Day 2: The Calm Before the Storm

August 26, 2024: When I woke, it was still raining, so I took my time getting ready for the trail. I delayed my departure until 9:30 at which point the rain had finally stopped.

The first obstacle for the day was Dent Hill, the first big climb of the trail. Unfortunately, there was fog at the top so no views to be seen, and the downhill side was stupidly steep. With the recent rain, it was also very slick, wet and slippery and thus very slow going.

Wet, wet trails this morning!

 

I stopped for a half hour or so at The Gather in Ennerdale Bridge where I ordered a ham and cheese panini for lunch, and then pushed onward to Ennerdale Water.

The official Coast to Coast route veered around the south side of it, but my guidebook and a few locals suggested that the route around the north side of it was a lot easier and nicer without all the rocks and water on the trail that was found on the south side. With no reason to make things any harder than they needed to be, I took the easy route around the north side.

Hiking along the lake was nice, but then the trail followed a gravel road away from it and mostly through trees until I reached the YHA Black Sail. By that point, I had already completed a full 15 miles and was happy to call it quits, so I hoped that perhaps I could get a bed at the hostel there.

Nobody who worked there seemed to be around, but others who already had reservations that were there said that this particular hostel is the most remote and popular of the entire system and the beds there tend to sell out months in advance and therefore it probably wouldn't have space. Not to mention that another thru-hiker without a reservation had hoped to stay there as well. (He was actually the same fellow I first met yesterday with the hat that blew into the creek.)

YHA Black Sail hostel

 

Figuring I wouldn't be able to stay, I ate a quick snack then pushed onward over a thousand foot pass. I wasn't overly disappointed about having to push onward since it meant that I wouldn't have to do it tomorrow when the weather was expected to be a lot worse.

Near the top of the pass, I caught up with a group of half a dozen hikers from California who I chatted with for a few minutes before passing them by. They were walking too slow for my taste. I was anxious to find somewhere indoors to spend the night to avoid the storm expected to blow in during the night, but I had no reservations and my phone had no signal to check for availability ahead.

A little further along, I passed the Honister Slate Mine which had sculptures made out of slate decorating the area and, as it turns out, they give tours. I was captivated! I'd never been in a slate mine before! I want to go! But it was far too late in the afternoon. They had already closed for the day and had probably been closed for hours already. I could only admire the slate artwork installed outside.

Bird made out of slate! How cool is that?!

The next hostel was right next door to the slate mine, however, so I hoped I could get a bed there and maybe take a mine tour the next day, but when I went into the hostel to inquire about it, I was told that it this hostel had to be rented in its entirety. Not just a bad, but the whole building! What kind of stupid hostel is that?! Apparently, they started doing this during COVID times and never went back to renting by the bed.

Anyhow, dejected, I pushed onward, annoyed at that unexpected problem. 

The trail became horribly wet and often went through ankle-deep water that could not be avoided. One tricky area even had chains alongside on riverbank just to spite us, I'm sure.

I finally reached the YHA Borrowdale, another hostel, and walked in to inquire if they had any beds available. I still could not get any sort of cell signal to check ahead of time, so I had no idea what to expect, but happily, they had one bed left in the men's dormitory, and I booked it in a heartbeat. Finally, I could stop for the day! And after 20.2 miles (according to my GPS), I was definitely ready to stop.

YHA Borrowdale would finally be my destination for the night!

 

This actually put me back on my original schedule I had set for myself when I started the trail after cutting the day short yesterday, but I'd fall behind schedule again tomorrow because I had reserved a spot at this very hostel for tomorrow night. I didn't really expect to reach it today, but since the weather forecast called for horrendous weather tomorrow, I wouldn't mind a zero day in the end. Even if it did put me behind schedule again....

I wound up chatting with other hostel residents in the common area, mostly chatting with Paula, a bicyclist who had just finished the Hadrian's Wall bike route, and Gopal, a fellow from India. Another person also happened to mention that there was actually a bus that went from a stop near the hostel to the slate mine.

"Really?!" I exclaimed. "That sounds like something I could do for tomorrow! Especially if it's going to be raining all day anyhow! Perfect!"

Everything was working out really well.....

Then, late in the night, I headed to my bed to get some sleep with dreams of visiting the slate mine tomorrow!

 

Cleator looked like one of the most depressing British towns I'd ever seen. (Sorry to anyone who lives there!)

This might look like a creek, but I think it's the trail!

 

Dent Hill was an annoying climb!

 

 

View from Dent Hill, a bit below the summit. (Since the summit itself was covered in fog and there were no views.)

 

Not sure about the name of this place, but I do like the drawing of the hiker! =)

You can tell we're getting into the heart of the Lake District with all these mountains!

Ennerdale Water

I hiked the north side of Ennerdale Water.

Stile on the trail

The Honister Slate Mine

More slate art pieces

I was so disappointed that the slate mine had already closed for the day... at least until I realized that I could come back on a bus and visit it tomorrow! =D