Weather: Fine, breezy.
Distance:
27 km (16.8 miles) Total Distance: 3182 miles
Although it was a fine day for walking it followed a very
wet week and I dreaded to think what the ground would be like, in particular
the first stretch which was along the banks of a river.
I drove up from Coventry on this Saturday
morning without too much trouble only taking one wrong turn in Carlisle. I parked near the start of an industrial
estate and headed down to the river. The
first place of note was a hamlet of Grensdale and in particular the church on
the exit to the hamlet which although very old and picturesque was less so as
the way the path went was hidden from view!
The path near Beaumont was pretty hard to follow and overgrown plus
dangerously steep in places making a fall into the swollen Eden a possibility
if I were to loose my concentration.
After that the path improved and one of the highlights of the day was
getting very close to a hare. They are pretty big animals up close and I
thought for one instance it was a baby deer as it hopped / jumped away.
I was trying to time it so as to get to a pub to watch
England play Denmark in the world cup in Japan which is why I kept on going. By the time I reached the farmhouse art
Holmesmill I knew the game was about to start.
A very elderly woman was outside the house and I fear I gave her a bit
of a start so I tried to calm her by asking if the footpath went through the
farm yard which it did.
Onto the foreshore and I stopped to get out a tiny
radio which my son had said I could borrow. It was only moments into the match
but Owen had already scored for England.
The wind made it pretty difficult to hear and the earphones kept falling
out. I headed for the King Edward I
monument but the path was virtually disappeared at this point and it was hard
going. The monument was being repaired so I could not get close up to it. I kept going!
The first pub I found in Burgh appeared closed so I kept on
going and walked into one which looked likely.
I dreaded it being too full to get in but it was busy but not
packed. The landlord very kindly told me
to help myself to the buffet – most kind of him. By this time it was almost
half time and England were winning 2-0.
I wonder if he would have said that if they had been loosing.
The afternoon walk was not too interesting and the first three
miles or so were along a very straight road but it was not very busy so
relatively easy to walk along. Near Glassen
the map showed a sort of dog leg footpath off to the right which I decided to
take. The first part of the dog leg was
along a farm track but the second part the path disappeared and I had to hack
through overgrown fields and over fences – fortunately no bulls!
Port Carlisle
was a strange place – not too much money around by the looks of it but a row of
solid looking houses. A bowls match was
in progress with a strict dress code being enforced with everyone in white. Another mile or so and I was in Bowness. I found the B&B and went to tell the owner that I would hopefully return in about an hour once I had got a lift back to
the car.
A lift proved quite difficult to find or should I say a car!
Only three passed me in about 30 minutes.
One did stop but said they were only going part of the way. I kicked
myself for turning them down. But then a
couple in a Series 5 BMW with cream leather seats stopped and took me all the
way into Carlisle - excellent!
That night I ate in the pub where the entertainment was a
woman who had obviously been in there all day and rather the worse for ware.
The food was very good and cheap and I was well impressed with the whole place.
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