Breathless Hikers

We set off from Gildersome full of optimism, fresh legs, and the smug belief that we were about to enjoy a wholesome countryside ramble. The sun was shining, and spirits were high.

It lasted… oh, about twelve minutes.

Because that’s when Hagrid located what can only be described as the largest deposit of poo in West Yorkshire and launched himself into it with the enthusiasm of a dog who has finally found his life’s purpose.

He was covered.  Rachel did her best to wipe him down, but all she achieved was creating a sort of Dijon‑mustard racing stripe down his side. A bold look, but not one we’d have chosen.

Thankfully, salvation arrived in the form of Tong Beck. Hagrid got to splash, paddle, and fully submerge himself.  This was a big moment for him, he’s normally banned from water on account of him sinking when he was little. But needs must, and the beck did a heroic job of de‑mustarding him.

We followed the water for a while, enjoying some genuinely gorgeous walking before popping out onto a road, crossing over, and heading towards Pudsey Beck for more leafy loveliness.

Then came Mile 2.

Mile 2, where Louise managed to fall over in a way that can only be described as a seagull picking up a turtle and dropping it from a height.  The turtle (being Louise) landed on its side before rolling onto it’s back, as described by eye witness Zara. Thankfully she bounced back up and carried on like a trooper. However, now that she’s home, I can only imagine her draped across a chaise longue, ringing a tiny silver bell while her partner tends to her every need.  (Sorry, Adam. If she didn’t have ideas before, she does now.)

The rest of the walk, thankfully, calmed down a bit. No more dramatic tumbles, no more canine condiment‑coloured disasters. Just peaceful countryside.

Then Mile 4 arrived.

And with it… the hill.

This hill sucked. There’s no poetic way to put it. It was steep, it was long, and it absolutely did not bode well for mountain season starting next weekend. The sun was blazing down like it had a personal vendetta, and we were all flagging.

To make matters worse, we had to slog all the way up this hill… only to come right back down the other side so we could cross Tyersal Beck and immediately walk up another hill. Whoever designed this section of the route clearly woke up and chose chaos.

At the top of the second hill, we reached a level crossing, a sure sign that civilisation was creeping back in and that our suffering might soon be over. And thankfully, it wasn’t too long after that before we were back at the car, sweaty and sun‑baked.

Coming in at just over 6 miles, it was a good walk.

https://hiiker.app/hikes/users/leeds-country-way-day-8–611843654