Swaledale - Good Friday 21 March 2008

No arrivals in the very, very cold night. We sat eating breakfast and I was looking at the map to see where the lane running from the Camping Barn went when I saw that the Camping Barn marked on the map with a red square (at the grid reference Jenny had given us) was some quarter of a mile away from where we were! So there must be another camping barn and that was where everyone else was! We rapidly packed up and got in the car and drove up the narrow road to the other camping barn only to find a private house. It DID have an upper storey accessible via a separate outside door reached via stone steps, but there were no signs and no recognisable vehicles. Puzzling. The bunk house we had spent the night in did have a notice saying that the owner lived on the main road in a new house on the right so we drove there and asked if they knew anything about Orpheus CC and booking the barn. Yes- the knew of Mr Wagstaff and it was all unlocked and ready... which we already knew. So thanking them, we drove back and again unpacked and reserved the same two bunks!
Shortly after this others arrived and after nabbing bunks and some food, Boyd headed off for a walk while the rest of us, except for Jenny who remained at the Bunkhouse to do some work, drove up the main road to Gunnerside to park and walk up Gunnerside Gill. We had a look at Sir Francis Level Dressing Floor and then continued up the valley to the Sir Francis Level Air Receiver with the cut and covered passage with water flowing. Phil and Chris put on their helmets and walked through the shin-deep water to emerge after about a hundred metres where there was a surface opening down some 4 or 5 metres to the water, where the artificial passage met natural passage. The two of them clambered out and we headed up the valley with 83 year-old Don doing very well.
After a quick snack break by a dry stone wall sheltering from the wind we continued on the path to the level at Bunting Hush. Here Karen and I waited in the shelter of the old buildings while the others got oversuits and helmets on and went in the adit for a look. When the others returned about 20 minutes later, they headed up a path next to the hush (a scoured-out feature made by prospectors a long time ago searching for lead ore by blocking the flow of water then releasing the dam suddenly) to head across the moor to investigate Brandy Bottle mine.
As it was very, very windy and cold, Karen and I opted to remain in the valley and head back to Gunnerside to find Don, who had turned back a bit earlier, in the Teashop waiting for the others. We had some cake and tea and gave Don a run to Reeth for food shopping then back to the bunkhouse where we met Frank and Trish plus Chris Barret and Coke. We all made various meals in the rather warmer Bunkhouse, watching the lights flicker and flash on and off while various items were switched off and on in the kitchen while the others went up the road to the Punch Bowl for a meal. We joined them later, given a lift by Boyd, and found the pub as nice but definitely a food place rather than drinking. The food was pretty expensive for a pub but the beer was good and at reasonable prices. We were asked to join in the Pub Quiz and actually won! There had been snow flurries at the end of the walk and there were heavier showers while we were in the pub. We left at 10:30pm to find Pete Roe just arriving in his Land Rover after finishing work and pulling cars out of ditches! After a quick chat arrangements were made to meet tomorrow afternoon for a trip in Devil Mines Cave then back to the Bunkhouse.