Day 7

Day 7:  Orton to Kirkby Stephen.  About 18km.  260m up, 345m down.  One guidebook down; one Aussie/Kiwi down.

A late night last night.  The days are full and bedtime seems to get later every night.  Breakfast at 8, a visit to the chocolate shop at 9, at tour of the local centuries-old church thereafter and stocking up for lunch at the local deli at 10.  So.... on the trail by about 10:15 with a goal of getting to what promised to be a interesting town well before the shops closed at 5.  Well, no matter what the plan we always seem to get into town about 5:30.  Same thing today.  The walks always seem to take longer than expected - visiting with fellow walkers along the trail, trying to keep our feet dry as we zig-zag around numerous boggy sections and rock-hop where we can, unfolding creaky joints after sitting too long at a comfy or picturesque lunch/snack spot, etc. etc.  There was one additional reason today, which I'll get in to later.  

While we were on "tarmac" and gravel paths or roads for some of the day, most of the walking was on nice soft grassy ground (and some too-soft boggy ground).  So nice on the feet......  Still lots of sheep, cows and some horses too.  Rolling hills, stone fences and some fields of crops in the distance.  Very gentle landscape.  A few streams, tarns, and (did I mention) bogs.  We found a great lunch spot on a (dry) bridge and were quite content to lie in the sun for a while.

Then off again cross-country.  

Marilyn took the lead on navigation for parts of yesterday and today.  It is quite often helpful to have the guidebook in hand as we go since we need to note landmarks on an on-going basis to ensure we are still on the path.  Just as I had mentioned that walking and looking at the sights at the same time could lead to disaster, so too can walking and reading the guidebook.  As we were in a few kms of Kirkby Stephen we were descending a hill in a field shared by sheep and cows.  It seems Marilyn was consulting the guidebook and walking downhill at the same time.  She apparently stepped on what she thought was a rock and was instead a freshly deposited cow pattie.  In the blink of an eye she was on her backside sliding down through this mess.  She (and the guidebook) were absolutely covered in the stuff.  She was OK, but what a mess!  It's been a long time since I laughed that hard!!  Between Trudy and Marilyn, they were able to outfit her in a complete change of clothes so once wiped down and changed we were able to carry on.  The good news is that the scene of the splat was near the railway tracks and we saw all manner of trains go by, including a shiny old-fashioned steam train.  I think it was on its' way to Hogwarts.  The guidebook, which was open in Marilyn's hand at the time, is somewhat wet and stinky.  I think we'll pull out the reserve copy tomorrow.  

We were greeted by scones and tea at the B&B.  After Marilyn spent considerable time scrubbing down her clothes and gear, we were off to an Indian restaurant for dinner.  We'll have to do the town tour on the way out tomorrow.