More pics from Day 5

I had to make two slide shows from day 5.  I did feel better!

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Day 5

Yay!  I was able to walk-the whole 16 miles.  I know, Footpath said it was 12 miles.  Well, Footpath miles are always more than what they say!  Just so you know!  I love Footpath, but....

We started by Chester's-the tea room with the best cream tea in the Lake District.  Some walks through the woods, then a glorious waterfall, then Chester's, then some wonderful fields, then about 5 miles along the lake.  I have to go back and check the locations, but we had a wonderful lunch, a nice walk, and I made it.

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Days 4 and 5

Well, I woke up on Day 4 to a still swollen toe and soggy, muddy shoes, so I told Pam to go on without me because I was going into town to try and find new shoes-shoes that would fit and not rub my toe.  I had lovely shoes-Salomon's, but I got them a half size smaller than regular-the toe area was *just* that small enough to screw up my toe.  Ate breakfast with Pam(will post pics of the cottage in a few days), redd up the kitchen and put sandals on to walk the three blocks to the center of Keswick.  Keswick is a lovely little town!  The center is closed off to cars, they have a supermarket and a Co-op, and they have dozens of stores that cater to walkers and climbers.  I went to the biggest walking/hiking store and told the sales person about my toe.  They were all wonderful to me-took over an hour fitting me, getting me new, thinner socks, letting me walk around in the shoes.  I ended up with Keens...which I will walk in forever more.  I also got a size 9 instead of an 8-1/2. 

I took the shoes home and made dinner for Pam, Stephen and myself.  I missed a great day of walking-one of the most desolate valleys in the UK.  I was very upset, and hope to be able to walk it one day.

I rested my foot all evening and prepared for the next day.

Day Three of the Cumbrian Way Keswick to Langdale

I did not walk the third day, so these are Pam's pictures.  I have included a few of her pictures from day two, the ones of the Bothy.

Day three took them through the Langstrath Valley-so desolate and beautiful, with a small climb.  I really wanted to do this day's walk because I read so much about the valley, and was so disappointed to have to stay home.  My toe was swollen, and I knew I couldn't do the climb down the Crag.  I will get Pam to tell me more about this day when she gets back.  I am including a link to a wonderful site about the Cumbrian Way so you can read for yourselves.  http://www.thecumbriaway.info/route_stage3.htm

Day three was a short walk, about 8 miles, but at the end they climbed Castle Crag.  I rested-could not put my foot into any of my shoes.  I made dinner that night.

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Caldbeck to Keswick-16 miles "Toe day"

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Ahhhhhh, day two of the Cumbrian Way.  Or, "Toe Day".  My knee had a nice scab over the wound so I went without a band aid.  Pam and I packed a nice lunch and prepared for rain.  We were to have rain all day.  Make sure, if you do this walk, that you take extra food and water, because there is nothing out there-no roads, shops, nothing-for 16 miles.  Well, lots of sheep and sheep poo.  :-)  Once you start  the day's walk, there is only one way out of the valley-walk.

We ate a big breakfast and walked to the meeting place.  Many jokes about my knee!  We had invited Stephen for dinner that night because we were such a small group and he had no one to eat with, so we were happy about that...had a great start to the day!   Pam planned on toast, bacon, eggs and beans.  Yum!  Something to look forward to after a loooong walk.

The start of the walk is level and pleasant, but then you have to climb over the trackless High Pike, 2600 feet.  There is no real path, and since our guidebook was the reverse of the direction we were going, we got lost twice.  I know, how did we get lost when there were no trees...well, we did!  The pike is long, and there are old miner's paths and such.  Oh!  Pam, Stephen and I all had lightweight hiking umbrellas.  Great idea.  I love my rain hat, but with the umbrella I could unzip my jacket.  I had a new Gore-tex jacket which was too heavy and bulky.  I bought a lighter one when I returned.  I'll use the old one for golf.   We had to walk back down about 200 feet then back up the same 200 feet-twice-so our climb was 3000 feet.  Bugger.  It rained all the way up, and we had to be careful of abandoned mine shafts, but we did make it to the top...finally.  Not a bad climb, just long.

There is a shepherd's bothy on the down side, which is where we had lunch-in pouring, pelting rain.  Nice to be in a dry spot for lunch.  The way down High Pike is very, very steep, narrow and rocky, I stepped in a boggy area and got my shoes and socks wet, and my shoe toes were a bit narrow.  I knew I'd done something to my right big toe because it felt like someone was jabbing a knife point into the quick with every step I took.  Couldn't stop, so I gritted my teeth and went on.  We walked for 12 more miles.  Why yes, I am tough!  Once we were down from High Pike the way was mostly level, with a small grade, but with the rain, the toe and the cold, I had a drop in blood sugar.  Not good.

We came to an old hostel and had to make a very steep climb, and I didn't think I would make it to the top.  When I did get up there, I explained that my blood sugar had dropped, and everyone(lovely people)scrounged extra chocolate and some beef jerky.  Then we kept walking.

I thought it would never end.  I was in agony....  really, and I don't complain.  Every step was horrible.  The last three miles were all on a down grade...so my toe was pushed back into the quick hard with every step.  Still want to do the walk?

When we got into Keswick, the guide had his car there, and I asked him to run me back to the cottage.  We got there, I took my shoes off, and my right big toe was swollen double size...and purple.  Runner's toe.  I had jarred the nail loose so every time I stepped I jammed the nail back into the quick.  Yes, it did hurt like frikkin' hell!  I took a bath while Pam made dinner, we had a lovely meal with Stephen(he brought dessert)and I decided not to walk the next day because there would be a big downhill section.  I could not put my toe under covers for three weeks. 

The toe is healing, as is the knee, but I was so angry that I had to miss a day of the walk.  I could not walk on the toe, nor could I fit the foot into shoes!  I had to rest.

The walk is desolate and beautiful.  You just don't realize that there can be such an isolated valley in the UK.  I have a very light hiking umbrella, which was wonderful.  I also always take a neck gaiter because I know if my neck is warm I keep my body temp up.  Take lots of extra food and water for this day.  And, if there is to be rain, hot tea or coffee.

Carlisle to Caldbeck 16 miles

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Day one of walking the Cumbrian Way.  I trained for this walk!  I walked 9-12 miles a day after the snow melted in....I think May.  We had so much snow this winter. I started in January at the gym-stair climber, treadmill, bike, pool.  I was determined to walk all 76 miles!  So what happens??????  I fall on the way to the meeting point the first day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh, I fail.  :-( 

I gouged a chunk from my left knee about 1 inch by 2, blood ran down my leg...we did not have time to go back to the cottage and clean it off, so we trudged(I was so embarrassed)along Keswick's lovely and uneven cobblestones to the town center.  There, we met the other walkers and our guide..for the first time.....while Pam hunted up a rag and some water.  I wiped off the blood, we slapped a big band aid on it and got on the bus.   Yes it hurt!  It hurt really bad!  I wasn't about to tell them that!  Oh, I was so angry at myself.

So, we got to Carlisle and the guide didn't really know how to get to the path.  One problem I have with Footpath Holidays is that thetheir guides do not walk the Trails first!  We had trouble last year when our guide got lost.  When you walk 16 miles you don't want to add a mile or two because the guide should have prepared better!

We found the statue that marks the start of the walk...and who do we see but Stuart and Anne from Offa's Dike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh, it was good to see them!  We'd had dinner with Hillary and Allan the night before, so this was great!  Stuart guides for H-F Holidays and always does a walk before he leads it.  So, his group was out for a little 10 mile Sunday jaunt, we talked, posed for pics and went on our merry(and in my case, bloody)way.  Pam and I would go with H-F because they do the same walks, but have some easier methods-not as long each day and such, but you have to stay in the accommodation they arrange...this can be pricey!  With Footpath you get your own place to stay.  Which is really great if you have a caravan!

We found the start of the walk and walked on a paved walkway/bike trail for about 3 miles.  The start is down by the train tracks...not a lovely place.  No place to wee!  So many people out for Sunday mornings!  So many back yards.  I was bleeding from the knee and had to wee!  Not good, not good.  Finally we found some trees and fields and...well, I felt better.  We washed the wound a bit better with water from the crick(you call it a river, I call it a crick).  On and on we walked-sheep, cows, fields, river.....really quite boring.  Since we walked the Cumbrian way North to South, and the guidebooks are all South to North, our guide got us lost a few times.  Not good, Footpath!  So, we decided he should write a North-South guidebook, and I made sure to take pics of the places we got lost.  Lovely area, rather flat, evidence of terrible flooding!

There is an old Bishop's Castle on the route, and some private school, but that's about it.  Near the end of our day it started to pour rain, so out came the waterproofs and my lovely gore-tex rain hat.  We walked into Caldbeck in a pouring rain to the sight of a warm, dry tea room.  Pam and I were the first ones in, ordered our scones and tea for two, shed our rain gear...and checked my knee.  It had stopped bleeding.  Bus ride back to Keswick, great dinner of chicken and pasta, many cups of tea....some TV and a warm bed.  Little did I know what would happen the next day.

I bought a new pack for this year-Osprey Exos 34.  I bought this one because it is very light and has straps so you can store your walking pole as you are walking when you don't need it.  Very good pack.  Fully loaded and I didn't feel it.  Walk with it first before you walk on cobblestones.   Oh, We saw several Border Terriers that day.  Lovely dogs.

Castlerigg Standing Stones

Some friends of mine suggested going to see the Castlerigg Standing Stones while I was in the Lake District, and since I had never heard of them I Googled them, read a bit about them and suggested to Pam that we go.  I did not mention them before because I want to talk about them on their own.  On the morning of June 5th Pam and I started our sightseeing(which ended with the Beatrix Potter place for the other day).

I love going to ancient spiritual sites because I feel they still hold their magic.  You go to these places, especially on a misty, cool early morning and you can sense the spirit of the people who built them.  We had such a morning.  I do love how there are sheep at these national heritage sites!  I imagine there were some sort of sheep there 4000 years ago.  The mountains were swathed in clouds and mist, very few people were there, and the air was damp and chilly.  I could easily picture the scene as it was 4000 years ago...and I always like to think that some of the people who live in the area, or who were there that morning are descended from the people who built it.  Great book: "Blood of the Isles" by Bryan Sykes about the DNA of the people of the British isles....Worth a read.

So, we spent some time at the site, read about it on the little marker, took in the views of the surrounding hills.  Now, how to get there...I have no idea.  Pam drove.  I know it isn't far from Keswick.  Sorry.

I like to think about the ancient people and how they may have gathered there for the Summer Solstice, or the Winter Solstice, how happy they must have been in Winter when the days started to get longer(just as I am).  I think about why they chose that place, how they found the stones, how they moved them.  I also think about what happened to them and where their descendants are now. 

So, I have given you several places to see on your next visit to the Lake District.  Oh!  Don't forget "George Cottage", where we stayed in Keswick.  I will be posting the links when I finish the commentary.

One more thing!  This is where I met a border terrier for the first time!  Fabulous dogs!

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