Neither Sam or Louise have ever walked over 12 miles in a day so this will be a big test for all of us and it is a blessing that the weatehr has cooled.
We left Patterdale and set off up the Kirkstone Pass to Boredale Hause and on to AngleTarn Pike's. The first 2 miles of the day are a long slog up a steep incline and we need to pace ourselves. Angletarn is around 1600 feet above sea level and a great place to stop for lunch.
The weather was changing all th etime and now we could see the clouds coming in and the mountain tops ahead were starting to be hidden from view. At last some real lakeland weather!
By the time we had got to the next peak, Satura Crag, you could not see more than 25 feet ahead but we continued on and passed the 50 mile mark in the mist!
The coast to coast walk takes a left turn just before the High Street but we continued on for the mile extra to see the cairn at the top (2718 feet above sea level) or as Sam put it, we missed the turn-off.
Back to the path for Kidsty Pike (2560 ft) and the clouds were starting to lift and the sun was breaking through so we could see Haweswater in the valley below.
Getting down Kidsty Pike is simple but a) along walk and b) very steep and took us a good while to get to the reservoir below. At this point we have only done around 9 of todays 18 miles. half way down and out came the sun, visibility cleared and Haweswater looked amazing.
The next stage is a 5 mile trek around the banks of the reservoir on a 'path' that certainly undulates! It is a roller coaster of a walk and by the time we have finished it we are ready for the end of the day, just another 6 miles to go.
This is the time to say goodbye to the lakes and you can see the scenery change before your eyes as we leave Haweswater Dam and walk through Burnbanks and find cultivated valleys, pastureland and fields of buttercups, what a contrast!
The path now follows a lovely stream (Haweswater Beck) for 2 miles through a mixture of woodlands, meadows and open fields to Ross Gill Bridge.
It takes lots of encouragement and distraction (including the singing of African hunting songs as we walked) to get through the last few miles of road and fields to Shap but we all dig very deep and manage to find our accomodation for the night, the Kings Arms. The Kings Arms is a delighful pub and serves a great selection of food and has the added advantage of being opposite the starting point for tomorrows walk!
Our Aussie friends are already in the pub having finished a couple of hours ago and really made Sams day with all the fuss they made of him for having completed the day. They made him their official team mascot which he was thrilled about. Several other Coast to Coasters were at the pub and we all shared stories about the day and (of course) had a few beers to celebrate our achievement.
Tomorrow should be a walk in the park, a mere 8 miles to Orton.
