Day 5 – Patterdale to Shap

Patterdale to Shap has the reputation for being the hardest leg of the walk, with total climbing of 1,224 m (longest climb 384m longest descent 503m) but the walking is supposed to get easier from here on :-)

Before we left Oldwater View we checked with Ian (the owner) that it would be worth the effort of going over Kidsty Pike – that is, would we see anything. This is actually the highest point of the walk (if you don’t take any of the optional detours (like Striding Edge)) so again we were keen to go this way.

As we were hiking towards Kidsty Pike we received a text from Matt asking if we wanted update scores on the Doggies vs Geelong game. Naturally we said yes and so we received quarter by quarter scores.

While on Kidsty Pike the wind was quite strong. We let Matt know that we had reached the highest point of our walk and he replied with “it looks like you and the doggies peaked at the same time”. Geelong were coming back!

The descent was quite steep, boggy and (naturally) treacherous. At the bottom we reached Haweswater and while walking along the lake Matt texted us to let us know that the Doggies had won! Just at that point we saw a sheep decked out in Doggies colours.

It was quite a haul along Haweswater with the remainder of the walk through farmland and roads until we arrived in Shap.

Even on the farmlands there were still boggy sections that required gymnastics on farm fences.

We stayed at The Hermitage (built in 1691) which is described by many walkers as the 'Best place on the Coast to Coast', but Steve  wasn’t too keen, not sure if it was the lack of a shower over the bath or the twin beds or the combination of both. The lady who runs it (Mrs Jean Jackson) did us a very nice dinner of chicken, jacket potatoes and salad, with fresh fruit salad and a sponge cake for desert. She also dried our boots in front of her Aga cooker/stove.

UK Coast to Coast - Patterdale to Shap (Day 5)

Day 4 – Grasmere to Patterdale

This is supposedly, if you don’t take the detours, one of the shortest and easiest stages – 16km and 3.5hr without stops. Wainright described Striding Edge as the best quarter mile between St Bees and Robin Hoods Bay, providing the weather was suitable. But once again it was raining quite heavily and so we took a more or less direct route. (This also meant that we couldn't use our camera - Steve's waterproof camera is proving invaluable so thanks for letting us use the pictures Steve!)

This involved a steep climb out of Grasmere and numerous water crossings. It was drizzling when we left Grasmere and so we were already kitted out in our wet weather gear. This meant a very hot climb alongside Little Tongue but the weather fixed that – when we got the top of the climb the wind and rain started in earnest so we were (again) battling blizzard conditions.

When we reached the top of the climb we found a valley with Grisedale Tarn and at the end of the tarn the water flowed into Grisedale Valley via Grisedale Beck. (Not very adventurous with their names :-) ) Needless to say Grisedale Beck could normally be crossed on some stepping stones but they were under water so Carol, Steve and I got wet boots but Frank leapt a narrower part of the stream (with his approach shoes on) in order to keep his feet dry. Perhaps all in vain because the ground was so wet by then that the water was coming into his shoes from the wet track.

After crossing the stream, it was so cold that during a brief break in the rain Carol and I stripped off on the stream – sorry – track to put another layer of clothing on. This was also the decision point as to whether we should take one of the high route options – Helvellyn (with Striding Edge) or St Sunday Crag. Despite the fact that we all wanted to tackle Striding Edge (a walk along a ridge line with drop offs on either side) the weather condition put paid to taking either option so we took the gentle route down the valley.

We stayed at Oldwater View which is owned by a very nice guy called Ian and he seems to have thought of everything from bathrobes, to feminine hygiene items, to free wi-fi and an extensive library of books and DVDs. But best of all a great drying room which is where all our wet weather gear, boots and socks went for the night before we headed off to the Lion Inn for dinner. Frank and I had a room called Ullswater (the window on the far right at the front was ours) and Carol and Steve were in a nearby cottage.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the Otters as the “beck was in full speight” (the river was flowing fast).

The day was a pleasant, easy walk despite the wind and rain.

UK Coast to Coast - Grasmere to Patterdale (Day4)

Day 3 – Stonethwaite to Grasmere

From Borrowdale (Stonethwaite) to Grasmere was around 12km. There was a high route option that was longer and higher, but as you will read that was not a viable option.

On leaving Stonethwaite you immediately start climbing. There are great views back over Borrowdale as you climb higher. The track follows a beck (perhaps a river or stream in Australia) that has waterfalls on the way up and has “Mountain Ash” growing on the banks. Mountain Ash is actually a Rowan Tree over here – nothing like a real Mountain Ash!

The wind had been getting stronger as we climbed so we found a sheltered spot alongside a beck for our elevenses. In the small valley at the top are something called “drumlins” – we still aren’t sure what they are other than small looking hills. By the time we had finished elevenses we had to don the waterproofs (again). As we climbed, the wind got stronger and the rain more horizontal, and we found ourselves negotiating a bog. For those who aren’t familiar with this concept, it is topsoil that is floating on a bed of water that has enough vegetation to make sure that when you step on it you sink in and the water flows over your shoes. Just to make sure that things only got worse, when we started downhill into Grasmere over the pass we had to negotiate tracks that turned into streams, or perhaps they were just streams :-).

This all meant that I couldn’t take many pictures (but Steve’s waterproof camera was fine!) and that by the time we arrived at Silver Lea, our B&B in Grasmere, we were very wet. Jill, the owner of Silver Lea took it in her stride and told us to leave all our wet and dirty gear with her and she got it cleaned and dry, including our shoes, before we set off the next day.

Sylvia also discovered that her so called waterproof did not function as advertised. We went into Grasmere proper and found an outlet store for outdoor gear. We bought her a 35 pound (can’t be bothered working out how to get a pound symbol) jacket that has proved to be an extremely worthwhile investment. (Yep – more rain coming!)

While we were cleaning (and recovering), Jill brought us her phone which had Kath Bowness on the other end. Apparently (so she tells us) she was “just around the corner” and was joining us for dinner. We went to the Rowan Tree for pizza where they (fortuitously) had a happy hour running where all pizzas were 5 pound (still can’t be bothered) and they were pretty good!

A pretty tough day where we missed out on the high route option but had an enjoyable evening with Kath. It was really nice to catch up after all these years! 

UK Coast to Coast - Day 3

Day 2 – Ennerdale to Stonethwaite

Today we walked from Ennerdale Bridge to Stonethwaite (in Borrowdale). It is measured as a long route of 23.5kms and takes around 6.75hrs. There are options to take some high routes of Red Pike, High Stile or Haystacks route, which adds another 2.5km (or ~1.75hrs), but only if the weather is clear. No need to say that the weather was not kind. It is very hard walking with total climbing of around 1,409m (longest climb 450m longest descent 219m). If not doing the high route because of inclement weather or lack of fitness :-) Stedman strongly recommends the path along the southern banks of the River Liza.

We stayed at Stonethwaite Farm. I was hoping we could eat at the Langstrath Country Inn as it comes highly recommended for evening meals and has some great sounding dishes on the menu but unfortunately it turns out they decided to close on the Tuesday we were there :-( and so the saga began. We arrived soaking wet but the owner was reluctant to put the radiators on so that we could dry out our boots etc. because “it was too warm”. She finally turned it on at 8pm and then back off again at 10pm. Frank rang the other pub in town only to discover that there was no chance of getting any food and that they wouldn’t do takeaway. He ended up organising for Indian to be delivered from Keswick – 13 miles away. However, the driver got lost and so it didn’t arrive until after 10pm. Otherwise it was a lovely place.

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Day 1 – St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge

Today we walked from St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge a distance of 25.6kms – 1.9kms of that was the walk from the Fairladies Barn to the start of the walk on the beach. It was rated as a “moderate day” with total climbing of 819m.

There was a long climb of 296m up to Dent. The views from there were very impressive but we really need the rest at the top. There was a “decent descent” of 221m straight down the hill. This lead to Nannycatch Gate which isn’t not actually part of the original Wainwright route but has become the de facto route as it is much prettier than the original route.

From Ennerdale Bridge we were picked up by Paul, the owner of the Stork Hotel in Rowrah. It is a few kilometres from Ennerdale Bridge and is a very clean and inviting place. Despite continually trying to make us drink Foster’s, Paul is a congenial host and we have just enjoyed his Jennings ale, a very good meal and his wi-fi internet access.

Here is the Everytrail view of our walk today. We will post some pictures when we are less knackered have a bit more time.

 

UK Coast to Coast - Day one

Although we’ve done longer distances in training on the flat and longer climbs and descents it was fairly long. Tomorrow is a longer walk so it should really test us.