We started from Peterborough and went north on the A1 as far as Scotch Corner where we turned west onto the A66 as far as Brough. Here we turned south through Kirkby Stephen.The Google estimated time was wrong once again and after a straightforward journey of three hours and thirty minutes, instead of the forecast four hours, we arrived at Ravenstonedale in Cumbria but very near the border with the Yorkshire Dales.

We are staying in a nice little hotel called the Black Swan Inn in what they rather grandly call a suite, consisting of a bedroom, bathroom and sitting room, on the second (top) floor which gives us a nice view across the surrounding countryside. Note the low cloud even though the sun is shining.

After settling in and having some lunch we didn't have a lot of time left in the day but we wanted to see some of the local features. This area, and the Yorkshire Dales, is on Carboniferous Limestone which can create some very dramatic scenery.

Not far from our village is Great Asby Scar, a hill of just over 1200 feet, with a large area of limestone pavement on it. Amanda is standing on a section of this limestone pavement and, as you can see, she is well wrapped up. Well it is July in England so it must be cool and raining and, as it happens, it was cool and raining.

Carboniferous Limestone is very well jointed so that over time water percolating down the joints slowly dissolves the limestone and can form a distinctive feature called a Limestone Pavement. The grooves between the blocks are known locally as Clints and the blocks are known as Grykes. Walking on this stuff is fun as long as you don't put your leg down a clint by accident and break it (The leg I mean not the clint)!

The clints can become quite well developed and often have plants growing in them which would not otherwise survive without the shelter provided by the limestone. Amanda was hoping to find something interesting and found a number of ferns which are typical of limestone pavements.

We did return to the hotel without any broken legs and we are going to look for some more limestone features tomorrow.