Day 6 - Sunday 19th July
Kirkby Stephen to Keld
13miles: 7h 10mins
Slept solidly and woke around 7:30am. I could hear people breaking
camp and after lying there for ½ hour eventually emerged. All the
little tents that had been there the night before had vanished, only a few
larger ones remained. Two Coast to Coasters next to me were using the Sherpa
to carry their bags and had what seemed to me to be a 'massive' tent. They
were going to take the road to Keld today. Only a mere 8 miles! Four girls
doing the D of E were also camped. They had come over Nine Standards yesterday
and said it was very boggy. I spoke with an elderly couple with an enormous
tent and a massive people mover to put it in. He worked a '4 day week' instead
of having his holiday in a block and each weekend they went away walking.
There were a couple of blokes, one of whom was Dad's 'skinheads' (quite
literally), but older now of course. He had been talking very loudly the
night before despite it being midnight. I was in no rush. I had the luxury
of a picnic table to eat breakfast from, then I put my washing on, hung
everything out in the glorious sunshine to air and dry, rang Gemma and tended
my feet. It was after all Sunday morning. Eventually at midday I set off
into Kirkby long after everyone else had departed. There were the 'beer swigging
skinheads' as Dad described but now in their fading youth they no longer
came in coaches but on very expensive motorbikes! I found it incongruous
that such clientele should be attracted to a place with such a prominent
' Temperance Hall'. Stopped at the Spar shop and bought provisions including
a milk shake. The lady at the till said they were 'two for the price of one'
but I politely explained that I didn't think I could drink 2 and didn't want
to carry the other one. She kindly let me have my bottle of Lucozade for
nothing. From this and the fact I wore boots (rucksack was left outside)
she correctly surmised I was a Coast to Coaster. We chatted about that and
her daughter who had done her D of E and she would have continued were it
nor for the queue of 5 people that had formed! After so many days walking
I find the hustle and bustle of shops overpowering. Sensory overload I suppose!
I drank my milk shake on the bench almost opposite and it was virtually 1:00pm
by the time I set off. Over Franks Bridge I walked with two locals, out with
their dogs, for a few hundred yards. He informed me there is a good footpath
from the campsite to where we were that avoids going through the centre of
Kirkby. Ahead were a 'young' couple who I later identified as not being so
young after all. He had live in Kirkby so they stopped frequently for him
to point out things of interest to her and as a result I caught up with them.
They were headed up to the Nine Standards but as soon as we reached an uphill
stretch it became evident I was considerably slower than them and they went
ahead. It was an absolutely glorious day - sunny, not too warm and a breeze.
I spotted the Nine Standards from the road just after the quarry but only
briefly as they became obscured again. There were good views back over Kirkby
Stephen and the fells I had traversed yesterday. At 3:00pm I stopped, made
some tea and dozed in the sun. Donned gaiters and shorts and continued to
Nine Standards meeting the 'not so young' couple, on their way back, shortly
before the summit. They were the last people I met today until I reached
Keld. Fantastic 270 degree panorama from the top. Able to see back as far
as Helvellyn and Scafell Pike. I took the 'blue route' although the 'red
route' was signed. It was indeed boggy and if it had not been a dry year
then almost impassable in places. This continued all the way down to Ney
Gill. Somewhere here I lost my water bottle that I had found on the Penine
Way! At one point I paused and whilst standing there, as if from nowhere,
8 partridges flew up from the reedy grass. My feet were holding up well.
By Ney Gill I brewed 'bog water tea'. The water was very brown but far from
making the tea brown it seemed to turn it grey! I thought the next section
would be easy going and had removed my gaiters but again there were parts
that were very boggy. The road into Keld follows the line of an impressive
limestone scar. About ½ mile before Keld there is a campsite that
tempted me with ice cold drinks, ice creams and hot showers/ Only £3.
I resisted and continued on into Keld, passing a field for camping, down
to the river. It was 8:10pm. Someone had told me earlier it was a 'good site'.
I should have read David's description. The midges were out in force. Despite
my defences they were going in my mouth and my nose. I retreated back up
to the filed where the 'Sherpa Coast to Coasters' were also camped in their
'mansion'. I set up camp and had food. No telephone reception but a phone
box only 100yds away so had a long conversation with David and Gemma. Whilst
in the phone box two large helicopters came across very, very low obviously
on a night training exercise. They kept returning periodically until well
after midnight. Went to sleep at about midnight. I saw no 'Coast to Coaster's
today while I was walking and no one out walking after the Nine Standards.
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