July 12, Caldbeck to Carlisle

 Today began with a crisis. When I tried to leave the pub, the key to the exit door would not turn in the lock.  Now to backtrack.  I had asked, when I checked in, if there was anything I needed to know about how the lock worked—I ALWAYS ask this—and the kid who was showing me to my room said there was not and that furthermore, there would be someone on the premises at 5:00 a.m. (about which I was quite dubious) so that the regular door would be open.  A sixteen mile day lay ahead and I was locked inside the Oddfellows Arms.  I phoned, no answer, of course, nor do they have an emergency contact number.  There wasn't even a window you could break in order to get out.  I called 999, spoke to the police who told me to speak to the fire people, none of whom could help.  I was enraged and actually terrified at being locked in.  After about the fifth try, the key turned in the lock and then you  have to know to turn the door handle down because that is a British thing.  This took about 20 minutes.  Was I ever glad to get out of there.

The walk was not difficult—a couple of small navigational errors, easily corrected—but it was pretty dull, especially near the end when you have to walk miles on a bike path.  Deadly.  Let's put it this way, I don't think there was a single bench on the entire route

Notice the absence of mountains:

Vegetation like this:

But wow!  Take a look at this iv(or)y tower!

It was a sleepy sort of day:

But theses guys were not wasting any time:

Why the long face, horsie?

"Well, since you won't give me anything, I guess I will just have to fend for myself:"

Sheep wool hanging out to dry

Look to the left and you see barley, lots and lots of barley:

Look to the right, and you see this:

Can you see who is hiding in the woods?

Teasel:

 Thistle

Apparently they come from entirely different families. Had it not been for a woman we (Alex and Alex and I) met last year who had a gorgeous metal railing with  a teasel motif, I would have spent the  rest of my life thinking that teasel was a British way of pronouncing thistle!  There is so much to learn!

This photo was taken on the 13th, but fits so well with the thistle and the teasel!  It is a blue globe thistle

Approaching Carlisle, I encountered an  (old) woman in a wheelchair, walking her dog....she wasn't walking but the dog was, but you can't say rolling her dog.  Anyway, she asked me if I were a fisherwoman!  "No," I told her.  "Well what are you dressed up as?" "A hiker."  She asked me where I was going, so I asked her where she was going. "To the cemetery," she said.  "It is very pretty there."

I don't think it was this one, though:

Carlisle is a surprisingly attractive, small  city....well, at least the part I have seen.  Tomorrow will be a day of exploration and sightseeing.

July 11, Keswick

This is the day I did not walk from Keswick to Caldbeck.  Instead I did a bunch of walks in the woods and fields on the western shore or maybe it was the eastern shore of Dentwater.  I was not sorry for the decision, although it seems I have to tell myself that every chance I get!  Oh.....skipping ahead....at the Oddfellows bar in Caldbeck, I was talking with a woman to whom I said, inter alia, that one of the things I worried about on the route was the scrambling, and she said, "No, there is no scrambling.  There are just i a couple of places you have to put one arm way up here and hold on, and your other arm way up there...." and that was enough!  Back to Keswick.

What a way to start out!

So calm!  So majestic!

How do you like your views?  Plain?

With sheep?

With sheep, and trees, and walls, and hills that may or may not be alive with the sound of music?

If only I spoke doggie-language I might have found out what this dog was so eagerly searching for in the stream.  He was having the best doggie-day ever:

Oh, how the mighty have fallen:

An example of a not helpful directional sign:

Example of a helpful directional sign....if you happen to be going in that direction, of course:

One excursion I took through lovely fields was to Stone Circle.  I was expecting some Druid,  or Roman, or Norman or Saxon or whatever mound that an archeologist had determined with utter certainty was the marker of the festival of the full moon on the third month of the tenth year of the ritual of initiating young boys into the clan as warriors by presenting each with a stout club after which roast pig was consumed with mead and much merriment and song.  But, no, It was actually not even a circle but rather two sides of a square.  No matter, the walk was terrific.

When I returned to the hotel a little after 1:00 to await the taxi, I noted with horror that my suitcase was not there!  AND my locator had run out of charge (my fault)  Anyway, it turned out that Sherpa had picked up the bag even though they were not supposed to and were taking it to Caldbeck, which was absolutely fine.  But there was some drama there until it all "got sorted."

Caldbeck is a cute little village:

After making—and consuming— a tuna sandwich, I headed out on a three mile circular walk that someone said was gorgeous. It was hot and I had already walked seven hours and tomorrow is a 15+ mile day, so I did not do the whole thing, which is a shame because it really was a gem of a trail. 

One of the sadder moments came at the defunct bobbin factory.  Even the plaque telling you all about it was illegible:

Ah, yes, once upon a time, these ruins were a factory

As the name might suggest, the Oddfellows is a greasy-spoon pub with rooms.  Very small rooms.  There is a sign on the window of my room:

And there was a great big dead fly in the shower, but they do give you a fan and there are sufficient outlets for charging devices—if you unplug the lamp and the kettle— and the hot water is hot.  Although it is noisy, cooking odors have not escaped up to the second floor.  Fellpack House in Keswick was a whole lot nicer!

July 09, Keswick to Skiddaw House

 Here is what All Trails has to say about the Cumbria Way stage from Keswick to Caldbeck:

17.9 mi.  length             3293 ft. elevation gain                 8-10 hours est. time

Embark on a magnificent section of the Cumbria Way that journeys through the atmospheric heart of the Northern Fells.  Setting off from the bustling hub of Keswick, the route follows the path of the River Greta before striking out into the high country, passing below the imposing Lonscale Crags.  You will cross a brilliant variety of upland terrains, transitioning from rocky mountain pathways to open moorland fields, with the remote Skiddaw House offering a memorable landmark along the way.

The climb up towards the summit of High Pike involves a steady, steep effort that will test your legs but the panoramic views from the top are a fantastic reward.  Navigation across the high moors can be tricky in places where the trail is less defined, though keeping a close eye on your map ensures you will stay on track.  Passing the remote shelter of Lingy Hut, the trail guides you down the hillside.......

Translation: The walk from Hell!

What they don't tell you:  You have already climbed your legs off before you reach the leg testing climb toward the summit of High Peak, which comes at about12 or more miles into the walk.  I had decided not to do this stage and after walking about a third of the route to "the remote Skiddaw House," and back I was more than happy with my decision. Too much, too far, too long, too remote, too scary. And you know, not beautiful, but I do realize that that is subjective. Barren moorlands not so much my thing.

The section I did do was hard enough—you climb forever at the start, oh, and it was already two miles to where the adventure starts and it was a relentless, ugly stone track and it was hot. I reached Skiddaw House, described, as already noted, by All Trails as a "memorable landmark" Had I realized that, I would have taken a picture of it. This was 3 1/2 hours after setting out. I was going to go a little bit farther but I wasn't sure of the way at that point, so that was the sign to turn around.

On my way out of Keswick, another of the 200

So close and yet so far away:

I caught you, little fellow!

There are lots and lots of bunnies around here.

Noted:

All of that was on the way to the way.

Either these crossings are becoming easier or I am getting better:

Honestly, that one was pretty shallow.

The countryside starts out looking like this:

And then becomes more like this:

And then like this:

Do not neglect to note the singular tree (above):

A one plank bridge with one railing is better than a one plank bridge with no railing:

Nearing the end of the path, I noticed this pillar and thought, "Woah, a stella!  Let me see if there is some cuneiform thereupon."  There was not:

I encountered a number of hikers, mostly in pairs, as I was on the return leg of my out-and- back, and what struck me was how late there were getting started. CRAZY! Then I had a lovely chat with a couple, to whom I should have said as we parted, "Please tell me your names again," but I was too embarrassed to ask.

July 10, Keswick around Derwentwater

The eleven mile walk around Derwentwater (the lake) is a must do, so I did it.  I selected a route that included a climb up to Cat Bells because, I thought, "Let's get some altitude in today."  The route was pretty, varied, and pleasant, but it was hot.  When I realized how steep the climb up to the summit was (1480 feet, unshaded) I did a Google search and upon reading, "There is a two hand scramble near the top," I abandoned that plan in a flash.  Of course, one is ALWAYS rewarded with a great view for the effort, but, despite the cuteness of the name and the promise of glory, that was not a significant lure pour moi.  There was a low level Cat Bells route, so I opted for that.  Toward its end, there was an option "to summit" without the scramble and all. The sign read,"One mile, 55 minutes."  Can you imagine what that ascent would be like?  I'll leave it for this guy:

Low level Cat Bells path:

The views of Derwentwater were hardly shabby:

Down at the lake:

Three plank bridge with two guardrails:

Beautiful moss and ferns in the woods:

Navigating the beach:

Fun for everyone:

After finishing the circuit,  I changed my shoes and pack, got an ice cream, did the Daf, Connections, made some headway on the Spelling Bee and then headed on over to the Pencil Museum.  On a previous walk, I stayed in Keswick and remembered really enjoying this museum.  

Supposedly, this is how graphite was discovered:

And here is some important information:

Sorry, not able to edit the photos!  

There was a major section devoted to the valuable-ness of graphite; there was a time when it was worth more than gold!  This is the truth.  If you ever go to this museum, your respect for a #2 will increase immeasurably.

Other than what all goes into making a pencil, the most fascinating exhibit had to do with Charles Fraser Smith (Even though I am avoiding Wikipedia these days, it does seem to be a good source for in this case.)  Also. there is a podcast The Gadget Master, which I have not yet listened to yet that), who figured out a way to get maps inside a pencil for use during WWII.  

I wonder if this still holds true

This guy, Alex  Morales,  ran the 2018 London marathon (in 3:40) dressed as a......you guessed it....

The thing is, he had never run in the costume before the race because he did ot want people to seem him so attired.

Now, THIS pencil is one of of only two.  The other was given to QE II on her diamond jubilee.  The place of the eraser is taken by a crown studded with diamonds, and the pencil was made very special and all, with the finest graphite available and using traditional techniques, as you might expect.

It was a high humidity scorcher today, so it was good that exertion was low level...maybe 14 miles all together, but not hard.