13th – 17th May 2024
Introduction
Mike and I, after last year’s start to the England Coast Path, had
decided that our annual five days trip in the limited time we have left, should
not be wasted on dreary tramps through industrial parts of the country. With
the Coast to Coast (C2C) due an upgrade to a national trail, the idea of a
traverse of the Lake District became more interesting. The accommodation gets
very booked up so eight months in advance I had made reservations for hotels for
the St Bees to Kirkby Stephen section. Little did I know that train strikes
would continue and proliferate during the winter. In the weeks leading up to
our departure, transport issues would dominate our plans and the easiest
solution was to leave a car as near as possible to the start and finish points.
Therefore, on Sunday 12th May 2024, we drove up the Carlisle,
left the car in Sainsbury’s on a prebooked parking basis, and took the last
train to St Bees. Leaving behind a wonderful spring day in Cheshire, it was
raining as we walked from the station to Seacroft Hotel at the beach. A rather
delayed meal of fish and chips, the kitchen was busy even though we had
reserved a table, gave me the opportunity to mark the start of our holiday with
two pints of Wainwright’s Gold (4.1%), a very appropriate beer for the walk we
were embarking on. Watered and fed and after a good night’s sleep, we were
ready to go.
Monday 13th May 2024 St Bees – Ennerdale Bridge
Don’t Forget the Pebble
Just before 9am, we stepped out of
the hotel into a large, bare and rather empty car park. The rain had stopped
and it was a warm morning with not a breath of wind. A haze hung over the sea
as we went in search of the official start of the C2C trail. This we found at
the top of some steps leading down to the pebble-covered beach. A young lady
was requisitioned to take the mandatory photograph to record the moment, then
we were reminded to dip our boots in the Irish Sea, collect a pebble and carry
it with us across the country. The sea was too far out so we made do with a
pool at the bottom of the steps. But we each chose a pebble to take over to the
North Sea, and deposit at Robin Hoods Bay in maybe two years’ time. Then it was
up the steps and the steep grassy side of St Bees Head and our annual walk was
underway.
It seemed a long way along the
grassy clifftop path, heading northwards and not inland as expected. Four miles
of high cliffs took us passed a lighthouse, round North Head and to an active
stone quarry before we turned east towards the village of Sandwith. The quiet
little hamlet looked lovely as the sun burnt off the morning mist and a
pleasant series of grassy tracks took us towards the Lakeland hills. A descent
into a damp valley led to an underpass beneath the railway line and up the
other side to a disuse railway that was now a cycleway. I had assumed that the
C2C would use this old line but a sign pointed directly into Moor Row. At the
entrance to the village stood a statue and monument to C2C walkers, although
the stone figure looked more like a fisherman than a walker. A local led us
through the village and showed us the line of the original route. We were
quickly crossing fields and sports grounds towards Cleator and its little
village shop. A brief halt to resupply and grab a takeaway coffee and then we
were directed towards a bench in the kiddies play area where sandwiches could
be quietly consumed.
The afternoon section began with
an ascent and traverse of Dent Hill via the western ridge through Blackhow
Wood. The descent on the east side began gently enough but ended with a steep
drop down to Nannycatch Beck. This was a stunning remote valley which was
spoilt for us only by the need to don waterproofs against the increasing heavy
drizzle. The head of the valley led onto a very busy moorland road used, we
later found out, as a rat-run for Sellafield traffic. Dodging the speeding
traffic and even a low loader and support vehicle, we eventually arrived into
Ennerdale Bridge and our hotel for the night. It had been a tough start to our week
and a warning of what was to come.
St Bees dep. 08.52, Ennerdale
Bridge arr. 16.37
GPS 14.70 miles in 7hr 10mins 09secs
walking time with 30 mins lunch stop in Cleator.
Stayed in the Shepherds Arms,
Ennerdale Bridge and ate a roast lamb dinner with ginger sponge and custard for
dessert. Drinks included Keswick Gold (3.6%) from Keswick Brewing Co. and Mowdy
Pale Ale (4.0%) from Tractor Shed.
Tuesday 14th May 2024 Ennerdale Bridge – Seatoller
Sailing Over to Honister
It had been raining all night and the roads were wet as we left the pub
in full raingear. A mile and a half of road brought us to the foot of Ennerdale
Lake. The path round the south side was well made up at first but quickly
deteriorated into a narrow rock-strewn trod and then a scramble up and around a
steep headland. A party of Australian walkers were finding this rather testing
and one of their number turned back and went round the other side of the lake. A
series of wooded stream crossings slowed down the pace and it was over two
hours before we had completed the four miles to the head of the lake. Here in a
grassy field, a lone walker who had passed us earlier was waiting for company
to pass a herd of cattle. Continuing on the south side of the river, we made better
progress on a forestry track that took us another four miles up the valley. As
we switched to the north bank, a group of Canadian walkers joined us and
accompanied us to Black Sail Youth Hostel, probably the most remote
accommodation in England. As the rain was still heavy, we slipped inside and
found a spare table where we ate our sandwiches. Sharing the table was a girl
walking the C2C with her dog Roo, a fox-red Labrador. Our paths would cross
several times during the coming week.
It was raining as hard as ever as we left the youth hostel and traversed the
hillside to the bottom of the Black Sail Pass. Here we were faced with a steep
and slippery staircase of stones and rocks as the path ascended 1000ft up the
valley wall. The trod crossed and recrossed a tumbling stream which was now in
spate. Mike stumbled on one of these precarious fords and took some time to
recover. Meanwhile the Canadian women had caught us up and, when we regathered
the troops at the top of the pass, we set out together across the high route towards
the Honister quarries and then down the old tramway to the visitors’ centre and
café below. Some of the C2C walkers descended into Borrowdale down the road but
Mike and I, purists to the last, took the signed track down to Seatoller. This
brought us out above our hotel with no obvious access into the grounds. We were
forced back to the road for the last 100 yards to the hotel entrance. Two very
wet and weary walkers climbed the steps into the reception lobby. We deposited
much of our wet gear in the drying room, full as it was of clothing from other
guests. We had time for showers and a rest before taking our seats in the
restaurant for the one and only sitting at 7.30pm.
Ennerdale Bridge 08.42, Seatoller arr.16.22
GPS 13.83 miles in 7hrs 36mins 22secs
walking time plus a 40 mins stop at Black Sail Youth Hostel.
Stayed at the Glaramara Hotel,
Seatoller. Dinner of seabass fillets and apple crumble and custard. The beer was Loweswater Gold (4.3%) from Cumbrian
Ales, Hawkshead.
Wednesday 15th May 2024 Seatoller – Grasmere
Up Greenup and Down Easedale
Pole position for breakfast enabled us to be walking by 8.15am.
Borrowdale looked a picture in the morning sunshine, especially after arriving
in yesterday’s dreich weather. We cut across the field path to Seathwaite
Church and then crossed the river to gain the path up Greenup Gill. A long and
steady climb high up above the stream led between steep-sided hills that closing
in around us as we gained altitude. In the upper reaches of the valley, the
path contoured round to cross and recross the rushing mountain torrent. I
looked back after one of these crossings and was alarmed to see Mike lying head
down on his back just above a small waterfall. He had slipped and fallen onto a
small waterfilled ledge and was lucky not to had hurt himself. With much mirth,
I helped him to his feet and we proceeded up to what we thought was the top of
the climb. Only to be faced by a 200ft wall of grass and rocks leading up to
Greenup Edge. Pretty exhausted, it was a relief to find that much of the path
across the high plateau was flagged with stone slabs. Faster progress could now
be made over the highest point where views over Easedale and Grasmere began to
open up. Eventually we arrived at the top edge of Far Easedale and were tempted
by the level path along the ridge to our left. But we would have to go down
sometime so now was the moment. Down we plunged on a stony trod and wet grass.
The drop to the valley floor was tricky and time consuming and some care
was necessary on some of the steeper sections.
Just as the going was flattening out and we were crossing a grassy patch
beside the stream, Mike again disappeared from view. I found him sitting in 2
ft of water facing upstream in a fast-flowing pool. This time I had great
difficulty helping him. His torso and the rucksack were entirely submerged and
there was little to take hold of to haul him out. He threw his walking pole and
camera onto the bank and slowly worked himself into a position to crawl out. He
was soaked to the skin, his rucksack was saturated and his camera was damaged
beyond repair. A change of clothes was necessary before we continued
tentatively down the valley and across the footbridge onto easier ground. A
long winding track led along the side of the now quietly flowing beck and we
followed this into the outskirts of Grasmere. Our original plans were to bypass
the village and ascend to just below Dunmail Raise and thence up Little Tongue
to Grisedale Tarn. It had taken nearly 6 hrs to complete 8 miles and the
prospect of another major mountain stage was not good. We sat on a bench near
Goody Bridge, ate our sandwiches and discussed our various options.
Although Grasmere was busy with tourists, I was sure we would get
accommodation somewhere in the village. This would mean foregoing our pre-paid
bookings at Glenridding and Shap, an expensive choice. An alternative was to
bus it round to Glenridding, miss out the afternoon section of our route, and keep
to our pre-arranged schedule for the last two days. Taking coffee in Heaton
Cooper’s café, Mathilde’s, we were able to watch the buses depart regularly for
Windermere so we jumped on one driven by trainee driver who lost a side mirror
in a roadside tree. The trainer made the trainee walk back to recover it whilst
he drove the bus the rest of the way to Windermere. Here we popped into Booth’s
to get sandwiches for the following day, then caught the bus over the Kirkstone
Pass. This dropped us outside our bed & breakfast in Glenridding and once
we had negotiated entry via a key in a code box, we had time for showers and depositing
clothes in the drying facilities before hiking up the road to the local pub.
Seatoller dep. 08.19, Grasmere arr.14.45
GPS 8.19 miles in 5hrs 55mins 54secs
walking time plus 30 mins eating butties near Goody Bridge.
In Glenridding we stayed at the
Fairlight Guesthouse and ate at the Travellers Rest. I had Penang curry
followed by apple & blackberry crumble and custard.
Thursday 16th May 2024
Glenridding – Shap
Reunion with Old Friends
It was a quiet, still and warm morning as we slipped out of the silent
guest house. It did not remain that way however as I had to crash back in again
to collect the walking pole I had left in the bedroom. A short walk along the
roadside took us passed Patterdale Church where we turned into a field track to
Side Farm. A path from there climbed steadily up the hillside with magnificent
views of Brotherswater and the Kirkstone Pass beyond. The climbing ended when
we pulled onto Boredale Hause. The well-defined path then headed across a
plateau of hillocks and stony outcrops. Contouring round the largest of these
brought us to the wonderfully situated Angle Tarn. It had started to rain and
the hills around us were now capped in cloud. The hillside ahead was peopled by
walkers, some of them familiar to us from earlier encounters. Two figures in
particular were instantly recognisable, a girl and her dog struggling up the
long slog beneath the Knot. This surely was Anita and Roo who we had met with at
Black Sail two days before. We followed them into the mist and stood chatting
briefly until two Australians, again old friends, climbed to join us. Then a
party of C2C walkers completed the ascent of Ramsgill Head and were rewarded
when, halfway across the head of Riggindale, the mist began to clear revealing
a gloriously sunny day to the east. There was a regathering of all parties at
Kidsty Pike summit cairn and then began the big descent pausing briefly to eat
our Booth’s butties and wallowing in the view of Haweswater below.
The first part of the descent was a tricky set of rocky steps through a
buttress of cliffs. This became very steep grass that only began to ease at lake
level. I had a start on the rest and was be able to take my time on this taxing
section. Roo the dog was the first to catch me followed by his owner, Anita. As
I waited for Mike, Roo was set the task of retrieving his ball from a
fast-flowing mountain stream and he was loving the diversion from the main task
of covering the miles. It was a magnificently sunny afternoon along the lake
(or reservoir to be accurate). A lakeside path wound for three miles or so
above the shoreline, sometimes climbing away from the water’s edge to
circumnavigate a crag or some woodland. At the end of Haweswater, the route
passed through the tiny hamlet of Burnbanks and onto a concessionary path that
wound its way through marshy meadows and sheep-grazed fields. Eventually the
field paths brought us to Shap Abbey, a ruin that stood majestically next to a
farm in a quiet valley beside a small stream. A farm track crossed the stream
and, ignoring a pointless field path, we continued up and into a series of
lanes that led directly to Shap village. Our accommodation for the night was
the first building we came to.
Glenridding dep. 09.00, Shap arr.19.00
GPS 16.76 miles in 9hrs 36mins 48secs walking time plus a 20 mins lunch stop below Kidsty Pike.
We stayed in the New Ing Lodge and
for a meal, we walked ½ ml through the village to the Kings Arms where I ordered
chicken tikka, naan bread and rice and drank Keswick Gold (3.6%) and Neck Oil
Session IPA(4.3%) from Beavertown Brewery, Tottenham. To cap a classic day on
the hills, Anita and Roo joined us for a late drink and we chatted till well
past our normal bed times.
Friday 17th May 2024
Shap - Orton
Outside the Chocolate Factory
The plan for our week away involved catching a train from Kirkby Stephen
to rescue our car. So that our homecoming was at a reasonable time, the 5pm
train was our aim but the station was nearly 20 miles from Shap. And at
yesterday’s pace we would not get there in time. We examined the option of an
intermediate taxi pick-up point on route. But the taxis were not available
after 3pm because of school run commitments. An earlier pick-up was unavoidable
even though this which would curtail our day even more. We settled on a 2.15pm
taxi rendezvous outside the chocolate factory in Orton some 8 miles down the
trail and a chance to catch an earlier train. A more leisurely breakfast could
be enjoyed followed by our latest start of the week. The C2C exits Shap village
from the main street opposite last night’s pub, the Kings Arms. We were soon
out in the fields above the houses. Shap is basically a one street town. Within
minutes the west coast main line railway was crossed and we were walking beside
the M6 motorway. I took a photo of the motorway footbridge as I had driven this
stretch of road countless times and have never known which was the actual one.
On we pressed at a goodly pace across much easier terrain than we have
had all week. An industrial complex contained a quarry and reservoir and just
beyond was a large farm at Oddendale. The route then turned at right angles and
traversed a sheep-grazed limestone plateau with the occasion stand of limestone
pavement. Two trees were the dominant features in a generally bare and
windblown landscape. A large ‘accidental’ rock of granite-type composition
could have been Robin Hood’s grave, or at least one of his several graves we
have encountered. Crossing a narrow moorland road, the route proceeded in a
loop over rougher grassland and emerged on a busy road that led down into
Orton. The C2C reach Orton via a lovely grassy descent through a wooded
hillside and over some farmland following a small stream. The entry to the
village was across a flower meadow that was so ecologically important that it
had been designated as an SSSI. The old vicarage had an impressive tree-filled
estate and garden and was adjacent to the Orton Scar Café, a great opportunity
for lunch before our trip home. As instructed we were sitting outside the chocolate
factory at 2.15pm but the taxi man was not in a hurry. The first thing he did
when he arrived was to disappear into the factory shop and emerge eating a
massive ice-cream. It did not take long to reach Kirby Stephen station and we
had time to figure out the ticket machine before the 3pm train arrived. Our
week was over and next year’s continuation would necessitate a taxi pick-up and
transfer back to Orton.
Shap dep. 09.08, Orton arr. 13.00
GPS 8.30 miles in 3hrs 50mins 33secs
Conclusion
I had planned and booked the
schedule and accommodation some eight months in advance to ensure that, on this
busy trail, we had our annual week away organised. What I had not taken into
account was the difficulty of the terrain and the inevitable march of time on
our lessening abilities. Although I had originally kept the daily mileage to
17/18 mile maximum, the third day plan for Seatoller to Glenridding, involving
two big mountain passes, was beyond our present capabilities. In retrospect I
should have split that third day plan into two and made it a six-day trip in
total. But the lack of flexibility with prepaid bookings did not allow me to change the arrangements. The bus alternative
from Grasmere to Glenridding kept all the hotel bookings in place but missed
out a 9-mile section of the C2C over Grisedale Tarn. We will have to go back
and complete this at a later date. In the meantime, we have 63 miles under our
belts and are in a good position to return next year to Orton and attempt the
next stage to Richmond and Danby Wyke via Kirkby Stephen and Keld.
