Day 7 Squelching into Yorkshire through Peat Bogs

We walked out of Kirky Stephen after a delicious breakfast of porridge, fruit and marmite on toast and visiting the unusual red sandstone church.

Straight away we started a long climb up to Nine Standards Rigg which in the words of Wainwright is an occasion for celebration as it is the main watershed of the walk with an interesting viewpoint on it

Nine cairns like the four in this picture which from a distance look like teeth across the brow of the hill.

It is from here on the spine of the Pennines that the watershed changes and the rivers which have been flowing West to the Irish Sea will flow East to the North Sea from now on. We will also not reach this height again on the rest of the walk.

So that's good news then, not so many long, steep uphills which have been torturous across the Lake District.

Heading down from the Nine Standards Rigg we entered a very large peat bog area that, if you weren't careful you would be up to and over the top of your boots. Hooray, I'm glad I invested in my £10 gaitors. They don't look so good but they did the trick. I didn't fancy half a peat bog competing with my feet for the insides of my boots. It was very squelchy with high muddy banks and difficult to walk at any decent pace.

I even had a slip up one of the banks which I couldn't style out and found myself side on in one of the long grassy areas on top of the bogs. As Mike (one of our team) says it's not the fall but the loss of dignity that's worse. I just had a muddy knee to show for my tumble.

We came upon a sign which marked the leaving behind of Cumbria and the official entering of Yorkshire. It was completely surrounded in bog which we continued to squelch through for a good few miles as we headed downhill.

We came upon a remote farm with a sign saying Slow Down Free Range Children. There were bikes laying discarded on the grass, an old go kart, washing blowing in the wind on the line and two small kids aged about 2 and 4 dragging plastic shopping baskets around, you know, the type you get in the co op with wheels on. They were bringing in wood from the barn and taking it into the house for the fire. They could barely talk but were merrily running up and down to Raven Seat Farm house with their loads. This was the farm house of Amanda Owen the famous Yorkshire Shepherdess who has 8 children ranging from 14 years down to 11 weeks old. She came out with mugs of tea for everyone and freshly baked scones with jam and cream. What an incredible woman. She even found time to chat and I bought her book from her which she says is going to be made into a film.  She also told me as she was signing the book, that she is working on another in her free time from 8pm to 1am in the evenings. How does she get any free time with a husband and all those kids to look after? 

This is the sign with the farm in the distance behind.

We continued on our way and arrived in a very tiny village called Keld where we were picked up in a mini bus and driven back to The Jolly Farmer and lovely Carol who was waiting for us in Kirkby Stephen.

Hot showers, clean washing in bags all done and a delicious hot meal of trout then an early night was very welcome.

11 miles today with 540m ascent today so our total is 96 miles which is exactly half way in this epic trip.

My boots are holding up well but I have one small blister on the side of my left heal.

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