I arrived in Ulverston afer a smooth journey and set off for the start point. I then promptly fell over in the main street almost in front of Stan and Ollie (who I’m sure were pointing and laughing at me) and had to be helped up by two old ladies (that’s the wrong way round surely ?!).
Blood pouring from a cut above the eye where I used my face to cushion my fall on the pavement, I picked up my broken glasses and limped with my banged knee to a bench for a nice sit down. Unbelievably a toilet with a mirror couldn’t be found in Ulverston so I later used one of those seeing around corners roadside mirrors to administer first aid.
Eventually, I made it to the start point (in a car park) and set off veering off the official path to visit Knottallow Tarn and to make my way along country lanes to the wind farm on Kirkby Moor, accompanied by a strong smell of sheep and later on when I was on the fell itself, a smell of burnt heather.
The sound of turbine blades swishing above my head I followed rough tracks through the heather to the summit. Then a descent to the A5092 in order to ascend Great Burney. This was a struggle as by now my knee was reminding me of its maltreatment and I inched my way up the steep grassy side of the fell.
Then in true hp style I came out further along the road than I wanted on the descent and then had to take a brambly path to get to where I wanted to be.
I finally rocked up at the camping barn on my original schedule which is amazing considering: (a) I was a cripple, (b) I walked further than I originally calculated. So I guess I have to put it down to the adrenalin. Maybe I’ll bang my face again tomorrow to see it it helps.
Tonight’s accommodation is a camping barn, with its entire facilities being: mattresses, 4 picnic tables, a toilet, sink and cold tap. But what do you expect for £8.50 ?
It’s getting cold now, so time to hunker down in my sleeping bag with a bottle of Adnams Lighthouse.
Today’s stats:
16.79km walked
2 summits (Lowick High Common, Great Burney)
Walk duration: 4:52.
Ascent: 542m
