After a 'rest day' in Reeth we were feeling refreshed. I had decided to use my newly acquired Gelert bladder and had filled it with water and placed it in my rucksack. We had packed up the tent by 9:10am. As I put on my rucksack I realised it was wet and sure enough the Gelert bladder had been leaking. I thought it was because I had not tightened the tube sufficiently and having done so replaced it in my rucksack.  We said goodbye to the couple who had been camped next to us for the night and went and paid. Another Coast to Coast couple was also paying and we walked up the lane with them to the shop on the main road. They told us they had come via the 'low route' from Keld and we wondered if this might be a better option for us. However, I had no map of the route so we decided not to risk it. The shop is better stocked than the one in the centre and we bought crisps, snack bars and some tea cakes. As we left the first drops of rain were in the air. It was a grey and very windy day in complete contrast to the warm sun we had enjoyed the day before. We climbed out of Reeth and up onto the moors taking a route at variance with the path shown on the map. As we approached Cringley Bottom we sheltered from the strong wind behind the wall to put on our rain gear. We had some orange juice to drink and a packet of crisps to eat. On to Surrender Bridge and then a long trudge up towards Melbecks Moor. Stopped briefly to look once again at the Old Gangs Mine buildings. We were just surmising that all the Coast to Coasters may have taken the 'low route' and we might not see any today when along came one followed quickly by a woman and two men and then a couple. Finally, on the top, a man who had camped at Park House (where we were heading) in Keld, passed us. He praised the food and the shower at the camp site and we would later understand why! By now it had stopped raining, we had dried out and the mist and cloud, reported by those going in the opposite direction, had lifted. By 13:45pm we had reached the mine buildings at Gunnerside Gill and we sheltered behind a wall for our lunch. That morning I had realised that my gas cannister had become very empty. Whether I had underestimated our use of it, or it had been left partly turned on or it had never been full when we left home I do not know but I kicked myself for not having bought a spare in Richmond. It was, however, very cold and I decided to risk heating water for a cup of soup. By the time we departed we were both feeling the chill and the rain had started again. We passed on through Swinner Gill and up to Crackpot Hall pausing only briefly. The rain had stopped and as we descended to Keld we quickly dried out in the wind. We sat on the seat above the waterfall for 'old times sake' and as we crossed the bridged realised that we had now completed half the Coast to Coast. Littlebeck and The Hermitage seemed an age away. We walked on through Keld and passed Butt House (no vacancies) and Keld Lodge which does evening meals and welcomes all. Finally we reached Park House, where we intended to camp, and received a warm welcome. Food is on offer for campers, - £4.50 for a delicious bowl of stew and a baguette - a barn with table and chairs is available for use by campers, a free hot centrally heated shower which was by far the best we had encountered in any of the B&Bs or camp sites so far and plenty of piping hot water for washing etc. As I unpacked my rucksack I discovered it was soaking wet inside. The filler cap on the Gelert bladder did not seal properly and so water had been leaking out of it all day! Fortunately my dry clothes and sleeping bag were secure inside Exped Drybags which had served their purpose admirably and it was really only my Thermarest that had got wet. This quickly dried in the strong wind once I hung it on the picnic table.  It was a windy night with periodic rain but we were warm and snug in our tent.

<<Back  Next>>