Evening News & Star, July 1st 2009

After what seems like months of fundraising we are hoping that this article in today's paper will do a bit more to get us nearer to our target of £2,500. And we've all made a good recovery since our long walk on Sunday - all aches and pains now just a faint memory.

http://www.news-and-star.co.uk/news/our_100km_walk_for_the_gurkha_veterans_1_576193?referrerPath=news

Please click on the link to see our article.

We just walked a MARATHON

Keswick – Latrigg. Latrigg – Skiddaw House. Skiddaw House – Great Lingy Hut. Great Lingy Hut – High Pike. High Pike – Wood Hall. Wood Hall – Hesket Newmarket. Hesket Newmarket – Sebergham. Sebergham – Rose Bridge. Rose Bridge – Dalston. 26 miles in 12 hours.

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We’ve been building up to this long walk for weeks and now we’ve done it. An early morning start was a good idea because we saw two young deer on our way down to Keswick, as well as scores of rabbits. As we drove over the fell road round Caldbeck we had to slow down and go round a new calf feeding from its mother in the middle of the road. A lovely start to the day.

Keswick to Latrigg was a steep climb and we’d barely had time to warm up before we the ascent began, but we quickly gained height and beautiful views out over the peaceful waters of Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater. Once at the top we skirted round Lonscale Fell, heading towards Skiddaw House where we had a good rest and feed.

From Skiddaw House it was a pleasant 3.5 mile trek over moorland and peat bogs to a tarmac road before the arduous pull up to Great Lingy Hut. The path was hard to follow and although we didn’t lose our way there were times when we weren’t sure we were going the right way. Lee had enough energy to go on ahead and check that we were going the right way. Eventually we saw Great Lingy Hut, which looked like a glorified garden shed from the outside. Inside it was very cool with a wooden sleeping platform and a visitor’s book. We were feeling quite chuffed by now, at having done most of our climbing, when we saw a retired teacher from Caldew who put us firmly in our places by telling us he once ran the whole of the Cumbria Way in just two and a half days. We covered the 26 miles to Dalston in 12 hours; he did the 31 miles to Carlisle in about 4 hours!

High Pike was not far from Great Lingy Hut and we reached the top easily. Then we got lost. Not badly but we ended up going back to the Cumbria Way in Hesket Newmarket instead of Caldbeck. It gave us an excuse to get some much needed liquid refreshment at The Old Crown. From Hesket we covered the remaining 10 miles back to Dalston with increasingly sore feet and a bit of help from Abba, Michael Hutchens and Scissor Sisters. Now, where did I leave that foot spa?

Wednesday Walk in Wreay Woods

Our Wednesday morning walks are becoming a regular fixture now. We set off from Newbiggin picnic area where the sounds of the M6 almost drowned out our conversation. Followed the river Petteril through pastureland and then into lovely Wreay Woods. A sign at the gateway to the woods told us there have been woodlands there since the middle ages and they have been managed woodlands since the eighteenth century. We were certainly glad of the shade provided by the leaves and a chance to cool off from the heat of the morning. A quick climb up the hill into Wreay itself, a small village clustered around a very pretty church. St Mary’s Church was built between 1840 and 1842 by Sara Losh, described by Simon Jenkins as “a Charlotte Bronte of wood and stone”. From Wreay we followed the road back under the M6 and took a footpath along and over the main West Coast railway line, passing Newbiggin Hall before crossing the newly repaired bridge over the Petteril and back to the picnic spot. A 2 hour walk and between 5 and 6 miles I’d guess.

St Mary’s Church, Wreay

For more about walks in the Eden Valley click here.

Marsh-stomping on the shortest night

We were finding it difficult to find a time this weekend when all 4 of us were able to go out for a long walk. Out of this confusion sprang the idea to go at night – when we should all have been catching up on our beauty sleep. So here we are on Sunday evening in dire need of a good night’s sleep, but able to say that we walked from Abbeytown to Burgh by Sands in around 4 and a half hours on the shortest night. We stuck to the roads, and although there were long stretches with no street lighting we got used to the dark quite easily. Bats, owls and nocturnal sheep occasionally interrupted our conversation. There was also quite a lot of inappropriate giggling. This helped us a lot! During the final leg from Glasson to Burgh by Sands we could look across the Solway to twinkling lights in Annan and Gretna. It was a fine sight to be sure, but it didn’t stop the aching legs and feet or Diane’s huge blister. We only admitted to aches and pains after the walk though. Mind over matter will be our motto in July.

Alison wearing a halo – or had she just had a bowl of Ready Brek?

We are over halfway to our target of £2,500. Please sponsor us:

www.justgiving.com/judycarruthers

Carlisle to Armathwaite (16 miles)

Lookiing north across the Eden from Stony Holme Golf Course

Our aim was to complete a 16 mile walk and we did it! It was a cool day with a strong north easterly breeze blowing in across the Eden as we set off at midday from the top of St Aidan’s Road. Within an hour or so we had gone under the M6 and emerged away from all the traffic noise into the peaceful countryside between Scotby and the Eden. After a short rest and lunch spent watching swifts and thanking our lucky stars that there was a large body of water between us and the cows rampaging on the opposite bank of the river we set off again, feeling much refreshed.

We left the Eden and reached Wetheral via Scotby and a footpath adjacent to the railway line. This stretch of the walk was pleasant and away from the windswept river bank so we soon warmed up and enjoyed a pleasant Sunday afternoon walk, reaching the half way point by 3.15 and very pleased with our time. A short rest again on the Green in Wetheral before setting off again.

Our third section took us through woodland and riverside meadows. The path through Wetheral Woods is very pretty and well defined and the air was filled with birdsong and the scents of river garlic and sweet rocket. The Eden is wide, fast and deep at this point and well stocked with salmon. A few lone fishermen stood thigh deep and still as statues in what must have been very chilly waters. The stretch along the Eden to Armathwaite is around 8 miles and we were all pretty bushed by the time we left the main river path, with its frequent ups and downs and headed for Drybrook Farm. From here we knew from our guide that we only had around 2 miles to go before reaching Armathwaite, and our spirits and pace lifted so that we had finished the whole walk by 7.30.

We achieved our goal of completing a good long walk and it was done in a very reasonable time. The 26 km stretch is just over a quarter of the total 100km we will do in July; we need to walk a little faster when we do the Trailwalker walk. But we still have 6 weeks training and who’d have thought any of us would complete a 16 mile walk and have so few aches and pains the next day? I wouldn’t have got off so lightly a couple of months ago! Next walk: Maryport to Silloth, Friday 12th June.

Gelt Wood and Talkin Tarn

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Distance: 7.5 miles (12km)

Time: About 3.5 hours (last stretch completed in darkness!)

We completed a trek through lovely woodland, now in full leaf, along the lakeside path at Talkin Tarn and on to the Blacksmiths Arms at Talkin village for a well deserved comfort stop before completing the loop back to Low Gelt. Toby was very excited by rabbits, Lee has now perfected the art of leaping (over streams and bogs), and we are all well versed in the following directions and finding prominent trees and impressive railway bridges!

Because of our stop at the pub we reached the last stretch through Gelt Wood at dusk, and can now claim to be experienced night time walkers. It was dark in the woods and very boggy and slippery down by the rushing waters of the Gelt. Another exhilarating hike by a tremendous team!

Hawksdale to Gaitsgill – circular walk

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A stunning spring morning saw us set off from Shirley’s house just before lunch. We followed an easy footpath through the fields behind Pincushion Hill to Lime House school and then headed off down a muddy bridleway to Gaitsgill. The going was a little heavy but the views towards the fells of northern Lakeland more than made up for the slipping and sliding underfoot. Arriving in Gaitsgill we were pleased to stamp our feet and remove all the mud from our boots. Then we set off up the lonning that skirts round the back of Gaitsgill on the north side of the Caldew to Buckabank. After that it was a quick (very quick, those cows were big!) trek through the fields down to the Bridge End and home again in time for a late lunch.

Caldbeck to Dalston, 10 miles

We have had such a good walk tonight that I have to sit down now and write about it. A glorious May evening, blustery but sunny and it stayed dry. Thank you so much to Steve for driving us to Caldbeck and dropping us off and all your encouragement. And to Martin for popping up from behind the car seat and surprising us all!

We set off at 5.15 from Caldbeck and quickly got covered in mud almost as soon as we left the road and followed signs for the Cumbria Way. But within what seemed like no time (okay it was 90 minutes) we were at Sebergham Bridge, just about the halfway point. After Sebergham Bridge we passed the squat tower at Sebergham Church and then hit a long stretch of the Caldew and walked along its western bank for about 3 or 4 miles to Lime House School. We spotted 2 red squirrels, a heron, dozens of frisky young cattle, frolicking lambs and countless bluebells and primroses. And the time flew by. We were at the Bridge End by 9 pm and sitting in the Blue Bell by 9.30, having a well earned refreshment break!

We have improved in our fitness and I don't think we could have done this walk so comfortably 3 weeks ago. We are pushing ourselves on every time we gou out and really gelling as a team. Fantastic work, guys and see you at Brisco Car Boot Sale on Sunday morning. And thank you to everyone who has sponsored us and to Judith for all the car boot donations.

Burgh by Sands to Burgh by Sands

Well, we walked 7 miles today and I am still awake at 9.45, but I have a feeling we will all sleep well tonight. We had a lovely walk round Burgh Marsh. Good choice, Ally, Lee and Toby. The weather was very springlike and we saw geese, swans, ducks and a few fish jumping out of the Eden. We stopped for a rest on a bench and spent a while trying to get the perfect team picture, and altogether it took 3 hours and 7 minutes (Swiss timing) to do the whole walk. We all agreed we could have walked faster, but at the moment we want to build up our stamina so are not overly concerned about speed at present. Thanks for the cheese sandwiches, Diane. They were a godsend.

On Thursday evening we are going up to Caldbeck and will be walking back - it's about 10 miles to Dalston. We may be back after dark, but we need the practice so que sera sera. Hopefully Lynda and Gillian will be joining us too. And another car boot sale on Sunday should see us raising some more for Oxfam/Gurkha Welfare Trust.