My Advent Calendar - Day 7

December 7^th

Welcome to Day 7 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 4 – Part 2

~ Patterdale Youth Hostel, Dinner, We meet three ladies, Nikka and a keen Aussie (now there’s a surprise) ~

Patterdale is a nice little place at the south-eastern end of Ulleswater, and when bathed in sunshine, like it was when Hannah and I arrived, it looks beautiful. We sat on a bench outside the village store, which is run by a cheery American, and enjoyed not doing anything for a while. We bought postcards and some food to replenish the stuff we’d already eaten and then, still making full use of the gorgeous weather, strolled to our fourth stop. The day had been the easiest so far and was about to get even easier, because we’d booked a night in Patterdale Youth Hostel, which had beds and showers and even a wash/dry room so we were able to clean a few of our clothes.

Ullswater

We arrived for dinner at a similar time to a few other people and we were soon chatting with them. There was a group of three ladies sat at one table and at another a younger woman, by herself. All four of them were doing the Coast to Coast and yet this was the first time we’d met any of them.

            We began telling stories of our walk so far with the three ladies (Helen, Nikki and Sarah) regaling us with amusing stories of their difficulties with navigation and toilet stops; a problem when there are so many other walkers around. They were impressed with Hannah’s planning skills and our use of the Ordinance Survey maps, and even more impressed with our ability to put up with each other (as brother and sister) when they realised we weren’t a couple.
            The young woman (Nikka, not to be confused with Nikki), who turned out to be Belgian, then wowed us with a heroic tale. She had climbed Helvellyn and then come along Striding Edge (Google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about), which had scared her considerably, especially because she’d seen someone in front of her practically crawling. She hadn’t been informed what the path entailed and she was still getting over what she’d done.
            We asked her if she was travelling alone. She nodded and then shared with us that she had just broken up with her boyfriend, who had been planning to come too. However, instead of giving up, she came over anyway and seemed to be doing rather well without him. The next morning she left early with a man who, up to that point, had also been walking by himself.

Later on we were sat in the lounge and got chatting with another woman, older this time and quite plainly from Australia. She also had a few stories to tell. Firstly she amazed us by mentioning that she had climbed 35 Wainwright peaks (that is 35 of the mountains that Alfred Wainwright wrote about) in just 4 days! Then she went on to explain that she used to be a fell runner, but was a bit slower now.

            She seemed to spend almost all her time walking up mountains having just come from the Alps where she’d taken some beautiful photographs, which she showed us. Finally she also dropped into the conversation that the last time she and her husband had been in the UK they had decided to cycle home (to Australia) but that they probably wouldn’t do it this time.
            I think her stories tried us out more than anything and not long later we were in bed.

My Advent Calendar - Day 6

December 6^th

Welcome to Day 6 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 4 – Part 1

~ Chris Evans, a damp morning, only 7 miles to go, breezy at the top, people! we meet some cyclists, Patterdale ~

Tuesday morning we woke up early and discovered we had enough signal to tune in to the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on my mobile. One quick text later and Chris welcomed us into the ‘Good Morning Chris Club’, a goal of mine before we set off. Having achieved one target we then set about the main task for the day: getting to Patterdale.

            We packed the tent down (in a light drizzle) and then headed up Tongue Gill, the hill on which we had camped. The early start meant there was no one about and we still felt very much alone on this walk. The hill wasn’t particularly steep but we went slowly. It wasn’t a problem, however, because there was only about seven miles to go, on what was easily our shortest day.
            The sun emerged, but as we neared the top of the hill the wind prevented us from removing our coats. After we had passed a small lake and begun our descent, however, we began to warm up. Walking in the rain is of course much worse than in the sun, but that afternoon turned hot and we slowed considerably. This, though, allowed people to catch up with us.
            Firstly there were just a few walkers enjoying what is quite a popular area. Helvellyn is nearby and Patterdale is a beautiful place to spend a few days. Then came other Coast to Coasters who had begun the day later than us. We quickly realised that the number of people who carry all their gear was considerably less than we thought. In fact no one passed us carrying anything like what we had, although that would have been difficult, laden down as we were. Mostly we received sympathetic looks and comments as the streams of people who came up behind us, and then swept by, made it look as though we were walking through treacle. One man, however, decided that what we needed was to be mocked, and loudly proclaimed to his friends, ‘Hey look at these two campers!’ We just stood by and watched him pass.
            We weren’t too bothered. It was a gorgeous day and there wasn’t far to go, and then we received a gift. A moment to cherish.
            I looked down the hill, ahead of us, and saw two men, apparently in lycra and carrying expensive, road bicycles. As we approached them we found that we were not mistaken, unbelievable as the situation was.
            ‘Are you doing that for a bet?’ I asked, when they were only a few metres away.
            They replied with an out of breath laugh and stopped for a moment. ‘Is this the way to Grasmere?’ one of them asked.
            Hannah and I looked at each other. ‘Well, it’s a way to Grasmere,’ I said, ‘but you’ve got to go over the mountain in front of you.’
            ‘Oh, is it far?’
            Again we were slightly incredulous. ‘Well it’s taken us more than two and a half hours,’ Hannah said, ‘and we’re not carrying bikes.’
            The two guys conferred. ‘Yeah, I think we’ll go back. Thanks for letting us know.’
            ‘No problem,’ we replied as they turned back the way they’d come.

Looking back, that was definitely a special moment on our walk and one that I will remember for a long time.

After a while the path turned into a track and then eventually a road as we came into Patterdale in mid-afternoon sunshine. There to meet us sadly was the man from earlier.

            ‘Ah, you made it then, campers,’ he said in a cheery and yet thoroughly dismissive voice. From that moment on he became known as ‘Campers’, and if you, our happy tormentor, are reading this, you will know why, whenever we saw you we nodded and smiled and waved you on your way. Thank you for giving us a reason to battle on.

 

The lake at the top of the hill.

The lake at the bottom of the hill (Ullswater).

My Advent Calendar - Day 5

December 5^th

Welcome to Day 5 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 3

~ Steep climbs (up and down), the Honister Slate Mine, we take a wrong turn, a long afternoon, Grasmere (sort of), we camp rough ~

Day three began with a marginally earlier start than day two and soon we were heading east once more. We slept at the head of the valley remember, so the only way was up and once we’d found the path we were soon scrambling and cursing our heavy bags again. The climb wasn’t too long, however, and more good views awaited us as we left Ennerdale behind and made our way to the Honister Slate Mine. The hills all around are made of slate and the mine still produces it, although now mainly for souvenirs it would seem. The day was warm already and we were appreciating the impressive Lake District weather (where it is notoriously wet). We appreciated it much more in the next week of course.

            Descending from the Slate Mine we kept to the road to speed things along, although it was tough on our feet. We did reach the bottom quickly though, and continued through Seatoller (a nice little place), around Borrowdale and on to Stonethwaite, (another nice little place). We took a wrong turning somewhere and got lost in Stonethwaite, an impressive feat given its size, and had to go back when we couldn’t find a way across the river.
            Eventually we entered the next valley, a long green climb that seemed to go on forever. We weren’t worried though because Grasmere was just over the hill (we told ourselves). At the top the valley becomes a massive bowl and for a while we lost our heading. After some more scrambling, though, we reached the top and the land flattened out considerably, until we reached the peak.
            By now we were getting tired and we realised there was still a fair way to go. A ‘fair way’ turned into a ‘long way’ as we began the last leg of the day. The path went steeply down into another valley and for a while we seemed to make no forward progress at all. Our pace dropped to about one mile an hour and we even contemplated stopping where we were a few times. It was a gorgeous evening and the stream beside us looked very inviting for weary feet. We pressed on though, hopeful of a nice meal somewhere, and eventually we found it.
            Before reaching Grasmere we were met by a sign that took a short cut past a hotel and restaurant that advertised itself for walkers. We headed straight for it and were somewhat surprised to find a three star establishment. We were too tired to be bothered and headed in. With some apprehension they served us a lovely meal, while the more suitably dressed, sitting at other tables, tried to pretend they couldn’t see us.
            Fully refreshed we marched on as the sun began to set and looked for a place to camp. The reason we had to find a place was because Grasmere apparently considers itself above campers and doesn’t offer any facilities. Eventually we found ourselves a patch of grass just about clear enough of vegetation and sheep droppings, but before we could do any more it began to rain! Where it came from I have no idea but it caught us unawares and we raced to erect the tent before we got too wet. Shattered from an unexpectedly long day we quickly dropped off.

‘The Bowl’

A view from the top

My Advent Calendar - Day 4

December 4^th

Welcome to Day 4 of my Advent Calendar. If you’ve only just found it, where have you been? Go back and read parts 1-3 immediately! I am reliving two special weeks from my year, which my sister and I spent marching across the greatest country on earth, and hopefully giving you an idea of the ups and downs, physical and emotional, that we went through. Enjoy!

Day 2 – Part 2

~ Youth Hostel, we have some food, we become food for the midges, we go to bed ~

Having made it down from High Style we were back in the Ennerdale Valley, although now much closer to the head of it, and this was where we would stop for the night. For those of you who have been in this area you may know what’s coming. Instead of camping we had one of our four, planned, indoor stops, this one at the famous Blacksail Youth Hostel. Right at the head of the valley this old shepherd's cottage is surrounded by mountains, and the only sound you can hear is the rushing river not far away.

            The hostel is fairly small, understandably, but almost always busy, and indeed there were only a few spare beds on the night we stayed. Over the next days, when we told other walkers we had stayed there, we received some jealous looks, so if you want to go, make sure you book early!
            The hostel has a very social atmosphere and after we arrived (past 8pm) and devoured the remainder of the food, which was delicious, we struck up several conversations with the other walkers. A few were also on the Coast to Coast but most were just walking in the Lake District. One man, by the name of Gary, informed us he had once walked the Coast to Coast with some friends, in just seven days. Apparently it was mostly fuelled by beer. There was plenty of drinking going on that night too and one woman kindly offered to take a picture of Hannah and myself, which I won’t post due to the slightly blurred aspect of the shot.
            We decided to sit outside and watch the sun go down, a beautiful sight but ruined slightly by the fact that we were being eaten alive by midges. The pesky creatures are one of most annoying things about staying in the great British countryside, but technically it is their home and we’d moved into it, so I guess that gives them the right to feed off us for a while. After a lot of skin slapping and scratching we gave up and moved back inside. Then, because we were tired and had a long day ahead we opted to find our beds and said goodnight.

 

Looking West from Blacksail YH, down the Ennerdale Valley

My Advent Calendar - Day 3

December 3^rd

Welcome to Day 3 of my Advent Calendar. If you’ve only just found it, where have you been? I am reliving two special weeks from my year, which my sister and I spent marching across the greatest country on earth, and hopefully giving you an idea of the ups and downs, physical and emotional, that we went through. Enjoy!

Day 2 – Part 1

~ My foot hurts, I am not very good at taking tablets, the sun comes out, our first lake, we decide to climb a mountain ~

On waking up we discovered that we had successfully completed Day 1 and that overnight the fog had cleared so that we would actually be able to see where we were going.

            A large and scrumptious breakfast delayed our departure (a common feature you will see) but it did give us the chance to meet some more people who had also begun the day before. They, however, were a) having their luggage transported, and b) staying in guest houses all the way. So it was highly amusing to watch two of the women chicken out by pretending to have already injured their legs, and hitching a ride on the luggage van. They informed the rest of their group that they would be going to a spa, which couldn’t be more different to walking fifteen miles through the Lake District. Several days later we saw the walking half of the group again and decided that the two women must still be at the spa.
            Having laughed at their non-existent injuries, though, I was soon worried by a pain in my right ankle. I’d had it for a few weeks and it only seemed to occur when I was wear my walking boots, which was a problem. As taking them off wasn’t really an option Hannah informed me that I should take a painkiller tablet. Now I know that I am rubbish at swallowing even the smallest of pills and so we had a lengthy stop at our first, and only, ‘nice little place of the day’, Ennerdale Bridge, while I attempted to relieve my pain.
            Once we got going again the pain did disappear and soon we were making good progress as we approached our first lake, Ennerdale Water. Taking the northern route we hugged the shore and got a good view of Angler’s Crag, which we renamed ‘Hog’s Head Hill’, or something to that effect. See if you agree with us.

 

Hog’s Head Hill (or Angler’s Crag)

 

As you can see there were still plenty of clouds around but after a stop for lunch the sun began to come out and since it was still only early afternoon we contemplated climbing a mountain before reaching our destination. I suggested we could do it before dinner and anyway we were on a roll. So we began climbing.

            The mountain was High Style and at some 800 metres above sea level was easily the highest we would get for the whole two weeks. However, well before the top we were struggling. Our packs made the climb very tough and the peak never seemed to get any closer. As time moved on we began to realise this wasn’t going to be a quick up and down, but it was too late to turn back.
            Eventually we made it and were rewarded with spectacular views. The clouds had gone and the Isle of Man, which had been invisible on Saturday, was glinting on the horizon. Ennerdale lay on one side and on the other beautiful Buttermere had come into view.
            The day though was moving on and we still had to get back down. Dinner now seemed a long way off and so we began our descent. The path was even steeper than the one we had come up and it zigzagged across some treacherous scree. Sliding and scrambling we made our way down as the sun also began to disappear behind the hills. We were tired and hungry but the climb had definitely been worth it. I doubt we could have managed such an ascent in the second week. Plus I doubt that many people have climbed so high carrying so much, and it was a proud moment for us both.

 

Ennerdale Water looking South West. You can just pick out the Isle of Man two thirds of the way up on the left side (below the clouds)

My Advent Calendar - Day 2

December 2^nd

Welcome to Day 2 of my Advent Calendar. Like yesterday there’s no chocolate, although again if you wish to eat some while you read please go ahead. Here hopefully you will find something just as enjoyable and also something that will last a bit longer!

            I am reliving two special weeks from my year, which my sister and I spent marching across the greatest country on earth, and hopefully giving you an idea of the ups and downs, physical and emotional, that we went through. Enjoy!

Day 1

~ The seaside, rain, soup, I am called a woman, detour, first offer of a lift, nearly get lost, late arrival, first meeting ~

We left St Bees railway station and headed west, yes west, for about half a mile to reach the sea, the official start of the walk. There we duly dipped our toes (or at least the toes of our boots) in the water and collected a pebble each, one of many Coast to Coast traditions. About a hundred metres on we spotted a large rock on the path and guessed that some brave and foolish person attempted to take it with him (or her) but chickened out.

            Visibility was poor because of the fog that lay approximately twenty metres out to sea, so with little else to do we set off. The walk climbs straight onto the cliffs, heading north for a mile or more and once on top we could still see nothing but now we were getting blown around too. We found out in the days that followed that the wind had been much worse in the morning and were thankful that Hannah’s train had been delayed, but at that moment all we could think about was what a stupid idea this walk was. I mean, who walks for two weeks in unpredictable British weather, just for fun? However it was the first day and we were feeling hopeful and so we pressed on, turning inland and finally heading east.
           Much of that first afternoon was unmemorable, especially with everything that came later, but particularly brilliant was the moment when Hannah read from the guide book, ‘ahead is a place where many people get lost.’ We laughed at this, saying we would manage fine, but twenty minutes later we were still in the same field and conceded that the guide book might know more than us. From that moment on we grew to love our helpful third member.
           There are several different guide books on the Coast to Coast and we’d looked at a couple before settling for one written by Martin Wainwright, largely because it includes the OS maps and because of his interesting commentary. In the days to come we discovered that not everyone agreed with us. However at that point we were yet to meet anyone else actually doing the walk and we felt like true adventurers.

We felt we were doing well until the clouds brought the darkness in earlier than it should have, and we still had the formidable Dent Hill ahead, which we could see, but only just. The top lay wreathed in fog and we agreed that we should get some food before tackling it.

            Eventually we located a pub where we ordered soup, Hannah a Cider and myself a humble Lemonade. The bar lady asked twice before bringing my drink over, placing it on the table with a cheeky, ‘there you go, you woman’. Sadly I can’t remember the name of the pub or I would recommend it for it’s welcoming and friendly atmosphere, and its food.

After the soup had gone we spread our map out on the table and contemplated out options. Dent Hill we decided was not sensible with evening drawing in and the mist, so we devised a detour. Back on the road we made steady progress but obviously looked downbeat because a passing motorist stopped and offered us a lift. To duck out of a couple of miles on the first day seemed very weak so we declined the offer. Thirty minutes later we regretted the decision.

            Our detour took us on a lower route around Dent Hill, however the fog simply drifted down to meet us. We quickly lost the path, but found a stone wall and followed it, using the map and all the common sense we had.
            If you have ever walked in an unfamiliar place in the dark or fog, where you can see nothing ahead, you will know that it feels as though you have been walking forever, when in fact you’ve only gone a short way. This feeling was very much with us but we pressed on and eventually found the path and, shortly after, our first camp site. It was about 8pm and almost dark, but we’d made it. There were two other pairs camping there and we joined them for a discussion of the first day.
            John, his friend (who I have forgotten the name of) and John’s Border Collie had been there for hours having set off in the morning. John was a Coast to Coast veteran, having already completed it seven times, (the dog has done it twice before). His friend, however, was less keen and seemed to have been dragged along on the promise of a pub each evening.
            The other couple were only a little older than us, and also carrying all their gear. They, though, were much better at packing than us, and we weren’t to see them again for well over a week. John was doing the walk in thirteen days and so we never saw him at all, which is disappointing because it would have been nice to know if his friend made it to Robin Hood’s Bay.

My Advent Calendar - Day 1

December 1^st

Welcome to my Advent Calendar. There’s no chocolate I’m afraid, although if you wish to eat some while you read please go ahead. Here hopefully you will find something just as enjoyable and also something that will last a bit longer!

            I am going to relive two special weeks from my year, which I spent with my sister marching across the greatest country on earth. Hopefully this will give you an idea of the ups and downs, physical and emotional that we endured. Enjoy!

Beginnings

My sister, Hannah, and I have always enjoyed walking, whether a gentle stroll in the woods or hiking up mountains and for a few years we’d planned to do a long walk of some kind. Finding the time though was difficult and also, which path to take. There are so many in England alone. In the end we settled for the Coast to Coast, a popular walk, although without an official footpath. We got out guide books and maps and began planning.

            The Coast to Coast path was first laid down by a man named Alfred Wainwright, a well known writer and walker. He chose for his start point St Bees on the west coast of England, just outside of the Lake District National Park. Then heading roughly east he plotted a route over some the of the most beautiful, and at times rugged, parts of the country. As Hannah and I walked the same route 40 years later we could not stop ourselves from noting that every town and village the route passes through is ‘a nice little place’, even Richmond, which is actually quite a big place.
            The walk passes through the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Yorkshire Moors National Park before finishing at Robin Hood’s Bay some 192 miles later, if you keep to traditional path although there’s nothing against you taking detours (as long as you don’t trespass). We took in several extra miles, some deliberately and some by accident, but we kept going.
            Our next decision was how long we would take. Most people do it in two weeks, although some crazy people like to see how fast they can do it. The record is still something like 39 and a half hours, which was set by a runner back in 1991. We opted for the rather more sensible 14 days. We also decided to camp as much as possible for cost reasons, and to carry all our gear. At the time I said this was the only way to do the Coast to Coast properly and that anyone under 70 and not carrying their stuff was cheating. However having carried between 10 and 15kg every day for two weeks I have now relented, you can get away with it if you’re over 65.

So we planned and at the same time began preparing for the actual walking. During the months leading up to June both of us went out separately (we live at opposite ends of the country) to practice walking 5, 10, 15 miles in a day and then do it again the next. We loaded up bags with whatever heavy items could be found, laced up our boots and headed for the hills, because we knew we had a lot of them coming up.

Now I know that there has been a lot of rain this year, but if you will cast your mind back you will remember that in the middle of June there was a gorgeous spell of sunny weather that lasted almost two weeks. We set off some time in the middle of that and so it was a little disappointing to arrive in St Bees on Saturday 16^th June in the rain.

            Some people travel up the night before they start, but we confidently said we could take the train to St Bees in the morning and complete the first day before sunset. I left home at 6am and arrived spot on time some five hours later. Of course it does help when you can travel at 100mph. For the next two weeks we would do well to average 2mph.
            Then we hit our first problem, Hannah’s train was delayed and by the time she arrived it was already 1pm (and still raining). Was this a good idea we asked each other. Well there was nothing for it now!

St Bees Head