Cumbria Way, Day 8, Day off in Keswick

Who would think that a pencil museum would be fascinating? But that is a prime attraction in Keswick, where the graphite pencil was invented. Also produced here is a famous brand of art pencils called Derwent. Not only does the little museum tell the history of pencils, but there is a room where you can just go and draw. And of course, there are dozens of gorgeous art pencil sets to buy. We all succumbed.

A fascinating feature of the museum was the story of how Keswick pencils became a tool for Allied soldiers to use behind enemy lines in WW II. Special hollowed out pencils were created with a tiny compass and rolled up maps of enemy areas, with escape routes marked. From the outside, the pencils looked absolutely ordinary. Their creation was so top secret that only the factory managers knew about it. After the workers went home, the managers sneaked back to the factory at night to produce the military pencils.


Outside of Keswick about a mile is the Castlerigg stone circle. England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland have many stone circles. This is one of the largest and best preserved. It is probably about 3,000 years old. What were the circles used for? No one really knows. There is speculation that they were: centers of worship, or astronomical tools, or ceremonial centers, or market places....or perhaps all of these.


Whatever their original purpose, they are impressive structures. There is a sense of both endless time and timelessness when you stand inside of one.

Cumbria Way alternative, Day 5 - day off in Grasmere

There is one day-hike from Grassmere that has some horizontal among the vertical, and that is to Easedale Tarn (a tarn is a small lake). We all walked out there today. Along the way, we were joined by a Polish woman who now lives in England. She originally came as an au pair, stayed for a couple of years, returned to Poland, and then came back to work in England. She was grateful for the company and we very much enjoyed her.

At dinner that night, our waitress had an interesting accent. When we asked her what it was she invited us to guess. We made lots of tries but were unsuccessful. It turns out she was from Romania. Like quite a number of service people here, she was in the UK in a program to learn the hospitality industry, and was shortly going to return to Romania. We speculated that eastern European nations are hoping to develop as tourist attractions and young people are going to established places to learn the trade.

Cumbria Way alternative, Day 4, Ambleside to Grasmere

Sheila, Barb, Mickey and Penny walked today. We took a planned detour off the Cumbria Way onto the Coast to Coast Walk in order to go to Grasmere. Grasmere was one of the places where William Wordsworth lived and his home, Dove Cottage, is still there. We remembered entering Grasmere years ago when we walked the Coast to Coast. The memory was of a windy, vertical descent. And what we encountered this time was…a windy, vertical descent! The English don’t do switchbacks. Up is up, and down is down. Grassmere sits amid high fells, and there is no way in or out that isn’t vertical. So with wind howling all around, we made our careful way down the wet, slippery stones to the lake and town almost directly below.

The Wordsworth theme plays throughout the very touristy Grasmere. But Dove Cottage is still a very small, simple place, and you get a sense of the sparse living Wordsworth and his family did there. One amazing fact from the little tour: between family (William, sister Dorothy, wife Mary, several children, Dorothy’s sister Sara) and frequent visitors, the four tiny rooms of Dove Cottage sometimes held two beds per room, with two people in every bed. No wonder much of Wordsworth’s composing occurred orally, as he walked the countryside. No wonder he walked the countryside!

Cumbria Way, Day 2, day off in Coniston

Rain, rain, rain. We planned an extra day here in Coniston in case anyone wanted to climb the local mountain, the “Old Man” of Coniston. Ha! We couldn’t even see the Old Man through the rain and mist. But there are boat rides on the lake - Coniston Water, as it’s called. One of the rides you can take is across the lake to Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin.

Ruskin is a really familiar name, but we didn’t actually know much about him. So we went to find out. He was truly a 19th century Renaissance man: writer, artist, art critic, philosopher, and one of the earliest people to articulate the dehumanizing effects of the Industrial Revolution. Here’s a favorite quote from him we encountered on our tour:
“All true science begins in the love, not the dissection, of
your fellow-creatures; and it ends in the love, not the
analysis, of God.”

It was also a day of exploring options, since we discovered that the 14-mile day we had planned for tomorrow is actually a 20 mile day, over a pass. Plan B was to take a taxi part way and then go over the pass. But at the local sports shop, Sheila and Barb were warned that storms the next day would make the pass, well, impassable. Hmmm. Plan C was to take a taxi all the way to our planned night's stop in Stonethwaite, but the following day's weather (when we had another pass to climb) looked just as bad. Then suddenly, up popped Plan D: if we could stay another night in Coniston, we could take a taxi to Ambleside, a nearby and considerably larger town, and enjoy the sights there. It turned out that our B&B had just had a cancellation and we could indeed stay another night.

Post-Dales Way, Day 8 (day off and travel day)

Today was an in-town day. Bowness-on-Windermere is a major tourist center, and we decided to give it some time before heading on to Ulverston and the beginning of the Cumbria Way. Saw two exhibits, one fascinating, one charming.

“Auschwitz to Ambleside” was a display in the local library about 400 children released from German prison camps with no place to go. A major war-related factory and worker housing complex near Windermere was not in use, the war being over, so the complex was opened to the children. They arrived with no experience of normal, everyday life. They were cared for, schooled, and introduced to clean clothes, toys, games, and the experience of walking around freely. By the end of about 2 years, they had become well enough adapted to move on to other centers or to foster homes. There was a video of 4 of the children, now elderly people, telling what it was like to suddenly step into freedom. It was very moving.

“The World of Beatrix Potter” was a delightful walk-through wonderland of Potter characters and creatures, along with short descriptions of how the stories came to be. What an amazing world she created. By the way, if you haven’t seen the movie, “Miss Potter,” we recommend it.

Later in the day we boarded a bus to Ulverston, to commence the next leg of our adventure. In the B&B were our long time walking buddies Barb and Sheila. It was so good to see them! The five of us went down to the parlor/dining room of Virginia House, our guesthouse, and shared tea, memories, and excitement about the 10 days we’re going to share on the Cumbria Way.

Dales Way, Day 5, Cowgill to Sedbergh

After our long haul yesterday Judi decided to join Terry in a rest day, and took the bus to Sedbergh. We walked. On this day we met our first "Herdies" - adorable Herdwick sheep that we all fell in love with, and that thrive in the Dales and the Lake District.

The most spectacular part of the walk was the last half mile into Sedbergh, down out of high hills, into the town tucked in a valley. It’s an old town, rather grey but charming. A very fine school there was founded in the 1500’s.

As we entered the town, wondering where our B&B was and how we might find it, we suddenly came upon it: Yew Tree Cottage. The charming proprietress, Ann, immediately offered us tea – the first such offer of the walk. Alas, we had heard that Sedbergh had good bookstores, and it was nearly 5:00pm (or 17:00, UK time), so we declined the offer and headed for the heart of town. On the way we found Judi in an internet café, happily in touch with the cyber world. The two bookstores we found were okay…but perhaps not worth having turned down tea for. Next time we’re offered tea, we’ll accept.

Dales Way, Day 4, Raisgill to Cowgill

Three of us walked today. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we blew along today. Big winds swirled and banged around us all day. Again we were in open moorlands. At one point, as we marched along bundled in multiple layers against the cold winds we passed two walkers in just long-sleeved t-shirts and running shorts! How do they do that?

It was a long walking day. All afternoon we had glimpses of the Dent Viaduct, but it wasn't until 6:00 that we actually walked under it. Toward the end of the afternoon we crouched behind a stone wall to take a break. Our companion, Judi, stuffed her sweatshirt into some of the openings in the wall to try to block the winds that still managed to stream through. As we sat munching snacks with stiff, cold fingers she said, “You two sure know how to have a good time!” We all laughed and laughed. It became one of the theme-statements of the trip.

Dales Way, Day 2, Burnsall to Kettlewell

Yikes, milling around the riverside park and the pub here in Burnsall were people with swords and tunics and horned helmets. Turns out there is a Viking Festival here this weekend. In the Church of St. Wilfrid, we visited a wonderful display of local history, going back to the Vikings. In this part of the country the Norse invaders settled rather peaceably with local people. The Viking past is reflected in lots of words, including the “thwaite” suffix on many of the towns – such as Stonethwaite, where we will be in about a week.

Our companions opted for a rest day, so we two walked by ourselves through wonderful, open, rolling, empty moorland. Ah! We love these bleak places, the wilder the better!

The end!

Well, there you have it! We hope you have enjoyed this bare bones account of 18 wonderful days. (We omitted our two in-England travel days, although gliding through the countryside on trains is also one of the great pleasures of the trip.) Maybe you get a bit of the sense of why it is our favorite thing in the world to do.

Actually, there is one more section of the Cumbria Way, from Caldbeck to Carlisle; it is mostly along a river and through farms and we had planned from the beginning to skip it. We took a taxi from Caldbeck to Carlisle, saw a few of the sights there and then journeyed by train to Manchester for our long flights home (the worst part about going to England).

If you want even more photos, and you are on Facebook, more will be posted there on Mickey's page (but you will have to become her friend to see them!). Whether you befriend her on Facebook or not, we both thank you all for the friends that you are. You're another of the great things in our lives!

Cumbria Way, Day 9, Keswick to Caldbeck

Our final day of walking - how sad! And, while the day had some spectacular views, it was not the most pleasant of walks. We began our ascent out of Keswick in rain. The day stayed at least partly socked in all day, so we did leave the area without ever seeing Skiddaw. We did, however, walk much of the way around its bottom. The route went through some very bleak and uninhabited moors; the rain continued off and on.

As we approached a lone building in the middle of nowhere (now a youth hostel), a walker was sitting alone under a striped umbrella eating his lunch. We were wet and cold and getting hungry. Barb's comment: "If he had had Coleman's (mustard), I'd have been right there under that umbrella." As it was, we found a minimally protected spot to eat a hasty lunch before we froze our fingers.

We had to abandon the day's high route as it remained lost in fog. The alternative route was longer by a couple of miles (making it a 17-mile day, much of it on roads). But the descent into the Dash Valley was stunning and was even accompanied by a bit of sun. Judi had chosen the taxi route that day, so we met her in the pub in Caldbeck where we made the delightful acquaintance of a dog named Alfie. That's one of the greatnesses of English pubs - dogs are as welcome as humans!

Cumbria Way (yes, truly), Day 7, Stonethwaite to Keswick

Today was a short and easy walk from Stonethwaite to Keswick, mostly along the shores of Derwentwater. It was drizzly and gray, as it was to be for much of the rest of our time in England. We had a tea and scone stop in a small village. The lake and surrounding fells are obviously popular with walkers and bikers, even on a not-so-great day.

Keswick is a somewhat dreary market town (maybe it was only the weather?) in the shadow of Skiddaw, a peak we actually never saw the top of while we were there. The market was in full progress when we walked into town and the streets and restaurants were full of people. We did not take great advantage of it - had showers, a light meal, and early to bed.

One of the things we love about the long-distance walking is that each day can be so different. This was quite a contrast to the day before. We seem to have taken only one photo the whole day - Sheila checking out a large wooden sculpture of a pair of hands along the lake shore.

Cumbria Way alternative, Day 6, Grasmere to Stonethwaite

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?

Cumbria Way alternative, Day 3, circular walk from Ambleside

Having agreed the night before on Plan D, we hopped in Alan's taxi at 9:00 in the morning for a quick ride to Ambleside, not far from our lodgings in Coniston. Ambleside (on the north shore of Lake Windermere) turned out to be one of our favorite towns of the trip - and we would have missed it entirely with Plan A! We wandered the stores a bit (many great outdoor shops, and a couple of bookstores, as well as a great coffee place). Then Sheila led us on a wonderful up-and-over-a-pike loop walk. The view from the top was spectacular - the lake and many of the hills that we were to have walked or would walk - and the weather cooperated with some sun and only a little rain. We missed the opening hours for the mid-walk tea stop, but were just as happy with a post-walk latte.

Ambleside and this day's hike planted a seed in our mind: a return to England to stay for a few weeks in a self-catering cottage and climb many of the Lake District pikes and fells. We'll let you know!

Cumbria Way, Day 1, Ulverston to Coniston

This first day turned out to be a bit longer than we had thought, and we seemed a bit slower in covering territory. (After the first three and a half hours we had only covered three and a half miles; what were we doing?) So...about nine hours of walking took us from the fields surrounding Ulverston well into the Lake District and the shores of Coniston Water. We did quite a bit of up and down, and we were all getting a bit tired. We knew that once we made it to the shore of the lake there was the option to catch one of the lake launches and ride the last couple of miles. We also knew what time the last launch was available to us! We missed it by five minutes. But, the walk along the forested shore of the lake was actually quite lovely, and I would have been sorry to miss it. (The small lake pictured here is Beacon Tarn, not Coniston Water, and the distant shimmer of water in the previous photo is Morecambe Bay, near Ulverston.)

It was on this segment of the walk that our motto became "Keep Calm and Carry On." Apparently this motto was developed during World War II as a potential campaign should Britain be invaded. It did not have to be used, and has been recently discovered and exploited for commercial gain. We had heard that there are t-shirts, aprons, journals - whatever - and we began our search for something with this message on it. It was not until almost the last day of the trip that our walking friends located a plaque with the slogan and gave it to us as a gift. Right after that, I found a 2011 pocket calendar with the motto on the cover (along with the British flag); it will be my guide next year! We have since found no shortage of goods sporting the message at http://www.keepcalmandcarryon.com/.

Day off in Ulverston (Cumbria Way, Day Zero)

Ulverston is primarily a market town, a place where real people live and work. It is not primarily geared for tourists, unless perhaps you want to take in the Laurel and Hardy Museum (which we did not). By the way, the reason why it is found there is that Stan Laurel was from Ulverston. Our B and B, the Virginia House Hotel, had by far the best breakfast spread of any place we stayed.

So what we mostly did was much needed laundry at the local laundramat and shopped for our lunch supplies for the next few days walking - and drew more cash out of the local banks!

But the best thing of all was this night was the final night of the Proms season in England. The Proms is somewhat akin to the idea of the Boston Pops. It is a summer season of classical and popular music that is made accessible to people during the off season of the symphony. The final night is live-streamed to several large outdoor venues throughout the UK, while the main concert is in a hall in London. It is a bit of a spectacle and very, very fun. Well, it turns out that in honor of this final night, the Ulverston Town Brass Band was giving a concert! We decided to go, expecting, well, the worst. And it was absolutely fantastic! The mixed-age band was led by a very young and charming conductor and played great music to an audience of people mostly older than us. We totally enjoyed it, and then went back to our rooms and watched the rest of the London concert on TV. "Jerusalem," "Rule, Brittania," and "Pomp and Circumstance" and "God Save the Queen" can make you really wish you were British.

Dales Way, Day 7 (last day of this walk)

We said a reluctant goodbye to Mary and John at 1 Oakbank House, as well as an early goodbye to Terry who left us to go explore the wonders of shipping history in Plymouth. It was a gorgeous day, one of the best of the whole trip. The walking began, as did most all days on the Dales Way, along the river and ended by transporting us into the margins of the Lake District and the first, and biggest of the lakes, Windermere. At one point, we passed a great example of turning a historic, defunct mill property into a very attractive housing development (photo).

By afternoon, the country was growing increasingly rugged and the grand mountains and fells that would make up the Cumbria Way walk were on the horizon. All of us were excited about the change and what would lie ahead.

We arrived in time to explore the next-door towns of Windermere and Bowness, including a stop at the Lake District National Park information center where we discovered "Herdy" products that support the farming of Herdwick sheep in Cumbria. We bought Herdy pins - since we are truly smitten - which traveled on our day packs throughout the rest of the journey.

Dales Way, Day 6, Sedbergh to Burneside

Day 6: Sedbergh to Burneside. We didn't walk the whole way today; it was shortened to 8 miles for various reasons. Judi and Terry took the day off and bussed to Kendall to explore. We two got a late start and took a taxi half way. So we missed walking along the River Lune, but enjoyed sun and warmth as we crossed farm field after farm field. We stopped for our picnic lunch on the side of a bridge over the railway line. As we were munching our cheese and cucumber sandwiches with Coleman’s mustard (we never ate anything else for lunch!), the farmer whose lands surrounded our spot drove up and got out to have a chat with us. He farms cows in all the neighboring fields, and, since he has been on his own for 15 years, also takes care of the house and cooks his own meals. His son farms in the area, too; his daughter, who works in town and travels a lot, comes by every three weeks “to sort me out.” He was charming, and if you wanted to create a picture of a Dales farmer, he would be the model: wool cap, tattered vest, collarless shirt, wellies. Billy’s Tea Stop came a bit later, but we passed it by, so we were ready for the end-of-the-day tea stop, and would not turn it down this time!

We arrived at 1 Oakbank House, our favourite B and B of the trip. We were served tea on the patio and, later, an evening meal where the ingredients were measured not in “food miles” travelled but in “food meters”! Everything was fresh from their land or neighbor farms. Mary and John were delightful. After dinner they lit a fire in the guest lounge and we all hung out in the warmth reading our books. I wanted to stay forever! The second photo is the view from our room!

Dales Way, Day 3, Kettlewell to Raisgill

Day 3: 6 or 7 miles, Kettlewell to Raisgill. Great discovery! Much of the movie “Calendar Girls” was filmed in Kettlewell! Our history with the alternative calendar published in 2000 by the Ladies Of Rylstone (Knapely Women’s Institute in the movie) is long and intimately tied to our walks here. We grabbed a local pamphlet outlining where various shots were taken around town and started our day on the Calendar Girls tour. The photo is of the Kettlewell Village Store where we bought cheese for our lunch; in the movie it is Cora’s Tea Shop. When we got home, we had to watch the movie again! An easy six or seven miles to Raisgill, still following the River Wharfe. Since we had so little territory to cover, we stopped in each town we passed; tea in Starbotton; soup in Buckden. Life is tough! No, life is very, very good.

Dales Way, Day 1, Ilkley to Burnsall

13 or so miles from Ilkley to Burnsall. The walk began in warm and sunny weather, a relatively easy stroll along the River Wharfe. Good thing because our bodies had not adjusted from all the hours of transatlantic travel and we two were not at our best. The walk was, though! So many people were out along the paths and playing by the river – couples, families, most with dogs. People in England walk; it’s so great to see it.

Within the first three miles we stopped to investigate the Church of St. Peter, Parish church of Addingham, and had a personal introduction to it by one of its parishioners. She was born in the town, baptized in the church, married in the church, her kids were married there, her husband is buried there. This is not an unusual story as we talked to people along the way. It’s almost hard to imagine when I can count homes throughout my life in at least ten cities and three states!

Lunch was by the stately walls of the ruins of Bolton Abbey; one end of it remains a complete and active church, the Church of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert.