Rob-n-Hild Take the High Road!

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Eden River Valley Hike 12.26 km in 2:27 hours walking time plus lunch. Total ascent of 350 metres.

We were heading for a day of drizzly rain so we didn't plan to do a long hike. Instead, we had a slow start and then did a local hike recommended by our landlady. She said it was open and passable, but some "path closed" signs said differently. In the end it was a very boggy hike at the start along Eden River but then it improved later and finished up along the road. The second half of the hike was supposed to go along a public bridal way, but it was so boggy, we stuck to the roads and just darted for the verge the few times a car came past.

Last minute we decidced to hike the trail backwards: starting from the end - not actually walking backwards! As we started our hike we were met with posters to look out/down for natterjack toads. Spoiler alert: we didn't see any, but as always we did make sure our boots were clean and we didn't leave any garbage behind.

The sheep in our first field crossing were very relaxed about us being there. They didn't set off running like Shetland sheep did. They seemed used to seeing yet another tourist or two.

We soon got our first view of the beautiful River Eden. This is the same river we had lunch by in Carlisle yesterday. While we weren't very organized, all the ducks were neatly in a row...

We could try to be polite about the state of the trail, but it was just a horrible boggy trail today. Not surprisingly given how much rain we had yesterday. Still, we hopped and balanced and skipped our way from rock to log to rock since we chose poorly and didn't put on wellies today.

Reading up on the trail, we were on the lookout for Lacy's Caves. We didn't know quite what to expect, so we grabbed this photo of Rob checking out a "cave" - just in case it was very small...

After we were done with the boggy trail (according to two hikers with dogs who were coming the other way), we found the caves and they were not small! The warnings were accordingly:

The caves were fun and photogenic near the various entrances, but they went deeper than where we gave up. Wimps!

The trail - considerably drier and well-maintained - continued along the River Eden. Hild felt young again when she found this tree swing. Guess if she actually trusted the ropes on the swing? Would you?

Rob was startled by collapsing ruins - probably from mining operations in the past. Guess if he was startled or is he just a poser like his wife?

As usual, we enjoy seeing the colourful flowers along our way. Some are familiar and some are not.

As we got closer to the village of Little Salkeld we saw more of the typical English countryside: green grass and trees and hedgerows everywhere. Interspersed with a river, many houses and a railway line. This happens to be the Settle-Carlisle line where a steamtrain runs. Later we saw the steamtrain in the distance but too far away for photos.

We noticed may nice fields of barley, but this one was so narrow it begs the question how the farmer will harvest it. There even looks like there is a sink hole in it! - or crop circle?!

The cows were too tired to notice...

Several farms are selling produce from their properties. One offered raspberries while most offer eggs. All the eggs were gone and we hope they had collected their revenue otherwise a naughty person didn't pay the posted price.

Along our way there were several cattle grids, and on this one a sign informed horse drawn vehicles and animals to use the gate to the left. Most people used the gate - including those with dogs - but Rob-the-rebel is not a horse, a carriage, or an animal.

We took a detour to visit a famous stone circle called "Long Meg and Her Daugthers". There are 68 stones in a circle with one tall stone (Meg) at the edge. At winter solstice the shadow from the tall stone would be cast across the circle - and people would know that days were getting longer and they could look forward to spring. We wonder how many times they got to winter solstice and there was no sun...

The legend warned us not to count the stones clockwise and then anticlockwise as we may turn into stone too - joining the 68 witches who had been turned into stone by a Scottish wizard. We saw two guys getting ready to test the legend. We snapped a quick photo of them - just in case - for the missing persons report...

We had lunch (scotch eggs, tea, and fruit) at the edge of the circle as it appeared rude to camp out on one of the stones/witches.

Then when we headed back to the campsite, we found the bridle path too muddy for our liking and headed back to the road for a drier but longer hike back.

From roadsigns we noted how the town names all end in "by" which is very Norwegian indeed.

We also note that after some online research:

* Carlisle has nothing to do with Belinda (Carlisle)
* Carlisle also has nothing to do with Robert (Carlyle)
* Lazonby has nothing to do with George (Lazenby)

It kept drizzling and raining on the way back home. Most of the time it wasn't enough to worry about, but at one point we put our ponchos on. In this road-mirror we do looked like two-times Darth Vader.

At one point we thought we saw a giant chestnut tree, but as usual we were wrong. It was a giant oak tree.

Today's new species-seen include Red Admiral butterfly, a Banded Demoiselle (a damselfly), and an earth worm.

To remember Mains Farm, we grabbed photos of two more camping opportunities here: a tipi and pods/cottages.

In our orchard site we have a pear tree on one side of the tent and an apple tree on the other. So now we're going up the apples and pairs to bo (peep).

While repacking Percy, Rob found his two favourite things - both "water of life": Bowmore's Uisge-beatha and Lysholm's Line Aquavit.

Coming up: Hadrian's Wall - only some of it.

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