21/08/07 Shap to Kirkby Stephen

Just so you know how much work it was keeping this journal........

Pubs in England are not like bars in the US. They are a real social place - children, dogs, even women, are welcomed. This one in Kirkby Stephen had a nice (real) fire in the fireplace, a bartender (pub-keeper?) who was eager to please, and good filling food at reasonable prices.

And beers/liquor. There was that as well.....

At the K.S. Peninne View Caravan Campsite were a couple of 1960's vintage Norton motorcycles on their way to a do at the Isle of Mann (yes, just off St Bees).

Tired though I was, the architecture was still too wonderful to pass up a snap.

Look lovely. Downhill, flat surface and all. BUT I'm a couple miles off course and this flat stuff is killing my foot.

For a few moments the sun shone brightly and the moor sparkled. I guess this rock was too big to make into a wall......

A bit out of order, this was the friendly bartender in Shap pulling me a "Wainwright", the namesake beer of my trek.

My lodging at Shap.

21 miles. That's it. 21 miles. I'm done.

It took just under 10 hours, and though I got up at 0700 I didn't get off until 0900, so that means I quit walking about 1900hrs. Jeeze. I had coffee and peaches and granola, and since I'd let my kit get out of control in the tent there was a lot of packing to be done. Two girls in their late teens, early twenties who where hiking the c-2-c on their own were calling it a day from here due to Achilles problems. the Chaney's were going 1/2 day and moving slowly.

At first all was well, but towards the end, near Smardale, I wound up well north of course by Ginsdale Creeking and had to road walk the last 4 miles. Didn't make a horrid mistake by trying to cross a train bridge, but I thought about it longer than I should have. I was pretty brain dead and having trouble orienting the map and doing simple time/speed/distance calculations. The absolute end.

Walking though Kirkby Stephen was killer. The Youth Hostel was open and a lovely old old church, but the smell of mildew and mold drove me away. Also the lack of positive 'buzz'. Peninne View Campsite is basically a KOA, but right across the street is a nice pub. The facilities were in good shape, and the grounds were dry and level. What more could you ask?

I threw down my tent near 3 bicyclists who were riding from Landsend to the south to John O'Groats to the north (the length of the UK), and near 2 vintage Norton motorcycles on route to Isle of Mann. For dinner the cyclists recommended the Cumbria sausage in mashed potatoes on pie crust and a pint of Guiness. Brilliant!

Before dinner, though, I did a little housekeeping, gathering all my clothes and putting them in the wash while I took a looooong hot shower and examined my ankles/feet a little more. I also washed the mud out of my gaiter zippers. Stupid idea, zippers on the back of gaiters - the mud clogs them up, they're in an inaccessible place, and when they jam you cannot take them off!

So. Tomorrow is a new day, on the 1/2 way point at Keld. Supposed to boggy in the best of times ( remember, this has been a summer of flooding ). I'll just have to see how my feet feel. Couple new blisters, a toenail, and the arch issue still.