Day 6. Morecambe to Cleveleys.

Hello, I'm back at home now so I'll just write this up for the last day of the walk yesterday. There aren't many photo's because I was concentrating on walking as fast as I could. 

The Travelodge at Morecambe didn't serve breakfast, they sell a breakfast box with a few items of breakfasty kind of stuff. Not worth the £5 something so I gave it a miss. Instead I ate what I had left from my picnic in the room the night before. Cheese and biscuits and half a tub of pasta and sweetcorn salad. It was a Weightwatchers salad, and flippin awful. It nearly made me sick so I couldn't finish it. Lucky I had some choccy biscuits as well. 

I was determined to give it my all because I could see it might be difficult to get a bed along the way. I did have details of a farm at Pilling and thought that might be the answer, but it was only 3pm when I arrived there, far too early to pack up. I carried on walking. 

I took the cycle track out of Morecambe alongside the railway line. I was dead impressed with how tidy it was, and easy walking on the tarmac. I was able to get up a good fast pace. All well sign posted as well. It was well used by dog walkers and people taking their kids to school.

Three and a half miles to Lancaster, I was there in an hour. This is the Millenium footbridge over the river. My maps didn't cover Lancaster so I had to ask a couple of people for directions.

 A quick snap as I was passing through the town.

At this stage I wasn't sure how much there was left to do, I knew it would be more than twenty miles if I wanted to do the whole lot in one go. I chose to take the most direct route along the roads instead of meandering along footpaths.

On and on I went. I was hoping to find a shop where I could buy some supplies. None at Conder Green, or Cockerham, and I was getting hungry. At 3pm I went in a pub at Pilling and had egg, chips and beans. Feeling suitable refreshed, I carried on. 

To Hambleton, then over the river at Shard Bridge. It was then I knew I had to give it one extra push and go for it.

It was 7.30pm when I arrived at Carols house, she came out to meet me. I had been on the road for more than ten hours. My trudging became slower and slower. I was whacked. 

Oh it's great to put my feet up.

Total miles are 110, in six days. I'm chuffed.

Now I am home. Me and Carol went out today, I'll tell you about that tomorrow. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Yipeee, I've done it.

Hello my lovely Bloggerettes. Guess where I am tonight. Yes, I am back at base, sitting with my feet up at Carols house. Oh the relief to stop walking. Trouble is that now my legs will seize up, I've already had Carol laughing her head off as I cling on to the furniture when I move about. She said I look like an old woman of ninety.

I've just checked the mileage, 26 miles covered today. WOWEEE. Not the most I have ever covered in a day. I remember walking 30 miles on the last day of my first ever walk from Blackpool to the Humber Bridge.

It's getting late, I will be in bed soon, so I'll sign off now. Thanks for popping in, I'll put the last report  of day 6 on here tomorrow night.
Toodle pip.

Day 5. Milnthorpe to Morecambe

Hello. The landlady at The Bull makes a very nice breakfast, and charged me only £35. The en suite was ultra modern and the room was comfortable. Couldn't ask for more. 

Another nice day today, except for a couple of odd showers which lasted all of a few minutes late afternoon. There was still a lot of water lying about in the fields so I marched at a brisk pace along minor roads. At least on tarmac I don't have to be forever looking down at what my feet are doing, and I can gaze at the scenery. 

I left Milnthorpe and went over the bridge on the River Bela, and into the deer park. I only saw two deer, the rest must be hiding. It was a beautiful morning. 

This is Dallam Tower.

I soon came into the village of Beetham. Pretty cottages, and they still have a Post Office.

The pub on the corner.

This mirror assists people emerging out of the driveway opposite

This is the church at Warton.

Ha ha, the gadget for lazy people, a robot that cuts the grass.

After Beetham I had a lovely walk through some woods, and went through Yelland Storrs, Yelland Redmayne, and Yelland Conyers, very pretty villages. I was going to pick up the Lancashire Coastal Path, but I thought there might be a problem with it being possibly flooded, I went on the canal instead. There were quite a lot of people about, dog walkers and cyclists.

Someone having fun on their canal side patio.

At last after a long trek I got on the Coastal Path and came into Morecambe. Blue skies and hot sunshine greeted me.

Eric is still there. I can still hear him singing 'Bring me sunshine', and he did.

And to top it all a rainbow came out over Morecambe Bay.

Tonight I'm in the Travelodge, it was the easy option. Too tired to go knocking on doors. Another 16 miles done. I don't think this walk will be as long as I thought it would be.

I'm going to sign off now as I am struggling to stay awake. Tomorrow I'm going to be heading for Lancaster and beyond, I think there is a day and a half walking left to do. It's a pity I can't do it in a day but I think it's going to be too much. I need to check out the times of the Knott End to Fleetwood Ferry to make sure I can get across the water.

Thanks for popping in, have a good weekend, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Day 4. Bowness to Milnthorpe

Hello, from The Bull in Milnthorpe. Guess what, NO RAIN TODAY. The sun was shining on me for most of the day, with a little bit of cloud drifting over. It makes such a difference to my spirits, and now I feel cock a hoop.

I turned left out of the B & B this morning to go up the hill to the start of the Dales Way long distance path. After a mile or so it dropped down onto the road, which I then followed all the way to Kendal. I was determined to keep off the mud and keep my boots dry.

Luckily I had a Kendal Street map with me which made the camera shop that Alison mentioned, easy to find. The man in the shop tested the batteries and the charger, but he couldn't be sure which was failing, and he didn't have any of those type of batteries in stock. I could see that this was going to be a problem, so I made the decision to buy a new camera. It's a Cannon 1XUS. I will take my old camera into my local shop and get a battery ordered, then that can be a spare.
I've had the battery on charge and here are two test pictures. So, we are back in business. Thank you Alison for finding this shop.

Out of Kendal I followed the River Kent, south. I have walked this before so I recognized it. It was a lovely walk, through fields of cows and sheep. Then I left the river to continue on the road to Milnthorpe. It was about 5.30pm and I was ready for stopping. I went into a hotel and they were full, but the pub across the road had a room.

Now I will study the maps to work out where I am going tomorrow. The legs are still aching, and the feet are a bit sore, with another blister on my big toe. After a rest I will be ready for the next part in the morning.

16 miles done today. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Day 3. Patterdale to Bowness.

Hello. I'm afraid it's a post without photographs again. I haven't found a camera shop.

It was chucking it down this morning so I delayed my start until it had eased off. Mind you, there were plenty more showers during the day. At one stage I wondered whether to give up, but I soldiered on. Patterdale is on the A592 to Windermere. I thought it would be a busy road, and after all the rain it might be the easier option. However I did find a path to take me away from the road to start the day, so I took that. I was so far along it and found parts of it waterlogged, my feet were going to get wet again. The swollen waterfalls came cascading down, and at one point the path was impassible. A long legged person might have been able to stride across the stream, but I couldn't without danger of falling in, so I turned back and found another route.

I ended up back on the road and decided to take my chances with the traffic. Surprisingly it wasn't very busy. I noticed that some footpaths ran alongside the road, and gave one a try. Alas I didn't get very far as it was alongside a small lake on the other side, which was heavily swollen and the path was under water. So at this point I realized it was pointless to try footpaths and decided to stick with the road. At least I could stride on at a decent speed.

It rained on and off, so the brolly went up and down quite a few times. I had my jacket on but going uphill makes me hot so I took it off, then put it back on again later. The weather was so unpredictable. It went dark, it rained, the sun came out it stopped, then it started again while the sun was still shining. Some of the downfalls were quite heavy but only lasted a few minutes.

On and on I went along the road. Kirkstone Pass was up ahead, this is notoriously steep, I wondered if I could manage it. The traffic was still light, no lorries use this route because of the gradient. The Pass is a very long incline, getting steeper near the top. I adjusted my pace, slowed down and concentrated hard on my breathing. It seemed to take ages to get to the top. What magnificent views along the way, car drivers miss all that when they whiz along. Water was flowing freely downhill, gathering speed as it went.

Eventually I came into Windermere, I asked if there was a camera shop, but there wasn't. I walked on to Bowness, still no camera shop, sorry.

I really made my legs work hard today, and tonight they are a bit achey. I am in a B & B in Bowness, today's miles are slightly less at 15, due to that long hard haul up the steep hill. Only two blisters which have been popped and smothered in Germoline. I have been wearing a skirt, much more comfortable, even in the rain.

That's three days done, I hope the rain eases off, I'm getting a bit fed up of it. Breakfast is 8.30am then I'll be off again, will reach Kendal, and hoping for a few more miles past there.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Day 2. Mosedale to Patterdale

Hello.
This morning I peeped out of the window to a lovely sunrise, and saw the farmer dashing about on his quad bike with his two collie dogs following. They were in and out of the fields with food for the sheep, who came running when they caught sight of him. In one field the dogs had to round the sheep up and herd them towards their breakfast because they hadn't noticed where he put it. When that job had been done he went into the chicken field and let them out of their house, and dropped food for them as well. Two dozen chickens rushed out of the little door and started pecking the ground.

Breakfast was good, hot and freshly cooked, with home baked bread. I was a bit apprehensive about today, not sure how it was going to turn out because I couldn't see any footpaths going in the direction I wanted to go. I knew there was going to have to be some off road walking. Now I am normally used to this, but here in the Lake District I am not very confident at venturing onto the fells where the path is not marked. To be honest, all those big hills look the same to me. But I had to bite the bullet and try my best to find the way.

I wanted to get to Patterdale and identified a path across the other side of the A66, but it did mean a trek across Threlkeld Common. The only other way would have been to go miles out of my way on minor roads.

I set off in trepidation, and found that the ground was very boggy, clumps of long grass, heathers which sank under my weight, and reeds waist high. I plodded on and aimed for the corner of a wood, hoping that the exit over the brow of the hill would be obvious. This was supposed to be a bridle way. There was a sign at the gate saying when wet it wasn't suitable for horses. It should have said it wasn't suitable for humans either. I really needed to go south to pick up a cycle track, but after an hour or so, there was no sign of it. I was completely disorientated. Going in a straight line without a compass and no landmarks to focus on I find quite difficult.

After stumbling for what seemed ages, I decided to get the hell off there and go back to the road I came from. I was up to my ankles in water, so it was a bit uncomfortable with squelchy boots, but there was nothing I could do about it but keep walking.

So after some backtracking I decided to take to the road. I picked up some supplies from Gleridding, and made it to Patterdale at 6pm, thoroughly tired out. I am in the Youth Hostel tonight, £33 for B & B, a private room. My boots are in the drying room, they should be alright for the morning, and my socks are on the radiator. I have spares for tomorrow.

I have a bit of bad news. I charged all three batteries last night, but alas I tried them in the camera and each one was flat. I don't know if they have come to the end of their life, or the charger is not charging properly. If I find a camera shop I will see if they can help me, but I won't hold my breath, they are not the run of the mill round batteries that are quite common, they are flat and square.

So, I've checked the mileage, I've walked 18 miles today. Everyone has gone to bed, I am the only one left in the dining room, so I will sign off now because they will want to put the lights out.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring. I have to check the maps yet, but once I get out of the Lake District I should have a lot more choice of routes.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Day 1 Carlisle to Mosedale

Hello. Apologies for not posting last night, I was in a farmhouse B & B with no WIFI. I had a lazy night watching tele. 

So let's catch up. Yesterday was day one. I left the hotel in Carlisle at 8.30am, and made my way to the river. I had already sussed out where it was the day before, I had time for a walkabout after I checked into the hotel. The plan was to take the Cumbria Way path, following the river. I wanted a good start and a fast walk, easy to follow the river, or so I thought. I did the first couple of hours without a map, another reason to follow the river, I didn't want to buy another map. 

All was going well when I stopped to chat to two walkers going in the opposite direction to me. We discussed where we had come from and where we were going. Then they dropped the bombshell. Further along there was a bridge over the river missing, it had been swept away eighteen months ago, and they were only just building a new one. That meant a diversion had to be taken, they pointed it out to me on the map. They also said it was not very well signed, and the ground was very boggy.

I carried on and came to the construction site. 

 I decided to modify my route and chose a different route, by walking on the road. I came off the Cumbria Way and did a combination of road and path, which took me to Hesket Newmarket. Originally I thought I might head for Caldbeck as that seemed like the favourite stopover point for walkers, but it was too early, so I carried on further.

This is the village shop/tea room, and Post Office at Hesket Newmarket. I picked up some supplies here. It's a smashing village, they have a B & B, but again it was too early for me to stop. I had some phone numbers with me of possible places where I might find a bed, so I rang a farm which was five miles further on. Yes, she said, they can accommodate me.

So off I set at 3pm. The easiest and most straight forward route was along a very quiet minor road. Plenty of sheep about, and hardly any cars. I was able to walk at a fast pace along the tarmac. My first close sighting of the Lake District.

It's beautiful, love the streams rushing down hill. The weather was ok, a few light showers but they lasted only a matter of minutes.

The B & B was a busy working farm. I was shown to my room which was accessed through a separate door to the rest of the house. The furnishings were rustic and farm like, it had real character. Sadly no WIFI.

That's what happened yesterday. 19 miles walked. There aren't many pictures because my batteries for the camera are either not holding their charge, or the charger is not charging them as it should.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Art at Saltaire

Hello. I hope you had a good weekend, I've had a brilliant weekend. I arrived in Bradford on Saturday at about 1pm, at SimpleSista's house, that's not her real name by the way. She has been reading my blog for some time, and we have met twice before. After a coffee, we went to Saltaire to have a look at the Festival. I love it there. It was raining when we arrived so we sat in the car and ate our packed lunch which SS had made for us. Then it was a walk around Salts Mill, I wanted to see the Hockney exhibition which I missed last time I was here because it was closed. I just love his work, here are a few of them. Have a look and see what you think. Are you a fan as well?

Trying to figure out which is my favourite, I love them all.

 Afterwards we wandered the cobbled streets between the cottages which used to house the mill workers. We came across some street entertainers. A large group of singers, and an energetic group of dancers. Then we went into a craft fair but we didn't have long there because they were closing.

On the way back we stopped off for a walk around Lister Park. It's a huge park with trees, a lake, and beautiful gardens.

I just love this magnificent life size sculpture of a stag, next to the house.

The park is very well kept, perfectly mowed grass and beautiful laid out flower beds.

Back to the house for dinner and an evening of watching television, which is a novelty for me.

This morning we went to Peel Park, another lovely park. It was nice to have my own personal guide to show me around. Then it was time for me to leave, SS very kindly made me a pack up to take with me. I drove across to Cleveleys, dumped the car, just missed a bus to Blackpool so had to wait for the next one, and was ten minutes late at the station and missed the 3pm train. Luckily there was another one waiting, it was about to leave. That meant I was late at Preston for my connection so I had to leg it over the bridge from one platform to the other, and just managed to catch the Carlisle train with one minute to spare. Phew, that was close.

So here I am, in a Travelodge, ready to set off walking back in the morning. House/cat sitter is installed, she has reported in twice today, and I expect there will be more updates. So, let the adventure begin. There is rain forecast, I might get wet.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Home is where the cat is

Hello. I only have to put things down for a few minutes and Heidi is quick to claim it as her new bed. Hate to move her, but I need those things. 

It's the weekend, have a good one, get out and walk if you can. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Sometimes you have to chuck

Hello. On the search for the right socks suitable for walking a lot of miles, I emptied my sock drawer on the bed. What, how many chuffin pairs of socks have I got? I knew the drawer was stuffed full. I don't like to throw them out if I can get a few more wears out of them, but honestly, do I need 62 pairs? 

Marie Kondo whatsit thingy not needed here. I went through the lot and decided to be brutal. Worn heels and toes, holes, grubby ones, all got the chop. I managed to get it down to 30 pairs. Still too many, but at least I won't have to buy any more for the next few years. 

While I was in the vicinity I thought I might as well cull a few more items of underwear from the other two drawers. The top drawer is for pants, that was not a problem, only three pairs in there, the rest were in the wash.

The bottom drawer is miscellaneous, tights, knickers, bra's, leggins and other odds and sods. There was stuff to throw away in there too. Tatty old bra's, knickers that I will never wear again, and holey tights, they have to go, they are no good to anybody. I came across this pair of black silky lacy knicks. blimey, it must be at least twenty years since I last wore those. Wonder if they still fit.

Yep, still fit, with a little bulge here and there. I won't show you my flabby bum from the back. This is how you need to pose if you are modelling. One leg crossed over the other to give the illusion you are slimmer than you really are. If you look at professional models you will notice that they all look like they want to pee. They stand there in front of the camera with their thighs clamped together as if they might wet their pants at any minute. Sometimes they cross over their feet, that sends a message to the photographer to hurry up because they can't hold it much longer. That line down the middle of my belly is my hystericalrectomy scar.  Having your lady bits taken out has it's positive side, you get a free tummy tuck.

 I have four pairs of bra's left, too pretty to throw away. I only wear them on special occasions, like when I dress up to go out, which is not very often. All other times I like to feel comfortable. Wearing a bra feels like I have a vice around my chesticles and gives me trapped wind. What a relief to take it off and let the wind make it's way south and exit into the outside world.

I feel a whole lot better now having downsized my undies. I only need the basics, functional and cheap, that's me.

Thanks a lot for the amusing comments on the previous post, they made me chuckle. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip