Orton to Kirkby Stephen Day 7

As I was a-travelling in the north country
Down by Kirkby Stephen I happened for to be
As I was a walking up and down the street
A pretty little buy-a-broom I chanced for to meet

The 12 miles to Kirkby Stephen was largely a reflective time over undulating farmland. Stiles, public footpaths across farmland, bridleways and kissing gates all provide a finely meshed network of readily accessible but too-seldom travelled pathways across England. You get the chance to see rural England from the inside as it were, instead of from the coarse outer skin of the motorway and the B roads. In Australia we have no such rights and tradition. We'd just call it trespassing.

Dry stone walls near Orton

We have kept company for several days with walkers we now regard as friends: the bird watchers from Somerset, the contented plodders from Connecticut, the sore-footed, frequently-lost couple from Surrey and the happy Finnish couple who have found this such a contrast to the camino in Spain. Sadly we shall lose them all in a day or so as they soldier on and we take a rest day in Richmond. Our consolation is we shall certainly meet some other interesting people coming along behind them.

Smardale Gill viaduct on the way to Kirkby Stephen

Kirkby Stephen is the home of the family business with whom we booked our walk, the Coast to Coast Packhorse. In case we forget to give them a plug anywhere else, let me say that so far they have been faultless ... thorough, reliable, flexible and friendly. They collect our luggage daily and it is there waiting for us when we get to our next night's accommodation. The places they have booked for us have been excellent and it pretty much runs like clockwork. We have heard good reports of other operators too (like Contours, Sherpa, Mac Adventures, etc) but from our experience to date we would be surprised if they outdo Packhorse who service this walk only, and do no other routes.

We stayed at the Jolly Farmers Guesthouse in Kirkby Stephen, clean comfortable and close to the centre of this small market town. We had our hearts set on the chippy for a change but the recommended shop was closed this Monday so it was back to reliable pub fare again.

Tomorrow we cross the watershed and the rivers begin to run eastward.

Shap to Orton Day 6

Although Shap does have some history (e.g. Shap Abbey a mile out of town) these days it is just a convenient staging post on the Coast to Coast walk. It is not a very interesting town and, though once a stop on the A6 (hence the long main street), it has now been bypassed by the M6.

Somewhat refreshed we met Nick outside the King's Arms and began an easier day's walk to Orton, about 13 km of gentle farmland, soft underfoot and no steep hills.

Yesterday my knees were screaming at me. Today they fell into a sullen silence but at least continued to obey orders. I explained to them it was all for the corporate good, but perhaps when you're a knee that's a difficult concept to grasp.

We crossed the main railway line and the noisy M6, only brief intrusions into what has become a quiet, reflective and (we hope) a low carbon-emitting way of life over the last week. Soon we were back on close terms with the sheep and the cows and the endless miles of dry stone walls. We also encountered the unusual limestone terraces and found traces of coral where the rock had once been under the sea. Old lime kilns are a common sight around here.

Limestone Terrace between Shap and Orton

Old lime kiln near Orton

We arrived early at our destination, Scar Side Farm, just outside Orton. Although most people skip Orton and trudge on to Kirkby Stephen (over 20 miles in a day) the plan to break our journey at Orton proved a wise one. It allowed us to spend some casual time with Nick before he headed back to London. The folk at Scar Side (Dave and Elaine) were particularly welcoming, the environment there is quiet, spacious and comfortable, and we had a chance to look around the tiny village (including its ancient church and its modern and surprisingly classy chocolate factory).

Walking to Orton

It also gave us a chance to chat to a remarkable chap named Rob Willan. Rob turned up for work to build a dry stone wall for our hosts at Scar Side shortly after we arrived. Rob only accepts work on weekends as he is a weekday Dad but he has a passion for dry stone walling and a wealth of knowledge about it. He runs classes on this ancient craft. He works with well known sculptor, Andy Goldsworthy and is a well read amateur archaeologist and historian for this region of East Cumbria.

Now dry stone walling may seem like a dull subject but it has some fascinating history and requires no mean skill. After a short chat with Rob we were filled with admiration for the labourers who built those thousands of miles of walls that are seen all over the countryside. I won't steal Rob's thunder on the technique involved, save to say that a competent waller can build about 3 yards a day. So you can do your own calculations as to how much labour went into building just one 800 yard stretch of wall that we could see on the hill opposite us as we talked.

What was even more interesting was how the walls came to be built. Until the late 18th or early 19th century these higher tracts of land were common to all, so the villagers could run their sheep and cattle there together. However an Act of parliament allowed the local lords to assume control of the commons and rent it out to the wealthier farmers. So the people who built these walls were effectively sealing their own futures as labourers instead of peasants. It happened about the same time as the better known "highland clearances" in Scotland and of course changed the nature of rural Britain forever. In fact many of these labourers were eventually forced to emigrate to the colonies or drift to the cities where they became the workforce for the industrial revolution that was well under way.

Enough on history for now but it shows if you scratch the surface of the Coast to Coast walk there are fascinating slices of culture and history waiting to be explored. Many simply walk on and miss them.

For those planning a Coast to Coast walk you could do worse than build in a day tour with Rob Willan and a stay at Scar Side. Check out his website ... see the link above.

Sadly the pub was shut this Sunday afternoon so we couldn't share a farewell pint with Nick. By the time it opened (6pm) Nick was on his way back to Penrith and then distant London. It was great to be able to share just a small slice of this Coast to Coast experience with him.

We ate fish pie at Scar Side and thought about tomorrow's trek to Kirkby Stephen.

Patterdale to Shap Day 5

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Day 5 was certainly a big day for us. We were leaving the Lake District after 5 days, we had a long 16 mile haul and it entailed a climb up to Kidsty Pike (780m). Also Nick was coming up from London to join us for a day of our Coast to Coast, meeting us in Shap so we didn't want to arrive too late in the evening.

The track skirts Angle Tarn

We climbed up to Angle Tarn accompanied by a dozen or so Coast to Coast walkers but also a fair crowd of weekend ramblers (it was a Saturday morning). I may be dwelling on it but the weather was again superb with excellent visibility. This may be ho-hum for an Australian summer but here in the Lakes we were told it is just as common to get many days on end when the cloud hangs low in the valley or the showers persist throughout the day.

On top of Kidsty Pike

We had great views from the summit and we lunched on the lower slopes with a glorious view over Haweswater.

Lunch overlooking Haweswater

Kidsty Pike lies adjacent to High Street (over 800m) which is a ridge that formed part of an old Roman road. It's sometimes hard to know whether your leg is being pulled by the locals, but from what we've heard (from multiple sources) the term "High Street" originates from this road which the Romans used to minimise the risk of ambush. If our sources are to be believed all "High Streets" in English towns (and subsequently Australian ones) derived from this mountain road. Hmmmm. Let's just say it's out there for your consideration ... let us know if you have any further knowledge of this piece of trivia, one way or t'other.

High Street in the background, the final easy traverse to Kidsty Pike in the foreground

There was a long descent from Kidsty Pike to the Haweswater Reservoir, at first gentle but near the end it was agonisingly steep. The further you go on this trek the more you dread the steep descents rather than the steep climbs.

The traverse of Haweswater was pleasant enough but went on for miles (literally) and even at the end of that there was a further 5 mile slog into Shap. I was lucky enough to see the now rare and endangered red squirrel which is being squeezed out by the North American grey squirrel (a metaphor for a cultural phenomenon we are all familiar with!)

Our accommodation (the Greyhound) was distressingly at the far end of the long main street of Shap (another High Street?) but there waiting for us in the bar was Nick who had endured a long slog of a different sort ... from London to Penrith then bus to Shap.

With Nick in the Greyhound Hotel in Shap 

We weren't great company though, as we were ready for bed before we had even finished dinner. Shap is also a rather plain town after the grandeur of the Lake District so we all toddled off for a good night's rest, ready for an easier day from Shap to Orton.

Grasmere to Patterdale Day 4

We lingered well into the morning at Grasmere so we could take in Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum, but even then we had to rush it. We bade farewell to Heather and David and headed north-east to Patterdale.

Dove Cottage, Grasmere

Accommodation in the Lake District is typically in the valleys which are only about 100m above sea level. So every day starts out with a climb, usually fairly strenuous. Today we had a steady, grassy plod up to Grisedale Tarn some 400m above Grasmere. Here the winds were stronger and the air noticeably cooler but the sun still shone down on us.

Genevieve at Grisedale Tarn

We had the choice of the gentle valley route, the scenic St Sunday Crag (841m) or the adventurous, arduous route over Dollywagon Pike to Helvellyn (950m) and down via the hair-raising Striding Edge to Patterdale. We opted for St Sunday Crag and weren't disappointed. Both sides of the ridge dropped away steeply affording great views, especially across to Helvellyn and down to Ullswater. That's what's distinctive about the Lake District ... there's so much packed into such a small area that whichever fell or pike you decide to climb you are guaranteed good views, as long as the weather is kind. And the weather has indeed been kind!

Heading up St Sunday Crag with Grisedale Tarn in the background

Here in the Lake District mobile phone coverage is erratic. The villages in the valleys often give no signal but as you climb the fells you may get a missed call or an SMS message when you least expect it. Reaching the peak of St Sunday Crag was made all the more enjoyable as I received a message from Helen saying the Bulldogs had given Melbourne a thrashing. Thanks Helen!

On top of St Sunday Crag, looking east

Beginning the descent from St Sunday Crag, Ullswater below

There was a steep descent from St Sunday Crag into Patterdale which is smaller, quieter and far less of a tourist trap than Grasmere. Although it has almost no shops or catalogued attractions I find Patterdale far more appealing.

Descent from St Sunday Crag overlooking Ullswater

We stayed at Old Water View B&B in a stone cottage, an excellent night's accommodation with a very helpful host and a complimentary half bottle of red wine to welcome us!.

At this stage in our trek we are typically arriving late in the afternoon, hitting the local inn for a pint and a pub meal then retiring early for a deep sleep. We certainly needed to be well rested for the long day from Patterdale to Shap.

Stonethwaite to Grasmere Day 3

We left Stonethwaite in fine weather and headed up past Lining Crag to Greenup Edge, a climb of about 600m. Along the way we encountered the only bad weather in our whole time in the Lake District ... and even this was only a few passing showers. Hardly what the locals would call bad weather!

We lunched at the turnoff to the ridge walk where the perils of the Coast to Coast walk were brought home to us. A woman walking not far behind us had slipped on a rock in the wet conditions and broken her wrist. Her husband had already created a makeshift sling, so we gave her some ibuprofen (the strongest stuff we had) and pointed out the quick route down the valley to Grasmere.

Lining Crag

The ridge route provided us with more spectacular Lakeland scenery as we crossed Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag before taking the knee-shattering steep path down into Grasmere. We entered town through Poet's Walk where Dorothy Wordsworth doted on her brother William as he paced up and down composing his poems.

Above Grasmere

Grasmere is one of the most popular of the Lake District villages and having come down from the solitude of the fells it was a bit of a shock to wander lonely as a crowd among the many non-hiking tourists.

The evening meal in Dale Lodge was an opportunity to farewell Heather and David who had been our convivial companions for the last few days and to wish Heather a slightly premature happy birthday.

Tomorrow it is back to just the four of us as we march on to Patterdale beside beautiful Ullswater.

Keswick and Scafell Pike (rest day)

It turned out to be a good idea to have booked a rest day after the tiring walk and climbing from Ennerdale Bridge to Stonethwaite. So what to do on a rest day in Borrowdale? As the weather was again very favourable I chose the 20km return trek up to Scafell Pike (England's highest peak at 978m) while the rest of the party opted for an outing to Keswick which offered some retail opportunities with great outdoor shops, some clothing shops and a visit to the Lakeland Pencil Museum (anyone remember those beautiful sets of Derwent coloured pencils?) This included the world's largest pencil, authenticated by the Guinness Book of Records.

Scafell Pike was a steady slog with not too many really steep sections although the final climb up the boulder strewn peak was enough to make you feel you'd earned it (unlike the casual stroll to the top of Mt Kosciuszko). With the cloud staying high there were some fine panoramic views from the top but perhaps the best views were from the nearby crags which offered more exposure to the steep valleys.

On top of Scafell Pike

On the advice of another walker - and there were plenty about in such good weather - I also paid a visit to Great End (901m). This did not seem like an auspicious name for a peak with abrupt 300m cliffs! He was also amused (and told me I was perpetuating the English image of Australians) that I should be using my "rest day" on the Coast to Coast walk to climb the highest mountain in England.

This however did not compare with the efforts of a chap I met on my way up. I asked him if he had already been up Scafell Pike so early in the day. He said not only had he done that, but last night he had climbed Ben Nevis (1344m and some 250 miles away in Scotland) and was planning to climb Snowdon (1085m and 200 miles way in Wales) later in the afternoon.

Some people have an ambition to climb the "three peaks" in a lifetime. Some, it appears, do it in a day!

Seathwaite

Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale (Stonethwaite) Day 2

"Well if you don't enjoy yourselves today there's something wrong with you" were the parting words of Steve at Brackenwray Farm.

He was referring to the forecast and the glorious sunny day already upon us as we shouldered packs and headed toward Ennerdale Water. Val, our other host at Brackenwray, had admitted to some bias when she said "we think this is the best section on the whole route". Biased she may be but she's not far from the truth! Steve and Val have been on Brackenwray for about 14 years and are attempting to re-establish it using animal friendly methods (if that's the right term ... some of the animals undoubtedly end up on the dinner table!) It was a delight to see the freest ranging hens and the geese, sheep, etc in this flourishing and peaceful environment. Val and Steve provided great service too, including a lift to and from the community-owned Fox and Hounds for dinner, about a mile away.

We met Heather at Ennerdale Bridge and started the long traverse of the south side of Ennerdale Water.

Soon after came the choice of the high route or the route up the valley. I chose the high route over Red Pike (755m), High Stile (806m) and High Crag (744m) as well as Alfred Wainwright's favourite (and his resting place), Haystacks. From the heights of this ridge there were fabulous views in all directions and conditions were so good that the Isle of Man was clearly visible half way across the Irish Sea.

Crummock Water seen from Red Pike

Meanwhile Irene, Genevieve, Heather and Geordie were enjoying their walk up the valley but had some difficulty finding the right path up Loft Beck, a common problem apparently. The comradeship of walkers, however, is a wonderful thing and other coast to coasters were there to consult.

Crummock Water (top) and Buttermere from Haystacks

They arrived at the Honister Slate Mines at about 5:45pm while I tramped in from Haystacks half an hour later. We were well past our expected arrival time and still had an hour and a half's walk into Stonethwaite. Our efforts to contact Dave we're unsuccessful as there was no mobile phone coverage. Even when we found a phone box (yes they still exist in this part of the world) we discovered there was no mobile reception at Dave's end either. So we arrived at 7:45, just 5 minutes after a worried Dave had driven up to Honister Pass ready to call out the Keswick Moutain Rescue and Dog Team. It all ended well with a convivial dinner and recounting of exploits and superlatives in the Langstrath Inn.

Stone Bridge, Borrowdale