England Coast to Coast: Day 3
If you want an extra kick with your toast this is the way to go!
As I opened the curtain to glance out the window in my small but cozy guest room upon waking in order to find out how the day was going to begin I was excited to see a mostly sunny sky. Rumor had it, via the consensus of weather reports the night before, that the day was going to be clear and pleasant and I hoped that the blue sky I saw meant that this time the weather reports had gotten it right. Nevertheless, since it is England I packed my full rain gear (as I will do every day!) before marching downstairs for breakfast, remembering to duck my head at the top of the stairway so I could get down through the short doorway to the stairs without gaining a concussion. Chatting with my hostess, Joanne, I discovered that the building I had slept in is a farmhouse that was built back in the 1700’s. Even today it remains as such as she and her husband are working farmers (sheep). Joanne also runs a small shop across the lane from the house. Indeed at the breakfast table I was able to sample some of the marmalades she made and sold, an orange marmalade with whiskey in it (and it had the kick you would expect) and a nice citrus marmalade comprised of lemon and lime. After eating a hearty breakfast of eggs, mushrooms and grilled tomato along with a banana and yogurt I felt prepared for the day ahead. I never eat this kind of breakfast at home, if I have anything it is a banana and juice, but I needed fuel for the walk ahead of me so I indulged myself.
Some of the buildings belonging to the farm. This was a very old, SMALL village as I mentioned yesterday. Behold one of the main streets.
The plan for the day was to hike nine or so miles over the hill to the next valley to Grasmere. While the route is definitely shorter than the fist two days, it has more vertical so I was not fooled into thinking that the day would be straightforward. The rhythm of walking in the Lake District seems to be go up, then go down a bit, then go up again, then go down and the trick seems to be to make sure that when you get up to the top and are along the ridge you make sure you descend into the correct valley. Today was going to be a bit challenging as the directions in the book indicated that the trail became “indistinct” at the top and getting lost is common with many do end up in the wrong valley. Luckily it promised to be a clear day so landmarks would be available for reference. Interestingly enough, as I was sitting at the pub the previous night it was amusing to listen to some of the conversations of other walkers in the room- even though most of us were only a few days in- it seemed that everyone had already acquired a story of being lost. I have thus reached the conclusion that you have not done the Coast to Coast properly if you don’t get lost at least once. I clearly excel since I managed to do that right off the bat on day one. We’ll see how many more times that happens!
It is really pleasant to walk along the path when bounded by a stream and a rock wall, which happens often!
I set off around 8:30am heading along a clearly defined path aimed at the end of the valley where the ascent up the day’s hill begins. Of course the route was rocky like yesterday. It seems that much of the traverse through the lake district is via what becomes stream beds when there is a lot of water, hence the abundance of rocks. Thankfully most of the way this morning the path was dry although I did end up walking through shallow streams for part of the day. After about an hour, walking pleasantly adjacent a rock wall that separated pastures from the public way, I reached the point where it was time to begin climbing. The slope was gradual at first but I knew that was not going to last as my map clearly said “steep section” for more than one part of the upcoming trail. I have learned to respect my map! As I climbed a bit and looked back behind me I noticed several other people on the trail making their way in my direction. I waited until the lead gentleman caught up to me and asked him to take my picture. It is rare that I get a chance to get a picture of myself “in-situ” as it were! Then gathering up my pack again I followed him, at a much slower pace, up the hill. The climb was mainly the same kind of “rock steps” that I experienced yesterday. Two other gentleman, Ian and Bob, caught up to me as well. Ian mentioned that they had gotten lost yesterday and we compared maps, both of us commenting on the tricky navigation that was awaiting us at the top. He was not keen to get lost again (it cost them about four or five miles the day before) as they were walking all the way to Patterson, another nine miles beyond my stopping point in Grasmere.
At the start of the climb- you can tell because I don’t look tired enough. The cairns are really important.
The climb was tough- I felt like I was doing an infinite exercise in stair laps- but at least the path was clear at that point. Ian, Bob and I kept leapfrogging each other as we stopped to rest at different points. The guy who had taken my picture was way ahead but that was not a bad thing as I (and Ian, too) was using him as a beacon of where to go, and more importantly, not to go. I kept climbing and climbing and climbing. Occasionally I would stop and take a picture of the valley behind me to document how high I was getting. At some points the climbing was almost bouldering. Then the path got indistinct and it got harder just like the book said.
Looking back down into the valley that I climbed out of. You cannot tell, because of the way the land contours, how steep the climb was. But it is beautiful!
Well at this point I learned that I loved my wonderful waterproof boots. It was also at this point that I learned, exactly, what a bog was. Interestingly enough I learned both things simultaneously. The path, which had been on the ever present river rocks, petered out into a green grassland, still on a slope heading up. The green grass, lush and thick, gave radiated a sense of permanence and strength. BUT when you stepped on it, well, it turns out it is very boggy at the top of the hills in the Lake District. What is a bog? Think quicksand but mud, not sand. I was walking along, trying to find the nonexistent path, stepped forward and suddenly there was no solid ground underneath my foot and it sank in over my laces into what looked like harmless mud. Yikes! All I have to say is “yay for water proof boots!”. After that I started deploying a pole to test the ground before stepping on anything, even if it looked solid. Ian who had caught up to me after our latest leapfrog lead change was having the same problem. At the top, we both knew we had to find the cairns which marked the way down into the right valley but to find them you had to be on the right point of the ridge. Finding the right point on the ridge was very important, and he and I talked about this, because we did not want go down into the wrong valley and both of our books cautioned that it was easy to do. Did I mention it all looked the same, in every direction, and the path had simply disappeared?
While this was not taken at the top of the hill, here is an example of a “barely discernible” path. This is also way more clear than it was at the top!
As Ian and I roamed around and tried to find the two cairns that were supposed to mark the path we had no luck. Finally, I pulled out my compass and my other map. Ian spent some time searching the area along the ridge while we waited for his mate Bob to get to the top. Finally, between the two books, my map and two people using compasses, we were convinced that we had found the right path. In the meantime, my trekking companions from the previous day, Paul and Miriam had appeared so with five brains on the job we made a decision and headed down. I felt pretty comfortable based on the compass reading that we were going the right way. The whereabouts of the cairns remains a mystery. (By the way I continued to pile rocks on baby cairns as I passed them by in order to help those who came behind someday.) I cannot imagine how challenging this particular navigation and path finding problem becomes on a misty, cloud-shrouded day. We had excellent views of the surrounding landscape which really helped.
Boulders or bogs? Take your pick. This is another example of where the path disappears although you can see where it leads in and exits clearly.
The path down was rocky, boggy and occasionally steep. Again I found myself walking down stream paths, sometimes in shallow water. Sometimes it was a command decision whether to walk in the stream or risk the bogs that lined the pathway. Actually, the whole day the path crossed many streams of various depths and intensity- although I did not fall into any of them this time. But I feel that I more than made up for that by the number of bogs and soggy ground I stumbled into. As the day wore on I appreciated my dry, waterproof boots more and more. Overall the path down was pleasant although it seemed to go on forever. As I did on the way up, I stopped every now and then to take pictures to document the changing altitude as the descent progressed. The now five of us continued to either walk together or to continue the leapfrog game as we descended. The navigation was straightforward so we did not need another consultation moment as we had at the top.
It remained a clear day throughout with the sun out most of the time. As such the valleys and ridges and peaks, all visible in the distance at the top, were vibrant greens of all kinds of hues. The simple description of “green” does not being to convey the beauty that I walked through. All shades and textures blended together to convey a sense of life and energy. It was important to stop every now and then and appreciate it, but I had to remember to do it since attention to footing was paramount. It was easy to see why so many value and visit the Lake District.
The scenery never disappointed even though most of the time you had to pay attention where you were putting your feet. It is important to stop and take it all in!
Coming down the hill I was excited about being able to stop for the night at Grasmere. The path paralleled a stream that flowed along yet another rock wall before intersecting the public paths around the village. The path also passed by an old farmhouse and a campground, complete with, you guessed it, grazing sheep. Like the rest of the hike it was beautiful and peaceful but I was approaching civilization and ready for a rest. It had been a slow hike, taking six hours to hike nearly ten miles. The next stop on the trek, which the rest of the group I had been loosely hiking with was headed for, Patterson, was another nine miles which included another big hill. They had a long day ahead of them yet but I was done and happy about it. I am having a rest day in Grasmere tomorrow and headed to Patterson on Thursday. My knees and hamstrings are thanking me. Time to hit the pub and watch some more soccer for the evening and looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and exploring the town and local area. (“Rest day” is a relative term!)
Well, I’m glad that you have a rest day. The views sound beautiful. Great that there are so many walking in the same direction. Have fun.