The tent was taken down in record speed and we were ready for the off at 6am. I wasnt feeling very fresh (and smelt pretty bad as did Steve) but not too bad all things considered. We finished the last part of the climb in no time at all and then had the long descent from Grisedale Tarn down the valley to Patterdale. As it was mostly a gentle drop we managed to run most of the way although again we were not running as many sections when compared to the start of the previous day. I think we reached Patterdale (46.5 total, 5.5 miles day) at about 7.20am. I needed to rest my feet pretty badly so things were not looking great already.
Up ahead was the hardest section of the whole journey towards Haweswater but once we had cleared this section the rest of the day beyond the Lake District was relatively flat. First we had a 2km long steep uphill section to Angletarn Pikes at around 550m. In the end I think neither of us felt that it was as bad as we feared and for some reason my feet had recovered a little. We then had a quick rest just before Angle Tarn itself amongst beautiful scenery. Again the wind was even worse here so we had to wear our cagoules most of the way.
Angle Tarn in the background - Very Windy!
We had another long climb towards The Knott at 739m, followed by Kidsty Pike at 780m, our highest peak of the whole trip. We went a bit off route for some reason around this area, but it was obvious where we needed to head so very little distance was added. Again the wind just got worse and worse to the point of where you wanted to put your feet and where they ended up were two different things. You also had to lean quite strongly against the wind to move forward in a straight line. Almost the whole way (and for the majority of the trip as it turned out) the wind was against us just for added insult!
Our last major climb of the day was now over and it could have been a lot worse - we could have easily been bogged down in this section for hours but in the end it was all done and dusted in about 3hrs. After running most of the way downhill we stopped just as we reached Haweswater at a bridge sheltered from the wind over a stream. Steve decided to have a wash and I followed suit. Jeez it was bloomin cold, although I must say I felt a lot better for it afterwards! We were probably half an hour in total.
The next section was about 6km long following the line of Haweswater. It was quite up and down surprisingly although we ran as many sections as possible but my feet were getting very sore to the point of just feeling significant pain with each step. At the end of Haweswater I needed another rest. My legs actually felt pretty good and I was beginning to wonder whether my choice of footwear was the right one? Either way we had now covered 57 miles in total and 16 for the day at this point.
The plan was to now reach Shap where the terrain had clearly changed from fell type to more like undulating farm, river and meadow. The pain from my feet were just getting worse and I was also starting to get dehydrated again as it got warmer. Quite a lot of the terrain we would normally have ran but I just wasnt able to and Steve led most of the way. We reached Shap (62 miles, 21 for the day) at around 2pm ish and headed straight to the Bull Head for a Sunday Lunch and more lemonade. I have to say that although a locals pub the Sunday Lunch was absolutely fab and was just what the doctor ordered! The two and a half pints of lemonade just about managed to quench my thirst too! About an hour later we headed onwards although unfortunately all of the village shops were closed. It was not a major problem though as we still had plenty of snacks to see us through.
It was at this stage we were now starting to look for where would be the best place to camp that night. We decided upon a campsite at Raisbeck, a couple of miles East of Orton which would mean 30 miles for the day and 71 overall. We left Shap in good spirits and my feet felt much better. We then crossed the M6 and took one of our final views back towards the Lake District - one National Park down, two to go!
Last look back to the Lake District!
Smiling as just had a good Sunday Lunch and about to cross the M6!
The rest of the journey that day was just rolling hillside although the scenery began to change towards more of protruding Limestone Scars. Although there were a few hills, none of them were major although again we ran very little - only the more steeply downhill sections. As the afternoon progressed my feet were just getting worse and worse and I was beginning to hold secret doubts as to whether I could last the trip. The worst surface by far was tarmac - I was getting horrific pains whenever we walked on the road sections so would try to walk on the grass verges. Even this still hurt my feet but at least wasnt quite as bad.
We eventually rolled into the New House Campsite at about 5pm. The next campsite was a further 6 miles further along the route which I guess we could have made but to be honest my feet were just too sore so was glad to stop when we did. Steve's feet werent quite as bad, but I think his legs were tired. Although we only covered 30 miles today we had got the worst section of the whole route out of the way. It was just a case of whether we could keep things going or would we deteriorate further?
We paid our £6 each to camp and our surburn was pretty bad by this stage. I promised myself to buy some suntan lotion at the next village shop. We then paid another £1 each for some hot showers in an old portacabin which were great.
Campsite at Raisdale
I did try to wash to helly (my clothes stank) with a bar of soap which improved things a little but not much. The downside was that it didnt dry in time that evening and fearful of rain I didnt leave it out for the night. We then just pitched next to some trees which kept us away from the stiff breeze and cooked our dinner. I had two curry pot noodles - yum...!
As before we were too tired to do much else so turned in for the evening at about 9pm.
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