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Walking Land's End to John o'Groats with Mark Moxon

Crowden to Standedge

Oaken Clough
Oaken Clough

The official Pennine Way guidebook says this is an 'easier and shorter day' than the journey from Edale to Crowden, but it doesn't take blisters into consideration. Surprisingly, for once I'm not talking about me, for it took poor David quite a while in the morning to dress his battered feet and bandage up the nasty gash in his elbow. I really felt for him; getting sore spots towards the end of the first day is bad enough, but walking on the blisters for days two, three and four is nothing short of pure, stretched out agony.

Black Hill

The summit of Black Hill
The summit of Black Hill

If anything, today's walk has a worse reputation than the hoof over Kinder Scout. The main obstacle of the day is Black Hill, and back in the days when men were men and only pansies drank lager, Black Hill was a terrible place. These days, thanks once more to the miracle of stone slabs, it's another easy but long pavement walk over the most desolate and unwelcoming landscape you could possibly dream up.

The pavement to Black Hill
The pavement to Black Hill

Border Disputes

Crowden Great Brook
Crowden Great Brook

At the top of Black Hill I asked one of the other walkers if he knew which county we were in. This isn't as ignorant a question as it might sound, for the trig point at Black Hill lies on a county border and as usual the Ordnance Survey map is little help when it comes to deciphering which border it actually is. I was pretty sure I'd just left Derbyshire and walked into West Yorkshire, but it turned out that he didn't have a clue either.

Walking through the reservoirs
Walking through the reservoirs

Through the Reservoirs

A statue of Ammon Wrigley
A statue of Ammon Wrigley

After the peat of Black Hill, the Pennine Way takes a breather and plunges downhill to beautiful views over Holmfirth, home to that inexplicably popular TV irritation, Last of the Summer Wine. From here it's another slog across the A635, where a canny businesswoman sells fried egg sandwiches to hungry walkers from a van on the side of the road, and then the Way dives into reservoir country.

Whene'er I drink of Friezland Ale
Drawn from the old brown bottle
I feel as if a summer morn
Was running down my throttle

Aye, I'll drink to that.