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I was woken in the night by the sound of thunder! Or was it me scratching my fly bites which were now more like welts that woke me up?! Whilst eating breakfast I was treated to a beautiful display of lightning and thunder. The mountains surrounding me that I could clearly see the day before had all disappeared in the mist and it was very atmospheric… It also meant it was time to put on my wet weather gear which I wasn’t complaining about, I would much prefer to have been wearing them than carrying the extra gear on my back!

My backpack for this walk was 2.5 kg heavier than it was for the camino making it a total of 12.5 kg. For the c2c I ditched the sleeping bag but I had to carry extra water, emergency food supplies, a heavier guidebook, GPS and daily packed lunch. The extra 2.5 kg felt like an extra 10 though!

I had been walking for about an hour in the rain when I stopped to take some close-up pictures of flowers and heard someone else coming up the track behind me. The sound of footsteps was music to my ears… It’s more fun walking with someone and is amazing how fast time goes and how easy climbing mountains can be when you’re engrossed in conversation, as opposed to listening to your own thoughts and complaining to the sheep! Dave from America was also walking alone and we walked together for the rest of the day. He was great company and we celebrated arriving at our destination of Borrowdale over a pint in the pub.

My accommodation in Borrowdale was a very posh B&B (Hazel Bank Country House) due to it being the only accommodation available with my last minute booking! It was quite a contrast to the previous night’s hostel. I was greeted by the owner and informed that dinner would be at 7pm but to meet in the reading room for pre-dinner drinks at 6:30pm. There were even chocolate truffles on the bed. I was a little embarrassed to ask the owner where I could hang my hand washed clothes (the dryer room) and even more embarrassed wearing my Teva sandals to dinner, but I had a lovely evening, a wonderful soak in the bath and a delicious 4 course dinner.

I was surprised at the lack of phone and internet coverage, assuming I would have no problem anywhere, but in actual fact I had no coverage for both the first and second day. I started to realise I really was in some remote areas of northern England!

YHA Black Sail

New beers

New beers

Hazel Bank Country House, Borrowdale

A very nice dinner at Hazel Bank Country House, Borrowdale

Day 2, Ennerdale YHA to Borrowdale