Walking 1000 miles from Lands end to John O'Groats in aid of The Air Ambulance (starts april 7th 2024)

Friday 5 September 2014

Day-31 Foot sore!

After yesterday's mammoth push (well it felt that way!) my feet ache badly and my get up and go has done just that! Achingly I still have to follow suit! Into Bowness on Windermere for provisions and then straight up a road that runs up and out of town at an alarming angle to the top of Bram fell,tiny B road's and the track in the pic take me to Gilding mill and then appropriately a place called Crook Foot! You couldn't make it up!. Here my luck improves with masses of blackberries to munch and damsons too!
Going into Crossthwaite I take a break on a wall overlooking the valley, a car stops thinking I'm a local and asks directions to Witherslack Hall school, which I could help with,noticing my rucksack they kindly donated £5.
A tiny Lane across the valley and a footpath up the other side and my path goes around the flanks of the cliff edged Whitbarrow scar, up and on top of this hills plateau and a fascinating landscape is mine to explore of sssi woodland and the rocky but pleasant land that I've found for my dinner break.
Down through the woods to Grain farm and looping roads to Levens for provisions, under the A590 and follow the A6 road to Haversham, a couple of long straight roads that wouldn't be out of place in the fens and I'm camped looking over the marshes of Milnthorpe sands.

Day-30 hump day!

The wild camp above derwent water was spot on, with no interruption, a nice early start and I'm heading deeper into Watendlath, skipping across the road in front of me goes a red squirrel! I've not seen one since my last pennine way walk, must be more than 7 years ago now! It's a morning for unusual sights, as I pass another viewpoint I spot two presumably pagans greeting the dawn or the rising sun, would have liked to have a chat but their meditations were taking some time!
Past the tarn and up a steep sided ascent, I'm being constantly overtaken by dogs as the local farms put there hunt dogs through their paces, boy can those dogs move!
At my considerably slower pace I trudge up the side of High Tove and over to Blea Tarn before going up standing crag and high saddle on route to the high point of my day Ullscarf! At 2175 feet not the highest I've been but a good push to get up it!, downhill along Greenup edge and then to another old friend Wainwrights coast to coast walk! And the usual throng of thru walkers!. Down to the head of Easedale for lunch shared with a group of Canadian C2C walkers the chap in the orange shirt in the picture kindly donated £20!!!.
Into the bottom of Easedale and I'm in Wordsworth country though with the sheer number of people here there's no chance to wander lonely.... Well you get my point! ;-)
A good icecream break in Grasmere then I'm off following the coffin route to Rydal! Some lovely folk here to chat to and I gave out no end of info cards!, and received another £10 in donations!
Through to Ambleside for provisions and a long wearying trudge along the A591 albeit with pleasant views of windermere water, until at 7.30pm I collapse down at the campsite.
A very tough but great days walk! Which has put me at past the half way point! From here on in the larger distance is behind me!