Again we were among the last to rise for breakfast and after this, some of the others planned on a trip to Sir Francis Level (with its neck-deep water) while Karen and I decided on another walk. This time we drove and even shorter distance back towards Reeth to Healaugh and follow a circular route based on a Bridleway marked on the map. This started by following up a drive to a private house but we went slightly wrong for a short distance following the wrong path. After retracing our steps, we continued on the correct route through snow-covered fields until we reached a drop down into an open area. As we were sheltered from the wind and the sun was out, we had a short tea/coffee break.
Continuing onwards we followed a minor road for a short distance to follow an obvious track soon reaching the remains of Surrender Smelting Mill. After a quick look around and continuing along the track next to Old Gang Beck, passing patches of frog spawn in water at the sides, until we reached the remains of Old Gang Smelting Mills which were surprisingly extensive with an associated flue beneath the ground following up the hillside for about 800 meters!
Here we had a lunch break in the shelter of two walls at right-angles with the sun making it a nice spot to stop. Afterwards we continue onwards following the track until we came to two obvious arched openings to sloping parallel levels between two fords crossing the track. These turned out to be the entrance to Brandy Bottle Mine
where the others had walked to the day before yesterday! After a quick nose around we followed on the track following a right hand turn at Level House Bridge following more indistinct ground made of small stones with wide-reaching views and the way now marked by cairns in an area called Surrender Ground.
Soon we were back on moorland with an obvious track eventually dropping down to a section of road which we followed for 300 metres to a ford where there were several cars parked and people milling noisily about. We crossed a footbridge then cut across a bend in the road to leave via a gate into more moorland. Following the track for some distance we reach a section of dry stone walling with a right-angle section just at the right time for a tea/coffee stop in the shelter of the wall while a heavy snow shower started. After the short break, we continued on in the heavy snow watching grouse fly around to get out of our way as they called "Go Back, Go Back, Go Back!".
After a while the snow stopped and I soon spotted a village below. We should have been following a track leading to a small road to drop back into Healaugh but somehow missed the bit where the road started and continued on an obvious track nearly passing the village. I check with my GPS and we had definitely missed the road so headed back along the track. I spotted the road below a very short distance away (about 30 metres!) so we dropped down to it and followed it back to the village to arrive exactly where we had parked earlier.
Back to the Bunkhouse fo another meal - a rare event! We hadn't eaten out at all for the whole trip.
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