Ep 4: The One With the Crazy Runners

Day 4: Rothswaite to Grasmere

We were awoken by the dawn chorus of rooks – unfortunately dawn was at 4.30 am, which resulted in an earlier than anticipated start to the day.  Sadly, breakfast was not until 8 o’clock. However, it was well worth waiting for and our hosts were amazing, just like Yew Craggs B&B itself (see photo above). In her front hall, Annmarie kept a whiteboard with a record of every sighting of birds and wildlife she had made for the month.

 Today’s walk took us from Rosthswaite over Eagle Crag and Lining Crag to Grasmere. We walked along an uneven path alongside Stonethswaite Beck past patchwork fields edged with dry stone walls. Truly Wordsworth country today.  A steady climb to Eagle Crag on a rock-strewn track was punctuated by frequent fell runners coming the other way.  They were running a 23mile race up and down Scafell Pike (the Everest of Cumbria, England’s highest summit at 978m) and two other peaks.

 We were stepping tentatively so as not to twist an ankle, and these crazy runners were running full bore down the hill on a path of rocks. At least we got to stop to rest every five minutes to let them by. 

The second phase of the climb, up to Lining Crag was not Barbie’s favorite part of the day – almost a scramble rather than a walk – hands required at times. We stopped at the top to enjoy the view and could still see a glimpse of the sea where we started and a wind farm off the coast.  We reached Greenup Edge pass at 600m around lunch time and stopped for a bite to eat.

It was yet another glorious day in what is normally the wettest part of England, and regardless of the guidebook suggesting parts of the walk would be very boggy, the recent sunny spell here kept our path relatively dry. The trip back down followed Easedale Beck and, while it was certainly quicker than going up, we still had to watch where we placed our feet as it was very rocky. 

We arrived in Grasmere just in time for the FA Cup Final at the local pub. Football was the winner on the day. Manchester won. Our accommodation at How Foot Lodge was eclectic with a weird and wonderful mix of design styles, strange layout of rooms (Ad and Barbie’s room had a shower in the end of a hallway – Val and Peter’s room a delightful little sunroom looking over the garden where we are sitting, writing this blog as the sun sets behind a peak we are likely to have to climb to get out of this valley.  A dinner of fish (and chip) from Fleetwood in the beer garden of the local pub – Tweedie’s Bar and Lodge.  By 7.46, at the time of writing this blog, we are all beginning to flag and bed is not far off.  Rest day tomorrow!

Today’s distance: 17km