What a day! Today was our longest and probably most challenging day on the Coast to Coast so far. We had an early breakfast after a somewhat restless night and set off knowing we had around 25 km ahead of us.
A Beautiful Start
Our first climb of the day was about 326 metres up towards Angle Tarn. It was a beautiful morning, and we were thrilled to be back up in the hills. The high lake was stunning, surrounded by the fells and reflecting the blue sky.
📷 Photo: Angle Tarn
As we walked along, Valerie caught up with us and we started chatting away. Unfortunately, we were so busy talking that we weren’t paying much attention to the map!
Before we knew it, we’d taken a wrong turn.
An Accidental Wainwright
By the time we realised our mistake, we were almost at the top of Rest Dodd, at 696 metres.
Well… we may as well make the most of it!
We had unintentionally bagged another Wainwright peak. The problem was that our detour didn’t end there. We had to cross some very marshy ground to get back to the trail, eventually dropping about 200 metres before having to climb again.
It added quite a bit of distance and time to an already long day—but at least we got another Wainwright out of it!
📷 Photo: Looking back over the fells
Kidsty Pike – The Highest Point
Eventually we climbed again towards Kidsty Pike, the highest point of our Coast to Coast walk.
It was absolutely beautiful, although very windy at the top. We found a spot to sit and had our lunch while taking in the incredible views. After all the climbing—and our accidental detour—sitting there with lunch and looking out over the landscape felt pretty special.
📷 Photo: Views from Kidsty Pike
The Long Descent
Then it was time to start heading down.
The trail was quite rocky at first, which made for slow going. Our detour had already eaten into our time, and by the time we reached the bottom we still had around 13 km to go.
And it was getting late.
We walked and walked, following the trail up and down along the lake. By this point my feet were getting very tired, and the flies seemed to be everywhere. It felt like the final kilometres would never end!
The Final 6.5 Kilometres
Eventually we reached Burnbanks, where I tried to call an Uber or taxi, hoping we might be able to get a ride for the final stretch.
No luck!
We did, however, meet a couple of lovely local residents. One of them said he would have driven us, but unfortunately he’d been at the pub!
So there was nothing left to do but keep walking.
We still had another 6.5 km to go.
With very tired feet, we pushed on towards Shap.
At around 8:00 p.m., we finally arrived. We were absolutely exhausted and our feet were sore, but we’d done it!
And that shower… it may have been the best shower I’ve ever had.
📷 Photo: Arriving in Shap!
Finding Dinner
There was just one more challenge—finding something to eat.
The chippy was closed and the pub had stopped serving food, so we headed to the supermarket and picked up a couple of ready meals.
Luckily, we were staying in an Airbnb with a full kitchen, so we could relax and eat in. It was also lovely to have a little more space after several nights in hotels and hostels.
Reflections
Today certainly wasn’t how we’d planned it. The wrong turn and accidental climb up Rest Dodd added extra distance and time to an already huge day.
But we made it.
We walked through beautiful mountains, climbed Kidsty Pike—the highest point of our Coast to Coast, enjoyed lunch with incredible views, battled tired feet and flies, and somehow managed to keep going until we reached Shap at 8:00 p.m.
Tomorrow is a shorter day, so we’re planning a later start. Right now, though, we’re just very happy to be off our feet!
Today’s Stats
- Route: Patterdale to Shap
- Distance: Approximately 28km
- Highest Point: Kidsty Pike
- Elevation: Multiple climbs, including 696 m at Rest Dodd. Total 1399
- Weather: Beautiful and sunny, but very windy on the tops
- Highlight: Reaching Kidsty Pike, the highest point of our C2C
- Unexpected bonus: Accidentally bagging another Wainwright on Rest Dodd
- Challenge: The final 6.5 km with very tired feet
- Arrival: Shap at 8:00 p.m.
- Accommodation: Airbnb