Ship Shape in Shap

Our high point today was Kidsty Pike at 784 metres. It was quite a climb, up past Angle Tarn and The Knot. Just after leaving Patterdale we could hear a cuckoo. Again we had a bit of rain on the way up but it cleared for a bit at the top so we didn’t miss out on the views. The midges were biting at the top, they obviously know that’s were they can get a good feed.
We saw quite a few “fell runners” out today, racing straight down the hills. I was expecting one to do a face plant and roll the rest of the way down, but somehow they managed to stay upright.

My wet weather gear is quite a site, my coat is unfashionably long, down to my knees, I think it’s about 25 years old or more, and at least one size too big. My pants are made for some about 175cm tall, perhaps that’s the average height of a bush walker, but I’m only 164cm.

The midges knew about the lunch stop as well, at the bottom of the steep descent. After lunch we walked along beside Haweswater Reservoir and ended up at Brampton Grange. A taxi was arranged to take us into Shap for tonight and to ferry us back to join the route tomorrow. 25 kilometres and a big climb, not a bad effort.

We’re now leaving the Lake District behind us. I’ll miss the sound of the herdies bleating, we’ve climbed some fabulous hills, and the views were spectacular.Read more