Annan to Carlisle Day 2 & Cumbria Way Day 1.
Distance today: 24.6 miles.
Total distance: 539.8 miles.
Accommodation: campsite.
With no obvious alternatives to walking along the main road, my first task was to get to Carlisle before the traffic woke up. A combination of being on the road by 7am and picking up the pace a bit meant the experience wasn’t as painful as it could have been. There were even those magic things called pavements as I got closer to the city.
I was beginning to realize that power was a problem. Some people had too much. I didn’t have enough. I had a power block that met my needs for 5 to 6 days when fully charged, the trouble being it took all night to charge and campsites weren’t the ideal environment to facilitate this. The next best thing was finding places to charge my phone. Step forward Waterstones. I spent an hour or so nursing pots of tea and Moma porridge while my phone was quietly being resuscitated under the table.
I didn’t hang around much longer in Carlisle – just long enough to get a map of the Cumbria way and a replacement beanie. Yes, for £4 at a bargain basement version of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill I got a lime green acrylic beanie. Better than nothing.
As ever, trying to follow a trail out of town proved tricky. Please, someone, give us a sign. In fact, more than one sign. Once the trail reached the countryside, it turned out to be really lovely. The paths were nice and clear, the sun was shining, and everything just seemed to look vibrant. It was a genuine pleasure walking the land.
My stopping place for the night was Caldbeck Camping which was conveniently on the trail just before you got to Caldbeck. And it was also lovely. I guess you’d call it a farm campsite. The woman who ran the place happened to be there when I arrived and she pointed out a place to pitch, saying that’s where she recommended walkers to go to avoid the slightly noisier (drinking) section at the other end of the site. She also opened up a store room so that I could charge my phone. And the bonus? The price for the pitch was just a fiver. It all just came across as a generosity of spirit and was much appreciated by this weary traveller.
In the evening, I wandered into the village and after a good look round, I treated myself to a pint and some food at the Oddfellows Arms. It took a lot of willpower to stick to just the one pint.
