Cep & Steve's C2C

Started at 10.10
Arrived at 4.05
Total Ascent 1,840 ft
Distance 13.4 miles

Latest start yet was due to very lazy landlady at our pub accommodation last night.  Terriffic little pub serving excellent meals including Steve’s third sticky toffee pudding on the route so far!

Driest day yet, even tho’ we did get some heavy showers at times.   We both agree that, despite this being the flattest day’s walking so far, it was very hard on our feet as we crossed the Eden Valley (now we really have left the lake district and can’t even see the lovely fells any more).  We had a spectacular 360 degree panarama near Robin Hood’s Grave when we saw the distant Pennines – our target for the coming days.  No C2C walkers on our route today  as they would have been about 3 hours in front of us due to their having to get to Kirby Stephen by tonight (poor things, can’t imagine how their feet will feel after a 21 mile slog).  In fact the only people we saw all day were 2 walkers going in the opposite direction.

Tonight we are staying in Orton village in a really nice B & B – and the highlight of the day is that it has a bath – horray, we can soak our weary bones before venturing to the pub.   

Shap Abbey

Start Time 8.40
Arrived at 2.55
Distance 13.5 miles
Total Ascent 4,151 ft

Wettest day yet, stair-rod rain from start until 2.15  when we reached the end of Haweswater.  But are we discouraged??? Today we reached the highest point of the C2C,  Kidsty Pike – all down hill from here.  We’ve now walked across the entire width of the Lake District national park and are feeling as fit as fiddles (or so we keep telling ourselves). Running out of clean/dry clothes options, especially socks – might have to go shopping in Kirby Stephen in a couple of days time.  Today we’ve parted company with the majority of people who started the walk with us as they are completing it within 14 days where as we are being lazy taking 16. Really nice bunch of people, everyone keen to swap tales of the days (mis)adventures.    Tonight our accommodation is in a very nice pub and we’ve already sampled the delicious scones and are looking forward to the array of ales and hand cut chips promised on their menu.

Haweswater

View back towards Patterdale

Thanks for all the words of support and advice.  We look forward to reading them every time we land somewhere with a wifi or good 3G connection.  Really appreciate your taking the time to follow our exploits, even tho’ there are no pictures to brighten them up!

We’ve given up trying to load the pics on the move – it just won’t work.  Sorry but we will have to load them all when we get home. 

As you can see, we have since loaded a small selection…

Day started very wet but as we approached Greenup Edge it brightened up and we had a nice spell of clear weather for the climb, giving us great views back over Borrowdale.  The going was tough on the tops as the mist/fog came in very quickly and there was no obvious visible path.  GPS kept us on track but the going was very slow and a bit boggy.  However, a relatively short day for us as a lot of our fellow walkers had to go on to Patterdale (a further 8 miles and another steep climb which we will do tomorrow.)  Nice to have the afternoon to mooch around lovely Grasmere and sample the local home made cakes.

View from Greenup Gill

Stonethwaite

Started out at 9.25
Arrived at b&b 4.40
Mileage 15.0
Total ascent today 3192 feet

Conditions – started in rain and fog but ground firm
soon  deteriorated into the everglades without the crocks  mileage 15.0, i.e. 1.7 miles more than planned due to floods and resultant detours We now realise what was missing from our initial packing – i.e. flippers and/or stilts. Not sure if we are developing trench foot or webbed feet!

View over Uldale

The Detour

3G isn’t great for uploading photos so we’ll be communicating with words only until we get to a wifi area.

Cep now very giddy about tomorrow morning.  Steve just in awe of the best Sticky Toffee Pudding he’s ever had (Queen’s Head)….and he’s an authority on STPs.