Day 6 The Longest Day

Blue skies and a virtually cloudless sky greeted us as we set off at 8.15am to leave Shap and cross the M6 via a walk bridge. Everyone was joking last night that I would use a lollipop stick to hold up the traffic on the M6 as we all crossed the motorway in single file. Of course this didn't happen as we didn't want to get arrested and locked up and not complete the trek. But it would have been funny nevertheless.

Today we were aiming to do 21 miles. It was a fairly easy undulating trail across field after field of sheep, cows and even a few Shetland ponies.

We walked for 9 hours and never saw a village or a shop. We hardly saw any cars either and I couldn't believe I was really in the UK. The sun shone non stop and actually it became a bit too warm for the daily plod. Who would know that there was so much countryside in our own country that was so unspoilt.

Eventually we arrived in Kirkby Stephen and kicked off our boots outside the Jolly Farmer guest house.

Carol appeared at the door with bags for our dirty boots. We were staying here for three nights so it was laundry time, stuff it in a bag for £10 a bag. My bag was bursting with socks that could walk themselves along the road, they were smelly and crispy and various other tops and leggings that also were on the pongy side.

We ate a gorgeous meal and watched some of Julia Bradbury's Coast to Coast Walk on DVD. We just watched up to where we had been as we didn't want it to spoil any surprises for the rest if the trip.

Here is Elizabeth and I outside the front of the guest house.

Must sleep now as time passes so quickly in the evenings and I need more sleep after all this excertion every day xxx