Six weeks ago, I decided to get my arse into gear and start doing some proper strength and conditioning to help me with my running. As it happens, I'm not actually running at all at the minute due to my foot injury but no harm in doing the S&C anyway as this way the hops is that I'll come back much stronger.
The assessment is conducted by Dave Bell at Sportesse PT in Chorley and consists of a number of different exercises to see where I'm at in terms of my strengths and weaknesses. Dave then sets a strength and conditioning programme for me to follow for six weeks (I personally have two sessions per week, which are both different) then tests me again at the end of that to see my progress.
The improvement between my first session six weeks ago and my session today is astonishing. I can't believe that in only six weeks I have become so much stronger. The exercises undertaken in the assessment are as follows:
Holding a bar over my head and squatting down - this is to see the angle that I can get down to. I got down much lower today than last time whilst still keeping my chest up and not rounding in the back.
Striding - for this exercise, I had to stand with my foot against a measuring bar and, with my other foot, stride out as far as I could. I managed to stride a lot further than six weeks ago (sorry, I'm not being very scientific here but I've already forgotten the exact figures I managed to get to, I'll try to get them and do a proper comparison table at some point).
Stepping over a bar - all I had to do on this one was step over a bar whilst Dave assessed the movement of my hips. Last time I had the bar on the lowest setting but as soon as I went to step over it with one foot, my opposite hip jutted out. This time, I got the bar much higher. Again, I can't remember what it was but it was to a point where it was too high to step over and instead I had to just touch it with my foot so it will have been around six or seven as opposed to the pitiful one which it was last time.
Standing on one leg - No change in this one because Dave only times this for a minute and both times I have managed to last that long.
Standing on one leg with eyes closed - For this one, there is no time limit and you just do it for as long as you can. I managed to last 37 seconds longer on my left leg. If you have never tried standing on one leg with your eyes closed, give it a go, it's really hard!
Sit to Stand - This is the one I saw the most improvement on. It was absolutely astounding! You sit on a bench and take one foot, say the left, off the floor and then have to stand up on the right foot without putting your left foot down. You then do it on the other foot. You get three goes at this to be able to stand all the way up and sit back down again. Each time you complete it on both feet, the bar gets lower. Sounds easy but give it a go, it's not! Last time I got to three from the bottom but this time I not only got all the way to the bottom level but I then had to keep going, holding heavier weights each time. I gave up when I was up to a stone in weight.
Push ups - I doubled the amount of push ups I could do!
Plank and side planks - Now the next couple are the ones where there wasn't a huge improvement but I put that down to the fact that I was, by now, incredibly fatigued from the earlier exercises. I lasted just slightly longer than I had done last time.
VO2 max - This bit is horrible and I have to row for 2000 metres and see how quickly I can do it. I only improved on this by 18 seconds from last time but, again, I was feeling incredibly fatigued from the 'sit to stands' and the push ups.
I might have missed some other exercises but can't remember now (seriously, my memory is getting worse!) but there's more than enough there to show the massive improvement in just six weeks.
I can't wait to start running again to see how this will be affected but I know not to expect too much to begin with given that I'll have lost some of my fitness in the meantime due to having so much time off from running.
Huge thanks to Dave and Barry at Sportesse PT!
Monday 18 July 2016
Sunday 10 July 2016
The Cumbria Way - Ulverston to Carlisle
On Tuesday, 5 July I got the train up to Ulverston where I planned to chill out for the evening in my B&B before starting to walk the Cumbria Way the next day. I had originally planned to run the 74 miles but, because of my foot synovitis, I had to walk it instead. I know you're probably thinking that walking will be almost as bad and you're absolutely right but I had all my B&Bs and trains booked and had been looking forward to it for months so I just wanted to at least give it a go.
I was a little early getting to Ulverston so I went to a lovely little tea room for a mocha in the sunshine. After stocking up on nibbles, I headed off to find my B&B, Rock House. I have a lovely big room all to myself and even had a choice of beds but obviously I chose the double one. I just spent the evening watching inane junk on TV, reading a bit of my book and studying my map of the route ahead.
Day 1 - Ulverston to Langdale
I got up early today and headed downstairs for breakfast at 7.30 so I could get an early start as I had about 26 miles ahead of me. A hearty full English breakfast and I was on my way, heading for the New Dungeon Ghyll at Langdale.
The first part of the Cumbria Way is through farm land and is probably the trickiest bit to navigate as there are a lot of turns and easy to miss stiles but, as I had done this part of the walk before, I managed to find my way round OK. I did however, within the first two miles, have to divert the route slightly TWICE due to very angry looking cows in fields. They were butting each other and when I approached them the stopped butting each other and glared angrily at me instead. They were right across my route and there was no way I could get around them and would have to come within a couple of feet of them so, being on my own, there was no way I was doing that and thankfully there was a road to the side so I just walked along that for a very short way before getting back onto the trail. I know some of you reading this won't understand my fear of cows (which has only established itself in the past couple of years due to stories of fell runners being attacked by them) but seriously, they can be really dangerous!
Approaching St John's Church near Broughton Beck
A sheep watching me whilst I sat on a rock and ate my lunch next to Tottlebank Height.
Beacon Tarn
Oddly, even though it was a nice sunny day, I didn't come across a single other person until I was nearly eleven miles into my walk, just after Beacon Tarn! This is the Cumbria Way, in the Lake District, on a Sunny day in July - what's happening???
It was not long after this when my foot first started to get sore due to my synovitis injury. When I reached Coniston Water, I stopped for a while and took off my shoe and sock and soaked my foot in the cold water to take down the swelling. It seemed to work and my foot felt much better after this.
After reaching Coniston a lot of the route to Langdale is on the same trails as the Spring in Lakeland LDWA event so I have been on them a few times lately and it was all very familiar.
It was in Coniston that I started to wish that I had done the route the proper way, i.e. over five days rather than three. If I had, this would be my first stopping point and, by now, because of my foot pain, I was ready for a rest.
No rest for the wicked though and I put on my brave face and continued on my way. Only another ten miles to go from here.
The Money Tree at Tarn Hows
Unfortunately, ten miles can seem a very long way when you're not feeling 100% fit. Because of the pain in my foot, I was walking on the outside of my foot which was causing that to rub on my shoe and also causing other parts of my leg to ache due to overcompensating.
Soaking my foot again in Elter Water.
Thankfully, the beautiful scenery helped to take my mind off the pain and I finally began to descend into Langdale.
Heading down to the New Dungeon Ghyll
When I checked into my room at the New Dungeon Ghyll, I rang Duncan and I told him that I didn't think I was going to be able to continue. My foot was really sore and I was worried that I'd be causing more and more damage. To make matters worse, when I took my socks off I realised that my right foot was now also 'playing up'. I can't really explain the feeling in it but the best way to describe it is that it felt like I had a plaster around my second toe even though I didn't. The feeling of my second toe on my big toe was the same feel that a plaster has. I know that probably sounds a bit weird but I can't describe it any other way. It was all numb and tingling. I was aware beforehand that my right foot did have the same issue as my left it's just that it has never been anywhere near as bad and hasn't flared up to the point that my left one did six weeks ago when I couldn't drive.
My room at the NDG was lovely and the shower was just what I needed, I didn't want to get out of it! After getting changed I headed down to the bar but it was hard work and I had really started to stiffen up. I was starving by now so got myself a chilli with chips and rice, washed down with a ginger beer.
Day 2 - Langdale to Keswick
A nice short day today of only 18 miles and I woke up feeling really refreshed and not as achy as I had thought I'd be. I decided to carry on and, if worst came to worst, it was only eight miles to the first town and I'd be able to get some transport from there over to Keswick.
In total contrast to yesterday, I had no foot pain at all today, well except for pain from the blister I caused yesterday by walking on the side of my foot but nothing a bit of compeed won't fix. I wonder whether it was because it had been raining heavily through the night and I found myself walking through puddles for the vast majority of the day which kept my feet cold and so kept the swelling down (synovitis is an inflammation problem).
Heading out towards Stake Pass
I was now feeling much more positive and, because the distance was much shorter today, I was able to enjoy it a lot more, knowing I didn't have to rush to get to the next place.
The view back through the Langdale Valley from near the top of Stake Pass.
Fellfie on Stake Pass.
Coming down the other side of Stake Pass, which is a very zigzagged path all the way down.
After climbing the Stake Pass and following the path alongside Langstrath Beck, I eventually came out into a little village called Rosthwaite. There's a lovely little cafe in Rosthwaite and I stopped there to get a drink. I didn't intend to buy any food as I had enough with me but I couldn't resist it when I saw a Kendal Mint Cake cake! It was yummy and great fuel of course.
Kendal Mint Cake cake.
Soon enough I arrived at Derwent Water and followed the west side of this all the way into Keswick.
Derwent Water
Approaching Keswick
I carried on following the route through Keswick Centre as my B&B wasn't in the centre and I had marked on my map where the best place was to leave the route to get to my B&B. I came off the route and onto an old disused railway line which took me all the way to my B&B, Laurel Bank Guest House. The owner here was really helpful as I had told her that I would be making a very early start in the morning so wouldn't be having breakfast. She offered to let me help myself to milk and whatever else I wanted from the fridge so I could make my own breakfast but I insisted that I'd be OK and had enough food to see me through.
Even though I had had no foot pain today, when I took my shoes and socks off, my right foot (the 'good' foot) again had that weird tingly sensation and felt like I had a plaster on.
Day 3 - Keswick to Carlisle
Today was going to be gruelling. I had 30 miles to do and the first 15 were going to be over open moors and mountains so I was a little bit worried about how long it was going to take me to complete it, factoring in time for getting lost and for any steep climbs.
A bit claggy
Approaching the mountains I could see that the clag was down so I must admit I was a little concerned. My navigation skills can only be described as 'not bad'. They're also not great. I'm pretty competent with reading a map but once it gets to compass work and anything a bit technical I'm not overly confident yet.
It soon transpired that the majority of it was really easy to navigate though. There were very distinct paths and not many other paths off them so it was easy to see where I was supposed to be.
The view down into the valley from the side of Latrigg.
Not long after I took the above picture it started to rain. Hard. It had been spitting a little when I set off so I already had my OMM kamleika smock on. I was wearing shorts and these soon became sodden and, after it had been raining heavily for nearly an hour and was very windy too, I started to get cold. I came up to Skiddaw House and just before the main building, there is the ruin of an doorway so I attempted to shelter a little under that and put on my waterproof over trousers, a long sleeved top under my OMM and a pair of gloves. As I left the not very sheltering doorway, I noticed that Skiddaw House was actually open and I probably could have just asked nicely if I could shelter in there. Duh!
Looking back towards Skiddaw House.
After Skiddaw House, I made my way around the east side of Great Calva. There is actually an alternative 'low level' route from Skiddaw House which takes you around the west side of Great Calva but I wanted to do the 'proper' route of course.
The hardest part of today, for me, was the climb up the side of Grainsgill Beck which climbs up towards the Lingy Hut, a bothy on Great Lingy Hill. It was a tough climb because the path is very narrow and indistinct in places and deteriorates more and more the further up you get. It was also very muddy and slippery in places. Part way up I had to cross the fast flowing beck and the only way I could find to do this was to hold onto a tree which was overhanging it because the stones were incredibly slippery. Being on my own with nobody else around meant I couldn't afford to slip and do myself an injury, who knows how long I could have been stuck there. Honestly, I've never seen the Lake District so deserted before. Last year, when I did a partial Cumbria Way, I came across loads of people on the route who were doing the same thing but this year I didn't see a single person who was doing it. Not one.
The view back down from the climb up Grainsgill Beck
The Lingy Hut
When I arrived at the Lingy Hut I decided to go inside for a bit and change my wet, and now very muddy after that climb, clothes. I totally stripped off my top half and put on a fresh thermal, long sleeved top and a different waterproof (Duncan was mocking me for taking two but I knew it would be a good idea).
No time for rest though, that last mile had dragged down the great pace I had been doing beforehand.
Not far after the Lingy Hut I could see High Pike which I knew to be the highest point on this leg of the journey and indeed on the entire walk I believe.
Approaching High Pike
Coming off High Pike I got my compass out to make sure I was going the right way as there isn't really a distinct path but my compass pointed north and that was good enough for me.
After dropping down though, my navigation skills deserted me. I came onto a trail but it didn't look at all like the trail shown on my map, even though my map had told me to keep to the left of some fenced mine works which I had done. The place I came into is a working mine/quarry area so I'm wondering whether the trail has changed since my map was made. Or is that just me trying to come up with an excuse for my bad navigation?
Anyway, the error in navigation resulted in me coming down into the wrong far and ending up completely off my map so I had no way of knowing where I was. Thankfully, after wandering aimlessly along a road outside the farm, a post van came along so I pretty much jumped in front of it and made the postman stop. He told me where I needed to go but I was now about 1.5 miles further out of my way that I should have been. Embarrassing! Ah well, I had managed to get 56 miles fault free so far so never mind.
On walking into Caldbeck my feet were now getting very sore, both of them. Worryingly so. I again had to really consider whether I should continue. I had come so far though and only had 15 miles to go. I couldn't give up now.
Just before reaching Caldbeck I had to walk through a field of cows. As I started to go through, they started coming towards me. I was so tired and in pain that I didn't even care. I just shouted at them to leave me alone and they did,
I stopped in a cafe in Caldbeck and had a steaming bowl of curried parsnip soup followed by a chocolate orange tray bake. Yum!
The next part of my route was where I knew there to be a couple of route closures. I had been on the website a few days before and due to flooding, there was a portion of route which was supposedly inaccessible along the side of the Cald Beck. The diversion put in place was really complicated though and would take me quite a way out of my way. The notice said that the Council had issued the closure due to health and safety concerns so I decided to see if I could get through, thinking that it might be that they had only issued the closure to cover their backs if anyone had an accident and that it wouldn't actually be too bad. I was right. The bank had slipped away a little but it was nothing major and was easy to walk along, it was just a bit slippery in places but I managed to stay upright just fine.
There was another closure not far ahead of this one and this time, I would have to divert as it was a road bridge which was fully closed off with railings. It was an easy diversion this time though and I just had to walk along some roads which were easy to follow off my map and eventually I came back out onto the trail.
By now, my feet were absolute agony (sorry for all the doom and gloom, just telling it like it was) and I was going out of my way to walk through puddles, streams, rivers, you name it. I just wanted to keep my feet wet and cold as it was the only way to take the pain away.
So exhausted, or at least that's my excuse, I made another navigational error when I was coming into the town of Dalston as I turned down the wrong road. I was walking along knowing that it wasn't right but not knowing exactly where I had gone wrong. I was studying my map when a lady pulled up in a car next to me and asked if I was walking the Cumbria Way. I said that I was and she told me where I had gone wrong and actually gave me a lift back to the spot as it was about 3/4 of a mile back down the road. She did offer to take me further along the trail as I had told her about my bad feet but I insisted that she just take me back to where I went wrong as otherwise I would feel like I had cheated.
From Dalston, the route follows National Cycle Way Number 7 all the way into Carlisle which, I have to say, is incredibly boring! The route had gone from beautiful fields and mountains to a flat cycle way through factories and mills.
By now I was just shuffling along, trying not to limp because I didn't want to end up hurting something else by over compensating. I'm not going to lie, I was close to tears it was that painful. I rang Duncan and then my mum just to try to take my mind off the pain.
Cycle Route Number 7, the final stretch of the journey.
My first glimpse of Carlisle
The relief when I finally got to Carlisle was immense. I'd made it.
Walking 74 miles isn't something that I personally would find very challenging under normal circumstances, I just wanted to do it for the enjoyment and relaxation of it and not actually the challenge however, because of my bad feet and the short time frame I had for doing it because I had originally planned to run it, it did turn out to be a huge challenge and was anything but relaxing. I did enjoy it of course, I just wish the circumstances had been different as I now feel that I have put back the recovery of my feet by a long way.
My feet after finishing. The right foot, which before this walk was my good foot, is now very swollen.
As it was around 7pm when I arrived into Carlisle, the Tourist Information Office, which is the official finish of the Cumbria Way, wasn't open so I just went for a KFC (something I haven't done in about 20 years!) and then found my B&B, Cartref House, which was the best B&B I have ever stayed in for the money I paid (£55). It had everything! Even a foot spa which was very welcome. The amount of complimentary food and drink was amazing and just what I needed.
Breakfast the next day was great too and full of good quality products. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone staying in Carlisle.
After checking out, I headed back to the Tourist Information Centre to sign the Cumbria Way book and, whilst there, treated myself to a commemorative mug.
I'm planning on the Great Glen Way next year but, this time, I'll plan it the proper way and do no more than twenty miles per day so that I can actually relax and enjoy it without feeling rushed. I'm also hoping to have fit healthy feet by then too!
Total Distance - circa 80 miles (includes a couple of navigational errors and walking to my B&Bs which were off the main route)
I was a little early getting to Ulverston so I went to a lovely little tea room for a mocha in the sunshine. After stocking up on nibbles, I headed off to find my B&B, Rock House. I have a lovely big room all to myself and even had a choice of beds but obviously I chose the double one. I just spent the evening watching inane junk on TV, reading a bit of my book and studying my map of the route ahead.
Day 1 - Ulverston to Langdale
I got up early today and headed downstairs for breakfast at 7.30 so I could get an early start as I had about 26 miles ahead of me. A hearty full English breakfast and I was on my way, heading for the New Dungeon Ghyll at Langdale.
The first part of the Cumbria Way is through farm land and is probably the trickiest bit to navigate as there are a lot of turns and easy to miss stiles but, as I had done this part of the walk before, I managed to find my way round OK. I did however, within the first two miles, have to divert the route slightly TWICE due to very angry looking cows in fields. They were butting each other and when I approached them the stopped butting each other and glared angrily at me instead. They were right across my route and there was no way I could get around them and would have to come within a couple of feet of them so, being on my own, there was no way I was doing that and thankfully there was a road to the side so I just walked along that for a very short way before getting back onto the trail. I know some of you reading this won't understand my fear of cows (which has only established itself in the past couple of years due to stories of fell runners being attacked by them) but seriously, they can be really dangerous!
Oddly, even though it was a nice sunny day, I didn't come across a single other person until I was nearly eleven miles into my walk, just after Beacon Tarn! This is the Cumbria Way, in the Lake District, on a Sunny day in July - what's happening???
It was not long after this when my foot first started to get sore due to my synovitis injury. When I reached Coniston Water, I stopped for a while and took off my shoe and sock and soaked my foot in the cold water to take down the swelling. It seemed to work and my foot felt much better after this.
After reaching Coniston a lot of the route to Langdale is on the same trails as the Spring in Lakeland LDWA event so I have been on them a few times lately and it was all very familiar.
It was in Coniston that I started to wish that I had done the route the proper way, i.e. over five days rather than three. If I had, this would be my first stopping point and, by now, because of my foot pain, I was ready for a rest.
No rest for the wicked though and I put on my brave face and continued on my way. Only another ten miles to go from here.
Unfortunately, ten miles can seem a very long way when you're not feeling 100% fit. Because of the pain in my foot, I was walking on the outside of my foot which was causing that to rub on my shoe and also causing other parts of my leg to ache due to overcompensating.
Thankfully, the beautiful scenery helped to take my mind off the pain and I finally began to descend into Langdale.
When I checked into my room at the New Dungeon Ghyll, I rang Duncan and I told him that I didn't think I was going to be able to continue. My foot was really sore and I was worried that I'd be causing more and more damage. To make matters worse, when I took my socks off I realised that my right foot was now also 'playing up'. I can't really explain the feeling in it but the best way to describe it is that it felt like I had a plaster around my second toe even though I didn't. The feeling of my second toe on my big toe was the same feel that a plaster has. I know that probably sounds a bit weird but I can't describe it any other way. It was all numb and tingling. I was aware beforehand that my right foot did have the same issue as my left it's just that it has never been anywhere near as bad and hasn't flared up to the point that my left one did six weeks ago when I couldn't drive.
My room at the NDG was lovely and the shower was just what I needed, I didn't want to get out of it! After getting changed I headed down to the bar but it was hard work and I had really started to stiffen up. I was starving by now so got myself a chilli with chips and rice, washed down with a ginger beer.
Day 2 - Langdale to Keswick
A nice short day today of only 18 miles and I woke up feeling really refreshed and not as achy as I had thought I'd be. I decided to carry on and, if worst came to worst, it was only eight miles to the first town and I'd be able to get some transport from there over to Keswick.
In total contrast to yesterday, I had no foot pain at all today, well except for pain from the blister I caused yesterday by walking on the side of my foot but nothing a bit of compeed won't fix. I wonder whether it was because it had been raining heavily through the night and I found myself walking through puddles for the vast majority of the day which kept my feet cold and so kept the swelling down (synovitis is an inflammation problem).
I was now feeling much more positive and, because the distance was much shorter today, I was able to enjoy it a lot more, knowing I didn't have to rush to get to the next place.
After climbing the Stake Pass and following the path alongside Langstrath Beck, I eventually came out into a little village called Rosthwaite. There's a lovely little cafe in Rosthwaite and I stopped there to get a drink. I didn't intend to buy any food as I had enough with me but I couldn't resist it when I saw a Kendal Mint Cake cake! It was yummy and great fuel of course.
Soon enough I arrived at Derwent Water and followed the west side of this all the way into Keswick.
I carried on following the route through Keswick Centre as my B&B wasn't in the centre and I had marked on my map where the best place was to leave the route to get to my B&B. I came off the route and onto an old disused railway line which took me all the way to my B&B, Laurel Bank Guest House. The owner here was really helpful as I had told her that I would be making a very early start in the morning so wouldn't be having breakfast. She offered to let me help myself to milk and whatever else I wanted from the fridge so I could make my own breakfast but I insisted that I'd be OK and had enough food to see me through.
Even though I had had no foot pain today, when I took my shoes and socks off, my right foot (the 'good' foot) again had that weird tingly sensation and felt like I had a plaster on.
Day 3 - Keswick to Carlisle
Today was going to be gruelling. I had 30 miles to do and the first 15 were going to be over open moors and mountains so I was a little bit worried about how long it was going to take me to complete it, factoring in time for getting lost and for any steep climbs.
Approaching the mountains I could see that the clag was down so I must admit I was a little concerned. My navigation skills can only be described as 'not bad'. They're also not great. I'm pretty competent with reading a map but once it gets to compass work and anything a bit technical I'm not overly confident yet.
It soon transpired that the majority of it was really easy to navigate though. There were very distinct paths and not many other paths off them so it was easy to see where I was supposed to be.
Not long after I took the above picture it started to rain. Hard. It had been spitting a little when I set off so I already had my OMM kamleika smock on. I was wearing shorts and these soon became sodden and, after it had been raining heavily for nearly an hour and was very windy too, I started to get cold. I came up to Skiddaw House and just before the main building, there is the ruin of an doorway so I attempted to shelter a little under that and put on my waterproof over trousers, a long sleeved top under my OMM and a pair of gloves. As I left the not very sheltering doorway, I noticed that Skiddaw House was actually open and I probably could have just asked nicely if I could shelter in there. Duh!
After Skiddaw House, I made my way around the east side of Great Calva. There is actually an alternative 'low level' route from Skiddaw House which takes you around the west side of Great Calva but I wanted to do the 'proper' route of course.
The hardest part of today, for me, was the climb up the side of Grainsgill Beck which climbs up towards the Lingy Hut, a bothy on Great Lingy Hill. It was a tough climb because the path is very narrow and indistinct in places and deteriorates more and more the further up you get. It was also very muddy and slippery in places. Part way up I had to cross the fast flowing beck and the only way I could find to do this was to hold onto a tree which was overhanging it because the stones were incredibly slippery. Being on my own with nobody else around meant I couldn't afford to slip and do myself an injury, who knows how long I could have been stuck there. Honestly, I've never seen the Lake District so deserted before. Last year, when I did a partial Cumbria Way, I came across loads of people on the route who were doing the same thing but this year I didn't see a single person who was doing it. Not one.
When I arrived at the Lingy Hut I decided to go inside for a bit and change my wet, and now very muddy after that climb, clothes. I totally stripped off my top half and put on a fresh thermal, long sleeved top and a different waterproof (Duncan was mocking me for taking two but I knew it would be a good idea).
No time for rest though, that last mile had dragged down the great pace I had been doing beforehand.
Not far after the Lingy Hut I could see High Pike which I knew to be the highest point on this leg of the journey and indeed on the entire walk I believe.
Coming off High Pike I got my compass out to make sure I was going the right way as there isn't really a distinct path but my compass pointed north and that was good enough for me.
After dropping down though, my navigation skills deserted me. I came onto a trail but it didn't look at all like the trail shown on my map, even though my map had told me to keep to the left of some fenced mine works which I had done. The place I came into is a working mine/quarry area so I'm wondering whether the trail has changed since my map was made. Or is that just me trying to come up with an excuse for my bad navigation?
Anyway, the error in navigation resulted in me coming down into the wrong far and ending up completely off my map so I had no way of knowing where I was. Thankfully, after wandering aimlessly along a road outside the farm, a post van came along so I pretty much jumped in front of it and made the postman stop. He told me where I needed to go but I was now about 1.5 miles further out of my way that I should have been. Embarrassing! Ah well, I had managed to get 56 miles fault free so far so never mind.
On walking into Caldbeck my feet were now getting very sore, both of them. Worryingly so. I again had to really consider whether I should continue. I had come so far though and only had 15 miles to go. I couldn't give up now.
Just before reaching Caldbeck I had to walk through a field of cows. As I started to go through, they started coming towards me. I was so tired and in pain that I didn't even care. I just shouted at them to leave me alone and they did,
I stopped in a cafe in Caldbeck and had a steaming bowl of curried parsnip soup followed by a chocolate orange tray bake. Yum!
The next part of my route was where I knew there to be a couple of route closures. I had been on the website a few days before and due to flooding, there was a portion of route which was supposedly inaccessible along the side of the Cald Beck. The diversion put in place was really complicated though and would take me quite a way out of my way. The notice said that the Council had issued the closure due to health and safety concerns so I decided to see if I could get through, thinking that it might be that they had only issued the closure to cover their backs if anyone had an accident and that it wouldn't actually be too bad. I was right. The bank had slipped away a little but it was nothing major and was easy to walk along, it was just a bit slippery in places but I managed to stay upright just fine.
There was another closure not far ahead of this one and this time, I would have to divert as it was a road bridge which was fully closed off with railings. It was an easy diversion this time though and I just had to walk along some roads which were easy to follow off my map and eventually I came back out onto the trail.
By now, my feet were absolute agony (sorry for all the doom and gloom, just telling it like it was) and I was going out of my way to walk through puddles, streams, rivers, you name it. I just wanted to keep my feet wet and cold as it was the only way to take the pain away.
So exhausted, or at least that's my excuse, I made another navigational error when I was coming into the town of Dalston as I turned down the wrong road. I was walking along knowing that it wasn't right but not knowing exactly where I had gone wrong. I was studying my map when a lady pulled up in a car next to me and asked if I was walking the Cumbria Way. I said that I was and she told me where I had gone wrong and actually gave me a lift back to the spot as it was about 3/4 of a mile back down the road. She did offer to take me further along the trail as I had told her about my bad feet but I insisted that she just take me back to where I went wrong as otherwise I would feel like I had cheated.
From Dalston, the route follows National Cycle Way Number 7 all the way into Carlisle which, I have to say, is incredibly boring! The route had gone from beautiful fields and mountains to a flat cycle way through factories and mills.
By now I was just shuffling along, trying not to limp because I didn't want to end up hurting something else by over compensating. I'm not going to lie, I was close to tears it was that painful. I rang Duncan and then my mum just to try to take my mind off the pain.
The relief when I finally got to Carlisle was immense. I'd made it.
Walking 74 miles isn't something that I personally would find very challenging under normal circumstances, I just wanted to do it for the enjoyment and relaxation of it and not actually the challenge however, because of my bad feet and the short time frame I had for doing it because I had originally planned to run it, it did turn out to be a huge challenge and was anything but relaxing. I did enjoy it of course, I just wish the circumstances had been different as I now feel that I have put back the recovery of my feet by a long way.
As it was around 7pm when I arrived into Carlisle, the Tourist Information Office, which is the official finish of the Cumbria Way, wasn't open so I just went for a KFC (something I haven't done in about 20 years!) and then found my B&B, Cartref House, which was the best B&B I have ever stayed in for the money I paid (£55). It had everything! Even a foot spa which was very welcome. The amount of complimentary food and drink was amazing and just what I needed.
Breakfast the next day was great too and full of good quality products. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone staying in Carlisle.
After checking out, I headed back to the Tourist Information Centre to sign the Cumbria Way book and, whilst there, treated myself to a commemorative mug.
I'm planning on the Great Glen Way next year but, this time, I'll plan it the proper way and do no more than twenty miles per day so that I can actually relax and enjoy it without feeling rushed. I'm also hoping to have fit healthy feet by then too!
Total Distance - circa 80 miles (includes a couple of navigational errors and walking to my B&Bs which were off the main route)
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