Day 4 (6th May): Keswick to Caldbeck This was a day of contrasts. Early on the route took me beneath Lonscale Fell and into the Glendaterra Beck valley, another place of spectacular vistas with hardly a soul to disturb the feeling of oneness with nature.
Past the Carrock mines the terrain became wilder yet more hemmed in. The path, in so far as I could still see it – the guidebook calls it “uncertain” in this area – diverged dramatically from my GPS route and I thought I had taken a wrong turning. I decided to climb up across the rough ground to rejoin the proper path, only to discover that there was none such and the path I had been on was the only one. The path went in a great curve while the GPS route was simply a straight line between two widely separated waypoints on the path. I had gone too far to retrace my steps, so I carried on until I rejoined the path at the second waypoint.
Then came a climb up High Pike and a descent to Caldbeck. At Caldbeck I couldn't find the campsite where I had been meaning to spend the night. Eventually I discovered that it was actually a farm undergoing renovation works. I had no other accommodation options, but luckily the farmer put me up in his garden. It seemed a very makeshift arrangement, but the following morning I asked the lady of the farm whether they would be willing to host other campers and she said yes.
Official distance: 23km. Actual distance walked: 27.7km.
Glendaterra valley
Skiddaw House
Great Calva
Sheepfold
Garden campsite
Day 5 (7th May): Caldbeck to Carlisle I thought that by now my legs would have grown accustomed to the distances I was walking, but this stage turned out to be the toughest of all. It started well enough and I was feeling good as I left Caldbeck, but after about 12km the tiredness caught up with me.
The official route crossed the River Caldew at Bell Bridge, but this bridge had collapsed after last winter’s floods. I took a diversion that kept me east of the river (on paved roads, unfortunately) until I reached Rose Bridge which was intact. Here I rejoined the official route on the river’s west bank.
The scenery was pleasant, but as I drew nearer to Carlisle it started taking on more of an urban and industrial character. Fatigue slowed me down and the journey seemed like it would never end. My boots felt stone-hard under my feet and my shoulders and thighs were on fire. But I kept putting one foot ahead of the other until, as I got past the outskirts of Carlisle, I realised that victory was within my grasp. And then, finally, I was in the town centre. I had made it!
Official distance: 25km. Actual distance walked: 27.2 km.
Rooster in Caldbeck
Flowering tree (sorry, my knowledge of plants is next to nonexistent)
Collapsed pathway along the River Caldew
Pleasant scenery en route
Hello to you too
Rose Bridge
The route changed its character as Carlisle got closer
Victory!
Carlisle city centre (photo taken the following morning)
Thoughts on gear My main items of gear included a Force Ten Helium 2 tent (weight 1.4kg), a Rab Ascent 500 down sleeping bag (1.1kg), a Thermarest Pro Lite Plus sleeping pad (657g), and an Aeros Premium inflatable pillow (80g). All these items performed well with the partial exception of the sleeping bag. Nighttime temperatures averaged about 7 degrees, well within the bag’s specifications, yet to stay warm I had to sleep in trousers, base layer, shirt and fleece. This is partly because I am a cold sleeper and partly, I think, because there wasn’t enough time for the sweat of the day’s walk to dry off before I went to sleep. To save weight I opted not to carry clothes specifically to sleep in, and perhaps this was a mistake.
My gear also included camp sandals and a folding camp chair. The sandals, slip-ons really, are cheap but light plastic things. The chair is a Helinox Ground Chair. Between them these items added 866g to my pack weight, but I was glad to have them.
My boots were comfortable, but after walking for eight hours or more I'd be desperate to get them off. I wore the sandals with a pair of Sealskinz socks to keep my feet warm and dry. I used these socks mostly in camp. I found them a little too warm to walk in, but I did so for part of a day after I sank my boots into a deep mud patch and got them wet on the inside.
The chair was essential in relieving pressure on my already tired back while I was warming food and eating. This model of chair has been criticized because it is very low on the ground, but this actually makes the chair easier to sit in when preparing your supper with your cooking gear laid out on the ground. The chair is expensive, but it is around 200g lighter than cheaper rivals so I felt that the cost was justified.
Did I take any items which I did not use? My sunglasses. Here in Malta I rarely walk without them on, but in the Lake District I did not feel the need for them even when the sun was out. I carried them the whole Way without ever using them.
Thoughts on long-distance walks I’m very happy to have finished the Cumbria Way. The difficulties en route made success all the sweeter. Nevertheless, the experience had made me rethink my views on long-distance walks.
Not all parts of the Cumbria Way were equally scenic. For instance I felt that the first part of stage 1, which goes through farmland, was below par – and not just because of my experiences with the cows. Also, was the final stage worth walking 27km over eight hours? Frankly no. I had read that this stage was an anticlimax, but I wanted my first long-distance walk to be a complete route. I wanted to “tick off” the Cumbria Way as a precursor to other LDWs.
Now, however, my priorities have changed. I want to continue walking, and possibly camping, but I want to experience the best scenery within reach of my means and abilities. I want to visit places that will give me the sense of peace and oneness with nature that I experienced at Langstrath Valley. I am no longer preoccupied with joining the dots between these places. I used to aspire to doing the Pennine Way: this is now no longer a priority for me.
Also, I want to limit the distances I walk each day. On the Cumbria Way I always felt pressed for time, like I was on a route march rather than a walk. I never felt I had enough time to truly appreciate the scenery I was walking through. And after about 15km or so tiredness would further reduce my ability to appreciate my surroundings. At this point I would become more preoccupied with how much distance I still had to cover. Fifteen km seems to be my natural range. But most LDWs would take too long to finish at 15km a day – another reason to reconsider whether I should do more of them.
Speaking of distance, it is interesting to see the variation between the official distance of the Cumbria Way – 117.5km or 73.4 miles, according to the guidebook – and the actual distance I walked, which came to 136.7km or 85.4 miles. Part of the difference is accounted for by the distance to and from my accommodation, notably at Ulverston and Caldbeck. Another part is a result of deviations from the route, especially in stages 1 and 5. But, I feel, this is not the whole story. The official figures seem to underestimate the distance slightly, perhaps because they measure the distance between waypoints and do not take account of all the twists and turns of the trail. Or else my GPS exaggerates distances.
As I said I’m glad I did the Cumbria Way. Part of the problem with cherry-picking parts of the route is that you do not always know beforehand which parts to cherry-pick. I had never heard of Langstrath valley before I did the Way, so I might never have seen the valley if I did not walk the Way. Doing the Way was worth it to me for this valley alone. But if anyone asked me whether the Cumbria Way is a good choice as an LDW, I’d say look for alternatives because there may be better walks.
