Day 13

Alston to Kirkland (August 2013)
15 miles
Weather - war, sunny intervals, rain on Cross Fell, no wind

An early breakfast this morning made by our lovely landlady Pat - porridge and poached eggs and home made jam.  We were on the road by 8:15 and it was a lovely, clear morning.  We followed the Pennine Way out of town past the Youth Hostel and by the banks of the River Tyne.  The first four miles were idyllic - river on the right, farmland all around and nobody about - just us and the sheep.  We remembered to turn and wave at the white house at Low Nest and hoped that Pat was looking out for us on the other side of the valley. 

We arrived in Garrigill and had a drink and a snack ready for the climb up Cross Fell.  The village is perfect - a post office, a pub, a green and...public toilets. 

Then we were off along the Corpse Road to Cross Fell.  A steady climb out of the valley with views of the moors opening up around us.  We passed old lead mining areas with piles of spoil and gaping holes.  We could hear guns firing so we knew the grouse hunters were around.  Then we saw all their vehicles parked up - mostly Range Rovers.  We saw lots of grouse but the hunters were over the moor, a 1/4 mile away.  Intermittent rain fell and then a downpour arrived but no wind and fairly good visibility and still quite warm.  I guess we were very lucky that the weather was being so kind to us.  We trudged through Black Cut which had extensive mine workings and spoil heaps from the old mines.  Eventually we spotted Greg's Hut - our lunch stop.  We had great views across the moors and saw only two other people out walking.  After Greg's Hut we left the Pennine Way.  We were not visiting the summit of Cross Fell as we had to be in Kirkland by 5:00.  We crossed the shoulder of the fell and started the decent to Kirkland via an old miners track.  It was a long, slow slog down the hill but we had the most splendid view!  Crossing the watershed the weather cleared and we could see for miles - the Lakeland fells, the Solway Firth and Scotland beyond - marvellous.  I loved Cross Fell and walking across it was another walking ambition realised.  It's vast, brooding, stark and desolate.  It's a no frills landscape with place names to match - Black Cut, Leadgate, Low Sikes.

We arrived in Kirkland at 4:00 which gave us plenty of time to sit a spell and have a snack before our taxi picked us up to drive us into Appleby to our next B&B.  The sun shone, we watched the tractors coming and going with their loads of  silage and  we chatted about our day's walking.  A lovely remote spot - just a couple of farms, some cottages and a church.  We arrived at  Bongate House B&B and found we had the same room as last time we visited whilst walking The Dales High Way.  A great B&B and the owners are fellow Mancunians.