Day 3 - Stonethwaite to Grasmere
25.06.13
DISTANCE WALKED: 9.5 miles
I was a bit concerned this morning when I got out of bed and walked with a definite lurch to the left. I was glad when I realised that this was due to the floor sloping in the 400 year old B&B and not down to some form of horrible and as yet medically undiscovered muscle injury. I slept well, although the burning feet and sore knees and quads took a while to settle down, and I woke refreshed and ready for another day. I was determined to stick to the high level alternative again today but as it was a short walk I planned to take it slowly - no jarring, strains, hammer toes or hot spots.
Today's efforts started with a steep climb up out of the Borrowdale valley. I stuck to my plan and didn't make haste (but I don't think I could have even if I wanted to). The path follows Greenup Gill with its many waterfalls and tributaries to cross. Good way to clean the boots. Eagle Crag (525m) is on the right and looks huge from the valley floor, but by the time I got to Greenup Edge I was looking down on Eagle Crag. Ha.
As I climbed, the views back down to Borrowdale were amazing. The climb got steeper again beyond the waterfalls then dropped into a basin of drumlins which are mounds created by glacial action. Then another steep climb to pass up and over Lining Crag (500m) and on to Greenup Edge. From Lining Crag you can see right back to the Coast. From Greenup Edge (620m) the ridge walk takes in Calf Crag (538m), Gibson Knott and Helm Crag amongst others; each with better views of Grasmere, each giving panoramic views of the eastern lakes beyond.
The way is over peat bogs and rocky steps and is very wet in places to say the least. Both boots went in ankle deep at some point! By the way, songs of the day on the internal iPod today switched between REM 'Superman' (which I guess popped into my head with a nod to yesterday's efforts), Bowie's 'Queen Bitch' and of course 'Panic' by The Smiths...Hopes may rise over Grasmere and all that. I took a lunch stop at Moment Crag, took my boots off, lay back in the sun and watched as three ravens flew by so close I could hear the air moving.
There are plenty of the local Herdwick sheep who are born black but become white and grey as they get older. In between they go through a stage of having a brown body and a white face which confused me as I had begun to think that some of them were cows (in a Father Ted sort of way - these sheep are very small; those sheep are far away). They are very cute and I was sorry for continually disturbing them. I wondered if they kept thinking 'bloody grockles'. Probably just grass, wolf, grass, wolf, grass, wolf and so on.
Arrived at picturesque but touristy Grasmere just before 6pm and took a stroll around the busy village to see where Wordsworth is buried after he ceased wandering lonely as a cloud; stocked up with lunch supplies and bumped into fellow walkers for a coffee and a jolly good laugh as we exchanged updates at the bistro where they had finished dining and were supping the last of a bottle of red. I myself dined a la Co-op meal deal as I was not hungry enough for a pub meal. My B&B tonight is all boutique designer and very swish, I am terrified of turning round with my rucksack on and breaking something. There are two black cats here which I am assured of meeting tomorrow.
One thing I have remembered so far is to charge up the batteries for everything and to take plenty of piccies, which I usually forget or can't be bothered to do. I told Pete I will make a series of postcards up called scenic places I have weed at.
Today's stats are almost embarrassing but deliberately so, and I have awarded myself the ISO1234567890 and various EU standards for energy conservation:
Odometer
8.61 miles
Cumulative Miles
42.0 miles
Total Ascent
705 metres
Total Descent
783 metres
Moving Time
4h 31 m
Stopped Time
3h 53 m
Moving Average
1.9 mph
I was a bit concerned this morning when I got out of bed and walked with a definite lurch to the left. I was glad when I realised that this was due to the floor sloping in the 400 year old B&B and not down to some form of horrible and as yet medically undiscovered muscle injury. I slept well, although the burning feet and sore knees and quads took a while to settle down, and I woke refreshed and ready for another day. I was determined to stick to the high level alternative again today but as it was a short walk I planned to take it slowly - no jarring, strains, hammer toes or hot spots.
Today's efforts started with a steep climb up out of the Borrowdale valley. I stuck to my plan and didn't make haste (but I don't think I could have even if I wanted to). The path follows Greenup Gill with its many waterfalls and tributaries to cross. Good way to clean the boots. Eagle Crag (525m) is on the right and looks huge from the valley floor, but by the time I got to Greenup Edge I was looking down on Eagle Crag. Ha.
As I climbed, the views back down to Borrowdale were amazing. The climb got steeper again beyond the waterfalls then dropped into a basin of drumlins which are mounds created by glacial action. Then another steep climb to pass up and over Lining Crag (500m) and on to Greenup Edge. From Lining Crag you can see right back to the Coast. From Greenup Edge (620m) the ridge walk takes in Calf Crag (538m), Gibson Knott and Helm Crag amongst others; each with better views of Grasmere, each giving panoramic views of the eastern lakes beyond.
The way is over peat bogs and rocky steps and is very wet in places to say the least. Both boots went in ankle deep at some point! By the way, songs of the day on the internal iPod today switched between REM 'Superman' (which I guess popped into my head with a nod to yesterday's efforts), Bowie's 'Queen Bitch' and of course 'Panic' by The Smiths...Hopes may rise over Grasmere and all that. I took a lunch stop at Moment Crag, took my boots off, lay back in the sun and watched as three ravens flew by so close I could hear the air moving.
There are plenty of the local Herdwick sheep who are born black but become white and grey as they get older. In between they go through a stage of having a brown body and a white face which confused me as I had begun to think that some of them were cows (in a Father Ted sort of way - these sheep are very small; those sheep are far away). They are very cute and I was sorry for continually disturbing them. I wondered if they kept thinking 'bloody grockles'. Probably just grass, wolf, grass, wolf, grass, wolf and so on.
Arrived at picturesque but touristy Grasmere just before 6pm and took a stroll around the busy village to see where Wordsworth is buried after he ceased wandering lonely as a cloud; stocked up with lunch supplies and bumped into fellow walkers for a coffee and a jolly good laugh as we exchanged updates at the bistro where they had finished dining and were supping the last of a bottle of red. I myself dined a la Co-op meal deal as I was not hungry enough for a pub meal. My B&B tonight is all boutique designer and very swish, I am terrified of turning round with my rucksack on and breaking something. There are two black cats here which I am assured of meeting tomorrow.
One thing I have remembered so far is to charge up the batteries for everything and to take plenty of piccies, which I usually forget or can't be bothered to do. I told Pete I will make a series of postcards up called scenic places I have weed at.
Today's stats are almost embarrassing but deliberately so, and I have awarded myself the ISO1234567890 and various EU standards for energy conservation:
Odometer
8.61 miles
Cumulative Miles
42.0 miles
Total Ascent
705 metres
Total Descent
783 metres
Moving Time
4h 31 m
Stopped Time
3h 53 m
Moving Average
1.9 mph