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!