July 04, Coniston walk

There is nothing like having to make a choice about how to flush the toilet!  I really get a kick out of this instruction.  Whether to obey or not to obey is a whole other matter.

 

There are lots of walks around Coniston, but about 90% of them are entered around a rock formation called "The Old Man of Coniston;" the routes just vary in terms of length.  All involve a long, steep, rocky climb, and I just didn't feel like it in the rain.  Actually, I didn't feel like it even had it not been raining.  Rocks are not my favorite kind of scenery.  Anyway, I found a lovely walk that was a figure eight kind of thing that passed through beautiful countryside..

This photo requires some contemplation and consideration.  We see, on the left,  a baby slug—or a snail minus its shell (but isn't that what a slug is?) cozied up on a foxglove petal, lying next to what seems to be a giant slug but is—I am quite sure—a big stick that looks like a giant slug.  So I am wondering, what is that baby thinking?

As I approached these two beasties, seeing as they did not move, I thought, "Maybe they are not real," like that cat from the other day:

But they were!

It rained, then it didn't then it did, but not very hard, and it blew, and it was misty and foggy:

And yet the air was very heavy.

One problem with rain is that it makes sticks and stones very slippery.  Por ejemplo, tree roots, such as these, especially on the downhill,  require extremely careful footwork.

The top part of the figure 8 was a tour around a lake:

Ahh, this is the life if you are a goose:

Tree down!  Detour required!

The thing is, they don't WANT to be on the path...do they?

I met this merry band of revelers as I was headed down and they were going up!  Were they enacting A Midsummer Night's Dream?  Was this the local version of Bay to Breakers?  They were celebrating the upcoming wedding of the guy dressed as a donkey (he asked to have his head patted) and having a rollicking good time!

After getting back to town and making the rounds of the three, yes, three grocers—the Spar has competition—all of which sell just about the same stuff, all replicas of 7-Elevens, and within about a block of each other, and then having something to eat, I went out for another walk, this time along the lake.  

It was 60 degrees and a girl was swimming!  The water was also about 60 degrees!  (I looked it up!)  That is crazy!

Just for the record, according to my Apple watch, I am hardly doing anything these days! What?  It does not measure exertion, or if it does, then I am being cheated.  You schlep around all day in heavy hiking boots, up and down hills, skirting tree roots and nasty rocks, mud and bog, thick wet grass, in 90% humidity (I looked that up, too) and see if you feel as if you did nothing all day!

July 03, Lowick to Coniston

 How/why people walk from Ulverston to Coniston in one day, I do not understand.  Several issues: distance, just shy of 20 miles, terrain: slow going through the boggy areas and rocky paths, and honestly, a waste because the second part, from Lowick to Coniston is just so beautiful (except for the last few miles, which are so utterly boring along a road you could cry and I did not think to listen to my audiobook) that it would not be possible to enjoy it as the second part of such a long stretch.  Also, there is much elevation gain and loss.  Of course, one issue is that there is only one place to stay in Lowick, that being the Red Lion, which offers a total of three rooms.  I was speaking about this to a woman who works here at The Crown Inn, who told me that walkers roll in at around 7:00-8:00 p.m. I, having booked a taxi to Lowick at 5:30 a.m., rolled in at about 1:00, and, after a ginger beer that cost $4.79, hit the Spar at the back of the service station where I bought my first can of tuna of the trip.  They even had lettuce.  And my room has a frig, so I don't have to throw out the mayonnaise after one use.  The things you have to think about are so many!

Up and over:

Somehow I feel that that photo shows up everyday!  But if so, it does make a point!

A view:

Approaching a farm:

Foxglove in front of mossy rock:

I am hoping those peaks are not on the route:

Looking at the countryside is one thing, being in it, entirely another!

Not Coniston Water (as Lake Coniston is called):

One area was moor land, always a challenge because there is no path.  You sort of have to know the general direction you are headed and hope, as you make your way through the spongy wet,  it will match up to the blue line on the app on your phone!  Here is a tiny section of bog for those of you who think that bog is a British term for mud.  It is not! It can swallow you whole!

You know what?  I think I saw a movie in which a boy does get sucked into a bog and, ummm, yeah, he doesn't get out.

This is the kind of stony walking that Susie Grimes DOES NOT LIKE!

If you are 20 or a mountain goat, stream crossings like this do not bother you. (This one was way scarier than yesterday's)  I am neither and they terrify me, not for fear of being swept away, but of slipping into the water and having to walk with an ice cold sock and boot for three more hours.  But I succeeded:

Then there was another, even worse—the water was flowing faster— a little while later.  Oh, God!  How many will there be? Shortly after the second stream crossing, I heard not the gurgle of a mountain brook, but the roaring of major water.  Many expletives were uttered.  But, hey.....

Ecce, pons!

Had there not been, I would have turned back.

First glimpse of Coniston Water:

Someone made a wee cairn.  Note kayakers in the background:

Man, does that freshly cut grass smell divine!

In fact, in addition to the bird sounds and the water sounds, the smells of the greenery and flowers are just so lovely.

Coniston is a hub, of sorts, in other words it has a bus stop, for people who want to walk hither and yon in the Lake district. This is for people who start out at about 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. In terms of facilities: a few inns and a coffee shop, and that Spar in the back of the gas station.  There is an attraction:  the house and garden of John Ruskin, which I plan on seeing tomorrow....after a walk!

Ulverston, one day too many

Although it seemed as if there were a lot of walks to choose from around Ulverston, the big circular one I did yesterday took in pretty much everything.  So what did I do?  I walked 3/4 the way back to Lowick and then turned around and walked to Ulverston, all in all about 12 1/2+ miles.  It was hard!  What made it hard?  Ups and downs, thick grass, difficult stiles (some really need repair) and maybe the fact that my knee was hurting.  Can't blame it on the weather!  A light rain to start—it had poured during the night—and then wind.  So much wind!  It is still windy all these many hours later.  So so so much wind.  

Field and sky:

There were stream crossings.  I did not like the look of this one (although I did see people easily make their way across), so this one I did not do:

Instead, I walked along the stream for a bit and saw this:

Much much better!

Later on there was this one:

That one I did!

Approaching a farm I was met by this fiercely barking hound, but his wagging tail gave him away, so I was pretty sure I was not going to be his lunch:

However, he had a friend!  Fortunately, the farmer called the other dog, so I was safe.

Salve:

Atque vale:

BIG fields, thick grass, no tracks, on the uphill , direction unclear = hard:

The metropolis of Ulverston (re)appears:

Near Ulverston is this awful rocky hill called, "Coronation Hill!"  

I wonder which monarch was hated enough to be so celebrated!  But speaking of monarchs, it is surprising the number of pictures of Elizabeth II are on display!  They are all over the place! Photos of THE KING?  Have not seen one!
 

July 01, All aroune Ulverston

There is a 11.5 mile circuit around Ulverston, so I decided, "Why not?"  Getting to the start took some time, but I had nothing else to do and this extra allows one to see more of this not terribly attractive town.  But on MY street, some of the houses are quite colorful: 

Just FYI, the cat was not real.

They are very serious about red squirrels in the UK:

One has been warned:

Sorry, little beauties, no extra yummies for you today:

Cow in process of chewing its cud or just eating with its mouth open:

Contemplative cow not eating at the moment:

One cow sleeping, one cow not sleeping, and one cow that may or may not be sleeping:

I was so relieved to know that this girl was not real, because she does not look at all well!

River, sky, and birds:

The most interesting part of the walk was a long section along mud flats.  One is instructed not to go exploring!  This one did not need to be told twice:

Worth two photos

By and by I came to a bench, so I SAT DOWN, had a snack, and worked on the spelling Bee:

Most of the walking was flat, but toward the end there was a big hill with a TA-DA....Trig Marker at the top!

Also, most of the walk was on hard surfaces, so it was really nice to have this stretch:

I wanted to get some Compede to take care of a bit of rubbing on the bottom of my left foot.  Would you believe that there is a pharmacy in Ulverston called—get this—Cohen's!  It is a big, full service pharmacy—we do not have the like in the U.S.—licensed by the National Health Service, almost like a clinic, so that is where I went.  Then I decided to look up the Jewish population of Ulverston. In 2022, it was 13 "in the Parish" says Google.  





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