Monday 8th May 2006
Kirkby Stephen to Keld.
I paid a quick visit to the Chemist to grab another pack of compede blister plasters because I had just used another on my right heel which now sported two of these little trophies. The weather again was set fair (we couldn’t believe we had walked the entire Lake district and beyond and only had about an hours rain!). What a pleasant walk out towards Nine standards. We had dropped the pace because we knew we had a short leg today ( the distance – not physically!). The walk up to nine standards was non too taxing however the wind on top was extremely strong and dead in the face, so we didn’t linger long. We managed to round/hurdle/skip and jump the boggy ground on the way down whilst being buzzed by Her Majestys RAF fighter planes. Scott very nearly stood on a grouse before it decided to scoot away. Whitsundaydale was very pleasant, and after the triumph of reaching halfway we celebrated with an Ice cream in Keld. We were then fortunate enough to blag lift from a couple of tourists to take us to our digs at Muker tea rooms, where we decided to refuse the kind offer of tea (most pleasantly) in favour of a pint of Old Peculiar next door at The Farmers Arms. After supper I was diverted by the sound of a brass band playing in the village hall, and sat listening on a bench by the river for a short while as they rehearsed.