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Published: October 3rd 2017
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Kate took another day out due to a heavy cold so it’s down to me (Pete) to write today’s entry.
This was the longest day in terms of mileage and climbing we were due to cover just over 15 miles with a long and steep climb near the beginning of the day and another slightly less steep climb towards the end of the day.
Personally although I can see how people found the day hard I don’t wish to sound big headed when I say I didn’t find it challenging. I thought it was however a beautiful day filled with awesome scenery and brilliant company.
We started off from the accommodation along a quiet country driveway beside some traditional Lake District cottages, soon leaving these behind we started ascending past some spectacular waterfalls. There has been a lot of rain recently and the water is really powering down from the mountains which does provide and add to some already stunning scenery.
Passing through a gate past the Hayeswater hydro power installation our climb became ever more severe, the saving grace was that the going under foot was at least a loose stone track. Zulu the black lab
was in his usual position up front leading the way and Jess my Collie was doing her usual thing of relaying from the front of the group to the rear and back again constantly.
It was a slow and arduous slog up to the ridge line we were to follow but at least it was dry today although the wind was still hammering away at us, the sun was out!! Mother was doing well she’s like a little mountain goat, earlier over breakfast she’d been trying to decide if she would walk or whether she would go in the van; in the end she decided to walk and later admitted she was so pleased she did.
The scenery on this part of the trek was simply stunning and the sunny although very windy day made it even more pleasing on the eye, the photos simply won’t do it any justice.
By the time we got to our highest point some of the group were pretty spent but still strong, it had been a real slog to the top and now it was time to descend to the lake Haweswater. The route down was almost as arduous as
the route up only in different ways, we were all glad when we reached the bottom and had an easy track to follow along the lake shore......oh that’s right the lake shore track was pretty hacking too with lots of undulating ground.
Our guide had said there was a coffee shop about ‘10 minutes away’ it was never seen.....but our other guide James (the life saver) managed to meet us with the van and supply some excellent and well needed refreshments.
The last ‘few miles’ of the walk to our hostel for the night seemed to take an age, some of the group were really struggling and all of us were ready to see a hot meal and our beds about 2 miles before we actually got to our accommodation. It had indeed been the longest day and emotional but also excellent that we had done it. We all felt really proud of that and had a little hug at the end outside the hostel. The dogs had also done really well although I could tell Jess was really tired as anytime we stopped she would lay down and hope that was it for the day! Never seen
that happen before!!
All in all a hard, arduous but very rewarding day filled with some great laughs, some tears but lots of pride.
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