End of day 7

Very very boggy sums up day 7 rather well.

We set off from Newbiggin-on-Lune at 8:45am and eventually reached Keld at 6:30pm. What a day. We think we walked in the region of 21 miles but this does depend on which books we go by. There was also the ascent up Nine Standards Rigg at 2172 feet. What the total ascent during the day was is confusing. I'll have to get the measuring tool out at somepoint.

We all thought of this day as a day of two halves. The first being the 7 miles from Newbiggin-on-Lune to Kirkby Stephen which was our previous day's destination. The second half being Kirkby Stephen to Keld.

We set off in near perfect conditions, overcast but warm we were all in shirts and T-shirts. After about an hour it started to rain. A fine drizzle at first and gradually heavier as we progressed across Smardale Fell and farmland leading into Kirkby Stephen. Interest for myself was a disused railway winding it's way through Smardale with a fine viaduct further up the valley. I think part of the old Tebay to Darlington route. Then we passed under the Settle-Carlisle Railway. As we approached Kirkby Stephen we could see that our route beyond was shrouded in mist. A depressing thought, getting to a big landmark, on the route, of Nine Standards Rigg and not being able to fully appreciate the views.

Reaching Kirby Stephen we found shelter in the entrance to the church grounds. A lunch break was taken during which the heavens opened. It was a lucky break for us as the weather started to clear. We left the town in better heart for the 2 hour slog up to Nine Standards Rigg. On the way the ground got progressively water logged and one bridge across a gill was under water. A small warning for what was to follow. By the time we reached the top the weather had cleared enough for us to appreciate the views as a reward for our efforts.

---Photos to appear here later---

Now for the descent. The ground was water logged. At times it seemed we were walking in one big puddle. It took us 20 minutes to cross one of the deep gullies that barred our path. It was a peat quagmire that with the erosion of many boots was impassable on the direct route.

We continued and came across many more similar gullies/gills. In one I lost my left leg up to my knee. Nice......Further on we had to improvise bridging swollen gills as the existing crossing was flooded.

By the time we reached Ravenseat Chris's boots were water logged. On reaching the Keld road he decided to walk the last mile bare foot. During this last section Chris met a couple of Americans who had reached the summit only an hour or so prior to ourselves. Due to adverse weather they actually had to retreat from Nine Standards and skirt the moor on the longer (and drier) green route. This highlights how lucky we were to make it across in relatively fine conditions.

Day 7 was a highlight in many ways, it was the day we achieved halfway, it was the day we passed the water shed where all streams/rivers now follow eastwards, it was also a boggy adventure.

What a way to spend Fathers' day.

-- Posted from my iPhone