The lovely waterside path along Ennerdale Water provides a peaceful start to a demanding 16 mile day with 2300 ft of elevation gain.
The plan for a pint and snack at famed Black Sail Hut is thwarted, as the facility is closed when we arrive.
Undaunted, we push on. The strenuous climb up Loft Beck is rewarded with breathtaking vistas to accompany lunch.
After a long descent, the delightful little village of Rosthwaite finally comes into view.
We will stay here two nights.
Our diligent investigation of liquid refreshments continues at the Riverside Bar, next door to our hotel, The Royal Oak.
Arguably the best car of the entire trip appears on the streets of Rosthwaite.
Refreshed after a layover day, it is time to proceed to Grasmere via Helm Crag.
The scene our perch offers is more than adequate recompense for the effort required.
Following a steep descent into Grasmere, we resume our tireless pursuit of the truth regarding beverages in Britain.
Two days are scheduled here, at the delightfully situated Beck Allan’s Guest House, where we spend several enjoyable hours chatting on the serene patio.
Grasmere fills up with tourist buses every afternoon, but is pleasantly uncrowded early and late in the day.
Matt and Cammie leave us here, and head home to Albuquerque, while we carry their pebbles on to the North Sea. There is grave concern that our beverage research will suffer severely on their departure.
Well fortified by a delicious breakfast, we pursue our next objective, the tiny hamlet of Patterdale.
Of the three available options, we select the high route over St. Sunday Crag.
After Grisedale Tarn, we bear right, up the Crag, while the main route follows the valley down to Patterdale.
Although we are never technically ‘lost’, the path down off the crag somehow eludes us, resulting in a challenging bit of scrambling until are we able to rejoin the trail.
Patterdale, with its convenient store, is a pleasing sight.
The agenda for the next section includes the highest point on the Coast to Coast, Kidsty Pike.
There are a few other summits along the way.
For the first time on the walk, deteriorating weather compromises visibility, resulting in limited photographic opportunities.
The sharp descent from the highest point on the trail took longer than expected.
Finally our destination materializes.
We are grateful to reach comfortable shelter after a wet, long day.
Tomorrow we exchange the storied fells of The Lakes for the gentler charm of the Yorkshire Dales.