TWELF NIGHT…WILD AND WET

 DAY 12 - GRASMERE TO STONETHWAITE

It poured rain last night while we slept and a light but steady rain greeted us in the morning for our hike to Stonethwaite.  Before leaving Grasmere we paid a quick visit to the famous Gingerbread shop in town and noticed that in the local cemetery next door, William Wordsworth and his family were buried. 

We retraced our steps from yesterday back to the trail, then took the Easdale Gill up the first mountain of the day.  After taking a few wrong turns towards the high routes we found our trail up along a mountain stream which was now raging with last night’s rainwater.  We originally thought today would be a relatively easy day as it was only a 9 mile hike.  In fact, mother nature made it our most technical day yet.  We were in full rain gear as the rain and wind pelted us on our way up the mountain stream towards our first peak.  We had to make multiple crossings over the fast moving stream on rain soaked rocks trying to keep our feet dry as long as possible.  In the end, the rain had been so heavy that the trail became a small stream itself and we walked through the water.  Don slipped on one of the crossings and went down in the stream but only ended up with wet feet as his pack served as an air bag to protect his back!

We reached our first peak at noon, had a quick lunch in the howling wind and rain, then slogged through wet bog after bog until we made our way to Lining Crag, our final peak, then down the mountain into our destination, Stonethwaite.  Our pub and accommodation for the night was Langstrath Country Inn, an extremely warm and welcoming place with a great old pub and excellent dinner.   Stats for today; 9 miles, 2100 feet total ascent, what seemed like a hundred stream crossings and thousands of bogs!!  It was a great challenge but we’re glad it is behind us.

Wordsworth’s Grave

Old Gingerbread House in Grasmere



Finally, made it to the peak at Lining Crag

The rain followed us the entire day

Streams fueled by last night’s rain











Definitely, the cutest sheep we have seen



Our destination, “The Langstrath Country Inn”




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