Day 6 - Here comes the rain again

We all know that when you hike in Cumbria there's a good chance you'll get rained on but

today surpassed all expectations. Pretty much from the moment we left Kendal to the point we collapsed into our gorgeous cottage, it threw it down.

I told Karen I'd adapted the route to make it easier in the rain but really it was a carefully engineered ploy to pass Ginger Bakers & nab a piece of their beetroot & berry brownie. Long time followers of this blog will know that my love for this delicacy knows no bounds and I warned Karen that I would cry like a baby if they didn't have any.  There was none on display but in a deft move to prevent my meltdown they produced 2 pieces from the kitchen.  Once we told them about our journey they refused to let us pay. Ginger Bakers may be my favourite people on the planet right now.

Back out into the rain we continued on to Crook where we paused for coffee under a tree. A lovely delivery driver offered us a lift which we puritanically/ idiotically turned down. We would name the company he worked for to give them some kudos but fear it may land him in trouble of the "you're not insured to carry hitchikers" variety.  Still, I enjoyed a spot of history while I slurped my coffee.

Once up onto the fells & following The Dales Way the rain really kicked in.  Karen's Twitter name is @happy_rambler but it's fair to say she was more @lessthanhappy_rambler and @ifthisraindoesntstopsoonIllscream_rambler - proof that too much time down south makes you soft.  She may be smiling in this photo but beneath the jovial exterior she's a seething cauldron of sodden malice.

Finally we made it to Windermere where the wonderful Sally's Cottages had offered us a cottage for the night.  The Hideaway is utterly perfect for us in every way - pristine clean, HUGE bath, toasty warm for drying our clothes and big enough for us to escape each other for a while.  Considering we'd never met before this adventure me & Karen are getting along brilliantly but sometimes it's nice to have your own space so, for example, while I'm sat in the dining room writing this blog, Karen is up in her room plotting my downfall if I drag her over another sodden fell tomorrow.

These are just a few pics of The Hideaway but they don't really do it justice - click on the link below the pics to see more info about it.

Lounge

Lounge

Twin Room

Of course we absolutely HAD to have a soak in the glorious bath and I laughed like a drain when I saw this on the bathroom wall. Karen didn't see the funny side - no idea why... 😁

Tomorrow our plans are a little different so we're just getting everything dry & sorting our rucksacks out - but the joy of having a cottage to ourselves is that I can toast crumpets and pour me a glass of wine (obviously in my Cumbria Crystal glass) while I listen to the rain hammer on the windows - maybe Karen will change her name to @dancingintherain_rambler tomorrow... 😀

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