Very early on (about 6.30am) we came across another C2C walker so we had a brief chat. Up until this point we hadn't really come across anybody else who looked like they were obviously doing the C2C - I suppose I was expecting a whole stream of people but the reality until now was nothing like it. My feet in the first few hours held up pretty well although as before we only ran the sections which were downhill and walked the rest.
After a few miles there was one section where the Ordnance Survey map and Harvey's went in different directions. For the rest of the trip whenever this happened we generally opted to follow the more recent Harvey's maps. Again the early section just came and went. It was starting to get more hilly and we were crossing more bleak moorland as the morning progressed.
Towards the end of the morning and a few miles from Kirkby Stephen my feet started to get very sore again but as we had already been going for about 2.5 hrs we opted for a rest stop anyway at a lovely bridge, in a beautiful valley and just as importantly out of the wind (sorry - recurring theme!). We then covered the remaining 4.5 miles into Kirkby Stephen (82.5 miles total, 11.5 for the day) fairly rapidly and we even managed to run a good deal of it before stopping outside a local shop for provisions at around 9.30am.
After about half an hour of resting we started the major climb of the day to Nine Standards Rigg (88 miles, 17 for the day) at 662m. It was a long long climb but again I managed to cover the distance pretty easily and my feet were ok for the majority. It was at this point I realised that whenever there is a steep uphill section my feet were generally ok, anything flatter and they got really bad for some reason. As before as we climbed up it got more and more windy so yet again, where you wanted to put your feet and where they ended up were two different things. From a distance we could see the Nine Standards and not long after we had reached the summit. I can not even begin to tell you how windy it was up there. Basically we took a photo and then proceeded to get the hell off the summit!
Nine Standards Rigg - Very Windy!
To build up some warmth we ran down the other side of the hill and decided to take the less trodden optional Eastern route and follow Whitsundale Beck. It was good to be by ourselves again doing this as the trek to Nine Standards had a lot of day trippers plus by this stage there were loads more people doing the C2C. We ran the vast majority of this section and made really good progress. We did have a quick break towards the end of the Beck mainly because it was so warm as we need liquids but also because it was sheltered from the wind. I found crossing the peat hags and the solitude of this section one of the most enjoyable sections of the whole trip.
We had now done over 92 miles of the whole trip and were only 2.5 miles from Keld - the halfway point of the C2C. Again at this point my feet were very very bad - every time I thought they couldn't get any worse they did. On the plus side I had no blisters or sores and my legs felt surprisingly fine. Steve's feet were faring better although he kept getting the odd blister and tired legs. That last mile or so to Keld mainly along the road was a truly dreadful experience. At one point Steve said to me 'Did you see that deer?'. I just went 'No' and didn't bother looking, just about summed things up for me. I was in my own world of pain.
We reached Keld at about 2pm ish and we took a long break at a farmhouse tea room cum shop. Although we at first sat on the benches outside with most other people it was still very breezy so we retired inside. We were now halfway - just another 95 miles of pain to go! Frankly I was in a bit of a state, I just had a bottle of coke and nothing else even though I hadn't eaten anything other than a few snacks for most of the day day.
The long rest stops were always a good opportunity to take weight off my feet so generally meant that I was able to make good progress for the first hour or two afterwards with just achy feet rather than being painful. As we were now in the Yorkshire Dales the terrain had changed yet again. We now had just 11 miles or so to get to Reeth although progress was going to be slow as it was a series of up and downs. The first section was steeply uphill and as before I found it a lot easier on my feet. Although the rough moorland was very scenic what added to it was all of the disused workings, building and mines that scattered the area. It is difficult to imagine that literally thousands of people lived and worked in the middle of nowhere centuries ago. The photo below shows one of my favourite valleys of the whole journey - the photo does not show the contrast so well but trust me the view was amazing with the buildings in the background. My feet throughout this section felt pretty good and we ran a good deal of the flat and downhill bits at a fast pace.
Old Buildings at Gunnerside Gill
Not long after we seemed to lose the right path and there were loads of tracks going in all sorts of directions due to the worked nature of the landscape. We probably lost a good 20 minutes getting back onto the proper route. Steve then suggested going dead north to avoid a bend in the path. I agreed and of course we ended up losing track of where we were on the map as the landscape was so well worked it was impossible to see all of this detail on the map. As usual it was very windy and I must admit I lost my temper a bit. We happened to be on the right track, not that either of us knew it but eventually the map began to make sense. Steve was adamant that he knew where he was all of the time but I could just tell he hadn't got a clue either!
A long downhill track then ensued for several kilometres which we ran as much as possible going past loads more of old mines, smelting buildings and so on. A truly different world. We now just had about 6km left for the day before we reached Reeth and what looked like good tracks. In the end the navigation turned out to be quite tricky and progress a lot slower than it looked like it would be on the map. This last section probably took us best part of an hour and a half at least. My feet had again started to get really painful and about a mile before Reeth the pain got to a new level where I was virtually limping and any worse I'd have been crying it really was that bad.
We found the campsite at about 6pm called Orchard Park and paid our £5 each. She offered us use of one of the Caravans for the same price (perhaps she could see we were in a bit of a state!) so we jumped at the chance. It was a great feeling not have to put our tent up and to be able to leave our stuff lying about rather than having to keep everything in the rucksack. We then paid 20p for a hot shower each and I necked my first couple of ibuprofen as my feet were in a shocking state and my right foot was badly swollen. As before I didn't have any blisters, just very sore soles of my feet.
Steve in the caravan!
We finished off the evening by going to one of the local pubs in Reeth and I had lasagna and chips which was great with a couple of pints of lemonade and Gooseberry Crumble to finish. I have to say that Reeth was a lovely North Yorkshire village. At about 9pm we turned in for the night. 106.5 miles in total and 35.5 for the day.
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