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Middleton to Langdon Beck

Low Force on the River Tees
Low Force on the River Tees

The Pennine Way's a funny beast. It's as if the designing committee – and surely it was a committee – took a handful of really good day walks and mixed them together with a much larger helping of pointless drivel, simply to create a long-distance path along the backbone of Britain. But does the whole end up being greater than the sum of parts? I don't think so and I won't be darkening the Pennine Way's door again, but it's fair to say that the gems are truly wonderful and are well worth remembering.

Mark walking by the River Tees
Walking by the River Tees

Little Buggers

Mark taking a break in full view of High Force
Taking a break in full view of High Force

The only flies in the ointment came in clouds. From the moment I climbed Jacob's Ladder at the start of the Pennine Way I've had to contend with midges, and as I get further north they're growing in number and appetite. The midges of Scotland are legendary and I'm fully expecting to be bitten to hell when I get there, but the fact that midges are already inspiring column inches is more than a little worrying.

The River Tees
The River Tees
The boiling brown waters of High Force
The boiling brown waters of High Force
The River Tees
The River Tees