Date: Saturday 21st July 2007
Mileage: 16 miles
Weather: Raining most of the day then overcast, quite cool
Today was exciting, well, having a cup of tea in Keld was full of excitement. We arrived in Keld at 3 o'clock and stopped for a cup of tea and toasted teacakes at a very conveniently situated tea room and shop right on the C2C route (we've not had many opportunties to sample tea during the day on this trip). We had just sat down when one of the Ladybarn crew who we have passed a few times on the walk came in asking to use the phone to call an ambulance. A lady (not one of their party) had broken her ankle near the river. Three members of the Ladybarn crew were doctors (lucky) and were tending to her whilst the emergency services were called. Whilst the lady was down on the path her family came into the tea shop for coffee and ice-creams...strange! If that wasn't enough, shortly after a lady came into the shop to report that two cows had escaped from a field, run through a garden and were last seen tearing up the lane through the village! The tea shop lady said, "Nothing usually happens in Keld...."
Back to the walk. It was a solid plod. First out of Kirkby Stephen across a beautiful disused railway viaduct and across farmland. Just before we left KS we saw one of the parrots, a macaw, he was on a shop roof in town and squawking away - bizarre. As the weather has been so bad - the day before we arrived in KS they had had flash flooding in the town- we decided not to walk over the moors via Nine Standards. This is a very boggy spot at the best of times so we decided that discretion is the better part of valour and took the road route - tough on the feet but better than wading through smelly peat bogs. There's no denying it was a long slog up the road. It was up hill for 8 miles or so but there was hardly any traffic and we saw lots of birds (Curlew, Snipe, Grouse, Heron, Lapwing). It rained and rained but very warm as we toiled up the road and then it went cold as we breasted the hill and the wind hit us.
We passed from Cumbria into Yorkshire today - a significant moment. All rivers now flow towards the North Sea. We entered Swaledale - limestone, kilns, Swale River, waterfalls, Swaledale Sheep, stone barns, bridges and cottages. We followed a high, narrow path along the top of the dale and after a couple of miles there was Muker in the valley below - our B&B was in the village shop and the pub was next door - perfect.
Back to the walk. It was a solid plod. First out of Kirkby Stephen across a beautiful disused railway viaduct and across farmland. Just before we left KS we saw one of the parrots, a macaw, he was on a shop roof in town and squawking away - bizarre. As the weather has been so bad - the day before we arrived in KS they had had flash flooding in the town- we decided not to walk over the moors via Nine Standards. This is a very boggy spot at the best of times so we decided that discretion is the better part of valour and took the road route - tough on the feet but better than wading through smelly peat bogs. There's no denying it was a long slog up the road. It was up hill for 8 miles or so but there was hardly any traffic and we saw lots of birds (Curlew, Snipe, Grouse, Heron, Lapwing). It rained and rained but very warm as we toiled up the road and then it went cold as we breasted the hill and the wind hit us.
We passed from Cumbria into Yorkshire today - a significant moment. All rivers now flow towards the North Sea. We entered Swaledale - limestone, kilns, Swale River, waterfalls, Swaledale Sheep, stone barns, bridges and cottages. We followed a high, narrow path along the top of the dale and after a couple of miles there was Muker in the valley below - our B&B was in the village shop and the pub was next door - perfect.