A bit late setting off, then up and up we go! Crappy weather, and the path was more like a watercourse - it must have rained bucket loads over the past few days as the water is pouring down the hills - its kind of like walking up a waterfall! What wasn't wet and rocky was peat bog so if you get off the path you sink to your knees in bog! Lots of crossing of rushing waterways over rocks - again - not really happy about this
Well today didn't quite go as expected - what was meant to be a bit of a climb out of the village, the across the top, then the low route into Grasmere turned out to be a hard slog.
It's raining again, but at least it's not too windy. So we're plodding up steps and through really boggy bits - I'm doing it tough today - the muscles are tired from the last couple of days. But we get to a really rocky scrambly bit and I find that I kind of like that better - easier on the hips. We finally get to the top and the various guide books are a bit ambiguous about which path to take - there's a high road and a low road but we can't work out where either of these are. So we take the right path but it doesn't feel right, so Joe backtracks to try and find the right way, but in the meantime another couple have joined us (we have already added a couple of older american guys and two women from the UK - more about them later) who know the way and are happy to lead us. Joe not really happy with this as he's found the right path and doesn't know about the new çouple who actually know what they are doing. Anyway we get back to walking (trudging) up futher and the views are amazing - the weather has cleared and it is really beautiful.
There was a funny moment up there today - there have been quite a few tricky water crossings, but most have been shallow water so the outcome is not too bad (just wet feet) but we came to a quite deep rushing stream with peat bog at either side - not the ideal launching pad for a water crossing! Pete, Narelle, Mandy and the two US guys got across Ok, then it was my turn. Pete and Joe have hooked two walking poles together and are holding them across the water like a handrail so I set off but in my panic to not fall into the water, I kind of forget about letting go of the pole and drag Joe with me, who wasn't quite ready. I'm not really sure what happened as the next thing I know we are both sprawled on the bank - apparently Joe worked out we were both about to go into the drink and so gave me an almighty shove and followed himself. Seems like it looked like I was either in a rugby ruck or scoring the winning try - very amusing for everyone else!
As I said before this wasn't my day - the next bit was an exteme downhill - rocky, boggy, slippery and a vertical drop on one side - so I have the full blown panic attack - did I mention that I'm not having fun right now? But very patient husband and brother get me down and we enjoy a walk along a very cute bridle path into Grasmere - a touristy town with some nice shops and places to stay. Narelle and Pheebs are in town, P+M & Joe and I are a little out of town at Chestnut Villa, run by the lovely Mike and Richard - had a bit of a mix up with bags getting delivered to the wrong B&Bs, but sorted out by Richard. Another old house but decorated in a more modern syle. We're in the attic in a lovely room with the tiniest bathroom possible - not able to stand in the bath to have a shower but I'm not capable of standing now anyway!
Revived by a bath, we walk into town via the pub for our consitutional cider, then to a really nice restaurant (Potted Out) attached to a garden centre for dinner. Great food and reasonably priced. I had the rabbit casserole - tasted just like chicken!
Home to bed - it has been a long, foot blistering day!
 |
| Not very pretty! |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave a message...