the Dales Way near Barden Bridge for BBC Radio 4 Ramblings programme, Photographed by Charles Hawes

One of the many soakings we received that morning

At one point the storm had brought down a tree across the path. I joked that Phil should have had a chain saw in his backpack and gallantly went through first.

Clare Balding walking the Dales Way in Yorkshire for BBC Radio 4, photographed by Charles Hawes

OK so I wanted to get a pic of Clare jumping the fence, so to speak.

A mile upstream the crenellated Barden aqueduct which crosses the river was duly admired.

Barden Viaduct over the river Wharf, photographed from The Dales Way by Charles Hawes

Not quite as pretty as Barden Bridge but clearly trying hard

Richard impressed us with his knowledge of  how it contains a pipe running from the Upper Nidderdale reservoir to Bradford.

Dales National Park ranger Phil talking to Clare Balding on the Barden Viaduct photographed by Charles Hawes

I wonder if Rangers are obliged to wear shorts?

The C17th Barden Bridge was only a little further on; I held the group back for a few seconds to wait for a break in the cloud to get better light on honey coloured stone. It didn’t come.

Barden Bridge over the River Wahrf, photographed from The Dales Way by Charles Hawes

Very pretty even in dull light

Just above the bridge is Barden Tower, which I had inexplicably failed to notice when we had walked the path last June. Phil impressed once again with a brief history of the C16th  ruin (a Hunting Lodge for The Clifford family). Colin Speakman’s companion book to the Dales Way has a good history of the place, too.

Barden Tower, photographed by Charles Hawes

Not really a tower at all

It was clearly worth a little detour for a look and besides Clare was determined to see if we could get a coffee at the The Priests House which is next to it and which we knew to operate as a restaurant cum wedding venue.

Entrance to The Priests House next to Barden Tower, photographed by Charles Hawes

Not very welcoming today

I marched ahead but had the sad duty to inform the slightly crestfallen Clare that it was shut. She muttered something under her breath as we saw the sign  leaning against the wall that claimed that it did morning coffee.   Lucy asked Clare for a “half way” piece where she did a quick summary of where we were and who she was with which was delivered fluently and in one take.

Clare Balding recording for BBC Ramblings programme photographed by Charles Hawes

Clare doing her thing near Barden Tower

From Barden Bridge the narrow path stays close to the river and we were reduced to single file. We were receiving periodic downpours on strong winds alternating with bright sunshine and all the time the turbulent river provided a congruent soundscape for this most exciting of weathers.

The River Wharf, photographed from The Dales Way by Charles Hawes

The River Wharf in full spate

I found myself chatting to Alice who told me that she used to announce for the BBC and had been an actress but now worked as a writer for Good Housekeeping and did a blog for The Telegraph in their Wonder Woman section. Which all sounded very interesting but I was reluctant to engage more about for fear of being a bit intrusive.

As we approached Appletreewick Lucy gave Clare a bit of a prompt to ask me more about myself and I did my best to tell her about emergency social work and garden photography, forgetting to bring our garden and my blog into the picture and kicking myself afterwards for my omissions. I hope that I end up making sense.

She was easy to talk to.  She had no “side” as Anne would say. It was only shortly after being invited to join her on the walk that I  became aware of her fairly major celebrity status (she has over 500.000 followers on Twitter). I don’t watch sport, follow racing and am not into animals. Clare is all over these on TV. And I have to confess that I don’t even listen to Ramblings, the programme we were recording for and which she has been the anchor person for 15 years.

This meant that I was not especially in awe of her which was probably a good thing as far as our brief  chats were concerned. But I was aware enough of her celebrity status to make me inhibited about wanting to appear as if I wanted to “quiz” her or become her new best friend.  And from my little experience of other celebs (for instance when Alan Titchmarsh came to film in our garden) it seems to me that they inevitably live with a bubble around them which is difficult to burst. A way, perhaps of protecting themselves from our puerile interest.

Clare Balding recording for BBC Radio 4 Ramblings programme from The Dales Way, photographed by Charles Hawes

I didn’t ask for someone to take a pic of me talking to Clare so here’s a nice one of her to Arkardy instead.

I did harbour a desire to ask about what she thought of being referred to in the very satirical BBC comedy WIA that I had recently watched but I would have felt that I was exploiting my invitation. We did connect on one snippet of conversation where she talked about the value she had found in walking as a therapeutic activity for people who suffer from mental ill-health and bereavement. She said that she hoped that this would come though in the book she has coming out in September. This seemed heartfelt and good and admirable.

As we passed Appletreewick I had a further chat with Clare about Anne and I having stayed there when we were on our honeymoon (Anne and I went back to The New Inn the next day for lunch and a selfie).

anne and me at the new inn

During a brief respite from the rain we paused by the river where Phil talked about the way in which the Wharf eroded its banks and about the sand martins that nest in its soft sides. I was impressed by Phil (who also had no “side” and also appeared reasonably unfazed by this media exposure).

Clare Balding talking to Ranger Phil Richards on The Dales Way photographed by Charles Hawes

Hoods off for once

From Appletreewick is was just another wet mile or so to Burnsall.

Clare Balding walking the Dales Way near Burnsall, photographed by Charles Hawes

By this time Clare had abandoned any hope of keeping dry

Lucy told us that they were leaving us there as they had to meet up with a group who were walking on the path from Grassington, a few miles up river. Alice was going to take them on and then return for us to get us back to our cars at Cavendish Pavilion.

As we approached Burnsall across the playing field, the rain upped its game;  I imagined that the group coming towards us were some kind of Clare Balding welcoming party.

Approaching Burnsall on the Dales Way, photographed by Charles Hawes

It seemed that they were just out for a soaking, same as us.

With Lucy still faithfully recording, “thank yous” and “nice to meet yous” were said in the midst of another downpour.

Clare Balding recording her BBC Radio 4 Ramblings programme on The Dales Way, photographed by Charles Hawes

Clare: “so does it always rain like this in the Dales?” Phil: “You should have come last week”

Then we all piled into the Wharf View Tearooms where Clare finally got her coffee, and received a verbal tsunami of excitement about her being there in the process from the woman serving.

Dales_way_with_Clare_balding-27

Clare took this entirely in her stride.

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The next series of Ramblings starts on Thursday Septmber 18th on Radio 4  at 3pm repeated on Saturdays at 6.30am. The episode for this walk should be broadcast on September 25th and then the 27th.

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