More and More Mud, 4 November 2012

Right of way - as long as you're thin.

Back to Hartington again, familiar as the lunch stop on Rich’s walk less than two months ago, but all of a sudden a lot quieter and quite a bit less balmy.  But, it wasn’t raining, and we came equipped for quagmires and desultory bog-trotting, which is just as well as Vicky was soon leading us up the garden path, round the bend, up valley down dale and generally off on a bit of mission to achieve three important objectives: staying warm, seeing some cracking views while there was daylight enough to enjoy them, and getting to the pub on time.  All of which were achieved on the first leg, including an ascent up a towering bank of very wet grass which was, definitively, a complete sod. 

On Narrowdale Hill

After a pause to munch pasties and feed some very cheeky ducks in Milldale, we marched on to reach the pub in question, in sleepy Alstonefield, which served up cappuccinos,  Cumbrian beers and biergarten brollies just as the rain set in.

  The downpour was fairly light and only lasted for the length of a brief banter and pint-quaff, after which we were back on the trail again in time to watch a very English sort of sunset (terribly restrained, but stylish in its own way) from the top of Narrowdale Hill... and back to base to scrape off enough of the mud to be allowed back into our assorted jalopies.  ‘Bit of a classic day, really.