|
|
I left the house at
6am to catch the bus to Preston, £2.80 one way. It was very quiet in
town as I walked to the Railway Station. There was time to kill
while I waited for the 7:20am to Glasgow Central so I sat a while in
the waiting room. It was very warm and stuffy so I waited out the
remaining minutes on the platform. The train was on time and there
were plenty of seats. I got off at Oxenholme and waited for the 8:41
564 bus to Kirkby Stephen. It arrived on time which is interesting
as Friday 13th is supposed to be bad luck for travelling. The
interesting thing is the fare. £2.80 one way to Kirkby Stephen, the
same as the Preston journey except that it's over 3 times the
distance for the same money. |
Preston Railway Station |
It was a lovely sunny drive through
Sedbergh and on past the east side of the Howgills. I arrived in
Kirkby Stephen town square at 9:40 and spent a few minutes sorting
myself out before heading off towards the Nine Standards Rigg. I was
walking on a section of Wainwright's Coast to Coast route, which I
completed with Charlie in 1980. As I've commented in previous
articles its so scary thinking that it was over 26 years ago. I
walked down a narrow way with a high wall to my left then over
Frank's Bridge, crossing the River Eden. A drawing of the bridge in
Wainwright's book shows it much as it is today. The path across to
Hartley was well tended and the grass mown. In Hartley I was back on
the road for a while and climbed steeply up past the working quarry.
A post van passed me higher up so there must still be inhabited
houses. I became quite warm in the sun and I was soon down to my
t-shirt. Even higher the post van returned and gave another wave as
I moved off the road to let him pass. I came to a terrace of
cottages at Fell House, which I suppose is where the postman had
been. |
Frank's Bridge - then |
Frank's Bridge - now |
|
|
Rebuilt cairns on Nine Standards Rigg |
After Birkett Hill I
left the road and followed the way marked track up the fell. It was
a steady but easy climb and in places the grass was so closely
grazed it was like walking on a bowling green. Although I'd walked
it 26 years ago I don't remember anything of the scenery. My only
memory is of looking for somewhere to camp near Kirkby Stephen and
an old man letting us camp in his back garden. A goodwill gesture
I've remembered to this day. The outline of the Nine Standards
appeared before me and as I climbed they got larger. They are a
category above your average cairn as they are huge. When I reached
them it looked like some of the larger ones had been re-built. There
were two walkers by the largest cairn when I arrived at 12:07. We
exchanged a few words then I went off to find a suitable pitch for
the tent, which is where I am now typing this note. |
|
Sunset from my tent. |
|