David and I are resting our feet in the Ivydene B&B in Grasmere, laundry and drying goretex garments hanging from every knob, maps and the C2C book spread out, checking out what tomorrow might bring.
Yesterday brought the hike from Ennerdale Bridge to Stonethwaite, with the first three or so miles along the south shore of Ennerdale Lake. Sue and Kelly, the couple who own Far Reaches Farm had a great time finding plants they’ve never seen, like these wild orchids.
The scenery, once again, was incredible, with lake and mountain views, lakeside farms, grand sweeping open ridges, then a hike down into the totally charming Barrowdale Valley.
Here is the view outside our window last night, where an English Sparrow was nesting and singing into the evening.
Today we started out in rain and hiked into mist and clouds and fleeting sunshine, a bank of fog rolling up out of Grasmere Valley as we descended, then threading away overhead. We passed waterfall after waterfall, jumped rivers and slogged through boggy slopes, listened to the bleating of sheep and marveled at the artistry of the stone walls and buildings. It’s beautiful here!
Grace Mattern 