Day 5 Patterdale to Bampton

Distance: 15 miles

We packed up and bid good-bye to our helpful and hospitable host at the 400-year-old Noran Bank Farm. Lynda was finally recovering from her sprained ankle and would walk a little as we struck out to our goal for this day: Bampton. June also decided to join us for a few miles.

Our first stop was to run into the Patterdale Village Store to secure sandwiches, as there would be no tea shops high on the fells where our path was to take us today. This store catered to the walker, providing food, hiking supplies, Coast to Coast gifts, etc. Leaving the store, we crossed Goldrill Beck and began the day’s trek.

We had high hopes that we were leaving the rain from yesterday behind as we began the uphill march, overlooking the beautiful Ullswater Valley.

The higher we climbed, the more spectacular the view became! Glenridding then appeared, as it snuggled by the shores of Ullswater.

After a good hike out of Patterdale, we arrived on isolated high-level fells with mountain peaks in all directions that we could just make out through the mist. Sadly, this would be our last day in The Lakes (a local term for The Lake District), but I promised myself that I would return. The austere beauty of this area was compelling. Angle Tarn was a pretty little lake that lay next to our trail.

We wound around and scrambled up the Knott before leaving the official Coast to Coast Path to walk on the fells via an old Roman route called High Street. From this vantage point, we could see that we were approaching the boundaries of our Lake District adventure.

As we neared Bampton, we walked down a quiet country lane.

We stopped to watch a shepherd and his dogs work with a herd of sheep, a common site in this area; I think there are many more sheep than people.

We stayed at the Village Store B&B (now permanently closed) in Bampton. Our British friends, Jean and Peter, joined us for dinner at the Crown and Mitre in “downtown” Bampton.