Day 6 – Kirkby Stephen

Today was a slog. The wind was really difficult to climb a fell when the wind is in your face constantly. The day started off with the landlord of the Kings Arms chasing me down the street with my Coast to Coast route map!! Good job as this is the bible for this walk.

Then it was over the main line train line, then over the M6 motorway. Really weird walking over the M6! A few hundred yards on and the noise and cars are forgotten and you walk through moor land traversing (for you keeley) rock formations on the ground which are very strange.

The 4 americans emerged from a corner and surrounded me “ we are lost is it this way”? I checked our maps and gave the correct way forward. We walked for the next 3-4 miles on and off talking about things. 2 ladies and 2 gents both around 60 years old and good walkers. They were from Arizona and couldn’t deal with the cold !! (funny as I was in a t-shirt and wearing sun glasses) They were dressed in hats, gloves, scarves andfull on winter jackets. It was sunny!!!!

Went on and on across the moors until I came across Sunbiggin Tarn. I changed my socks there and continued on and on across the moorland until I got lost!

It was around a farm and camping site, the book stated straight on through a gate in the wall, there was no gate and going left took you away from the route and also right into the camping site wasn’t on route.

I decided to go right and through the farm and camping site, rejoining the route about 3 miles later after a short section of the Pennine way. I had to go up on a fell (Smardale I think), which was basically a turbo charged Wind Tunnel. Then after an hour of being battered on the fell, it was down to Kirkby Stephen through the tunnel and walk up into town.

Wonderful B&B and a great curry at the local. A beer in the local pub and asleep by 9pm!!!