Baildon Moor

By lunchtime it had faired up and I thought the forecast was for it to stay dry this afternoon.  I also thought I’d done this walk before but a long time ago.  Parked up in Eldwick and headed down towards the Acorn Inn. 

It didn’t take me long to realise I hadn’t done this walk before. As I walked along you could see several rivulets had been created in the fields due to the recent thaw and overnight rain. 

I turned and walked up a narrow pathway over t he other side of a fence was a bed of snowdrops protected by a canopy of trees. 

From here I emerged into a series of boggy fields then crossing over some race horse gallops. 

While I’d  been walking along here the fog had descended and it had started to rain.  From the fields I turned onto an equestrian path – Birch Close Lane and then down to Sconce Lane.  The way was then across part moorland and part Golf fairway to the access road to Dobrudden Caravan Park – by now I was wet through and the fog had obliterated any view. 

I was glad to be on the home stretch.  It was a long muddy track from the moor top to the top of Shipley Glen.   As I landed I heard and felt a horrible crunch in my wrist. I stayed on the floor till Id worked out how to get back up. Looked at my clothes, they were all muddied up and then my hand.  I wiggled my fingers and thumb and felt relief there mustn’t be a break after all.  From here it was a straight forward path back to Eldwick main road and my car.

Unfortunately just a stone’s throw from the firm path I slipped in the mud. I automatically put my hand out to save myself. I drove home with a throbbing wrist.

As a P.S. to this walk overnight my wrist swelled up to an odd shape and turned blue/black.  I rang Melanie to bring bandages to strap it for me on the Sunday she refused and was whisked off to the walk in centre in Otley 1 x-ray and 2 hours later I came out with a diagnosed impacted fracture and a temporary pot, the pot lady had been keen, she looked at my top and suggested I take it off as I was going to need a full arm, shoulder to fingers pot.  My face must have looked a picture as I stared at her and said “ You must be joking I’ve only broken my wrist”. Off she scurried, coming back a few moments later to say I only needed a below elbow pot thank goodness.  Monday saw me at Airedale for a full pot to be removed in 4 weeks.  It could have been worse. It didn’t need re-aligning or pinning no surgery involved. Lesson to self-use walking poles in bad weather.