Tuesday, September 17 – Happy Birthday to our hiking partner Jeff!

We woke up to another gorgeous weather day, and after breakfast, started on the day’s hike.

Today’s route didn’t include any towns with food access, so we had to first walk to a convenience store for some lunch supplies. With 9-10 miles on the agenda, what’s the difference adding in an extra mile or so?

From our supply stop, we headed steadily uphill, reaching the little town of Troutbeck before exploring the valley of the same name. Very scenic route, lots of friendly fellow hikers and plenty of sheep and cows along the way.

Stopped on a hillside for a picnic lunch and decided to take the slightly (2KM) abbreviated route as we felt our supply trek added sufficient steps to our day. Decided another stop at the Mortal Man Pub was in order. The bar man recognized us and chatted for a bit — turns out he lives in Thailand which is definitely a bit of a commute from the English Lakes District.

Now adequately refreshed, we headed back to the hotel, following the same route we took yesterday…or so we thought. Somehow we missed a turn and ended up walking back into Ambleside–a full extra mile of walking, plus, we were still 2+ miles away from our hotel. Good thing we saved that 2K earlier…

Fortunately, we stumbled across a bus stop and a bus that arrived within 2 minutes that whisked us back to where we belonged, no harm done…well, except a bit to our egos, we had thought we were actually ahead of schedule.

A shower, some fresh clothes, a lovely sunset and some dinner cured all ills. The reality is, it was a beautiful day full of lovely vistas, nice encounters with fellow hikers and great company. If it required a couple extra steps, I’ll take it!

Tomorrow we move on to our next location

31,127 steps;12.7 miles