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26-Apr-2012 -- I find myself at an appointment in the area and after concluding my business I find that I am just 7.7 miles from this point. Well worth a call round, especially as Joseph Kerski had been here just a few days earlier. We had talked about meeting up again but that didn't work out this time.

Now it first needs to be said that currently in the UK we are officially in a declared drought that covers over 20m people. We have seen the driest winters apparently for a few years in a row and where I live there has been a hosepipe ban in place since the 5th April - get caught watering your garden and get fined a maximum of £1,000.

The funniest thing about that though is that since a drought was declared it pretty much hasn't stopped raining - and we are now in what is officially the "wettest drought on record". Funny old thing this weather.

Why is this relevant? Well the CP lies in the middle of Wayshaw Bogs and it is wet underfoot even in the height of summer. How wet is it now? It has rained just about continuously for four days. Should be a fun walk!

Park up in the car park by the lower reservoir and get changed from business attire into walking gear. In order to travel light this time I only took my trusty Garmin with me and my phone to act as camera.

I've only gone 100 yards and it is already raining again, this is going to keep up pretty much for the next two hours.

Up along the left side of the reservoir, pausing at the back left corner (as viewed from the car park) to see how much water is now in the reservoir. Last time I was here you could walk about 40 feet from the shore to a metal pole about 10 feet tall. Today that pole is now 2 feet tall, the rest is under water.

Through the gate and set off along the bridleway, every 50 feet or so another stream crossed the path, in places 3 inches deep. Previously this has been relatively dry.

If you look at the pictures and the area in Google Earth you will notice that a large stream comes off the bogs and down through a gorge it has cut through the rock. This is 50 feet deep in places.

There is no foliage cover on the slopes, the ferns haven't started to grow yet, so you can just about pick out paths. Sometimes backtracking as the one you picked doesn't go the right way. I decide to follow up along the gorge on to the plateau if possible then turn left and just walk in. Best laid plans and all that.

At first the going is quite easy (relatively speaking that is), but it is very wet underfoot. You would think that on a climb of 600 feet the higher you got the drier it would get wouldn't you? Well you would be wrong, the further you go the wetter it gets.

At first you try and pick the "drier" parts, but after the first three times you go into the moss & peat almost up to your knees you give up and simply enjoy the experience.

After about an hour I am approaching the area of the point. It's VERY green and so therefore completely waterlogged of course, as by now am I. I see that there is now a fast flowing stream 2 feet wide and 6" deep running past 6' from the CP. That's new.

Even though it is raining there is very little wind, all you can hear is the birds and the running water. Nothing man made is in sight, very relaxing. This must have looked pretty much the same as this for hundreds if not thousands of years.

It's time to leave as I still have a three hour drive home, but not though before I stop at Embsay station where they run steam trains, but sadly though not today.

In the Yorkshire Dales National Park.