We woke up in the Black Bull Hotel in Coniston to dry weather and patches of blue among the clouds. Score! One delightful aspect of the trip was that 3 out of 4 places we stayed were B&Bs, so breakfast was included. That morning, our vegetarian version of the full English breakfast included tea, orange juice, toast, jam, cereal, 2 eggs, beans, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and fried bread. Not a bad way to start a day of walking!
Our plan for this day was to hike the standard day 2 of The Cumbria Way, which technically goes from Coniston to Great Langdale, but hotels in Great Langdale were limited and pricey (we discovered why when we were there), so we opted instead to spend the 2nd night in Grasmere, another picturesque town on a lake, 2 miles off the Way.
The day started with a little bit of climbing out of Coniston, but generally this was much more of a rambling day than a fell-walking day. Forests mixed with rolling, grassy, sheepy hills led the way to Tarn Howes, a large lake that used to be 3 separate lakes until a dam was build downstream. This of course led to a discussion about how even what we consider to be beautiful and "nature" today may have been shaped by human hands in the past, and in this case you wouldn't know it unless you stopped into the helpful visitor information booth.
From there to the small town of Elterwater the terrain was mostly rolling farmland, with many picturesque farmhouses, views into green valleys, and the ever-intriguing stone walls from centuries ago. All of these stone walls necessitate one of the most charming features of the Way - the bizarre collection of ways there are to get over and through
these walls. In some places there are wooden steps, or stiles, to simply climb over the wall. In some places there is a space in the wall and there is a gate to let you through - either a standard swinging gate (with a variety of locking/closing mechanisms) or more involved kissing gate. Or there was our favorite, the tiny gate at the top of the wall with embedded stone steps. Amazing. This funny little website has a nice picture and description of a kissing gate. Or, if you want to build your own, check out this one.Somehow we managed to navigate all of these gates and arrive at Elterwater, first the water itself, then the tiny village. The lead-up was a very nice flat path alongside the lake with an open field where many people were playing with their dogs.
Overall, I was very impressed with how the dogs, for the most part, were refraining from chasing the sheep. Elterwater is home to the Britannia Inn, which has a nice pub and is very clearly a haven for cyclists, ramblers and hill walkers alike. We stopped in to enjoy a cup of tea and a scone, and to try Coniston Brewing Company's special "Britannia" ale.
It was in Elterwater that we diverged from the Way to hike up and over a small ridge and into Grasmere. It was actually nice to gain some elevation after a day of walking in valleys, and from the top of the hill the views back to Elterwater and down into Grasmere, which is of course situated on yet another lake, were great.
In Grasmere we were staying at a youth hostel, though this term is a bit misleading, as the other guest ranged from young children to couples in their 60's. Another reason I wanted to detour to Grasmere is because I couldn't resist the name of this hostel: The Grasmere Butharlyp Howe. We scouted out what looked like the restaurant with the best veggie options (a caramelized onion, walnut and stilton tart for a starter, and sticky toffee pudding for, um, pudding, though actually in the North they just call it all "sweets"), devoured our food, enjoyed a few local beers back at the hostel (the "Scafell Blonde" and "High Pike" from Heket Newmarket Brewery, for those of you keeping track at home), and were in our bunks by 10pm.Approximately 12 miles walked
Towns: Elterwater, Grasmere
Peaks: none
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