All walking days are wonderful, and then there are those that are truly superb. This was that day for us. Although the route is not part of the Cumbria Way, it was part of our original plan. We had always intended the detour to Grasmere, partly to see some Wordsworth history and also for this particular day's route which we had done in 2001 (in the other direction) as part of the Coast to Coast walk.
The weather was ideal - mostly sunny, cool, somewhat blustery on the heights, dry. We gently climbed away from Grasmere through a wide draw between two fells. We were definitely in Herdy country all the way, but no more so than about 2/3 of the way up. We became aware of the sound of dogs and voices and movement ahead of us. Several men and about eight or ten dogs were rounding up the sheep from this valley to move them down toward the town. We got to stand right in the middle as they streamed by us and beyond, watching the amazing work of the dogs keeping the sheep on their path. It was so exciting!
Up and up we continued until pausing briefly at the top and beginning the steep drop down into Stonethwaite and the Borrowdale valley. We descended into evening and a night spent on a working farm; they raised Herdwick's and one other kind of sheep. As we arrived, our host was separating the lambs from their mothers (they would have been together since last spring); they would now be fattened up separately. This is not a part of the sheep scene that we particularly want to know about. But, truth is, if they weren't being raised for market, they would not be on the hillsides at all. Dinner was at the lovely and remote Langstrath Inn - wonderful, fresh vegetables and salads.
Could there be any better day?
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