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>>