Day 15 - Sedbergh

Distance Walked: 10.5km, Actual Time Taken: 2h 30m, Estimated Time Taken: 2h 30m
Ascent: 343m, Descent: 350m, # Times Lost: 0
G&T: Sedbergh Gin (You Can Drink It)

 

Rain was predicted again for today but it was a very short day and not much climbing involved so I walked it any way.  It got windy on and off and rained on and off but was positive pleasant compared to yesterday.  The only problem was that the path had been described as "muddy in places".  After all the rain yesterday it was thoroughly waterlogged in places.  The rest of me stayed dry today but my feet rapidly got soaking wet.  Having your socks squish as you walk is not pleasant.

Breakfast this morning was an interesting experience.  It was in the dining room of the pub, which is a dog friendly pub.  Sadly somebody's dog had poo-ed on the carpet they hadn't cleaned it up or told anyone about it.  The pile was still there this morning.  The only staff member at work that early was the cook who took a break from cooking our breakfast to clean the carpet.  Ugh.  We can only hope he thoroughly washed his hands before going back to the stove.

I had a rest day here in Sedbergh tomorrow (Sunday).  It is called England's book town so I was sure I would find plenty to do to pass a pleasant day.  However, it only has 4 bookshops and only 2 are open on a Sunday!  Luckily it does have 3 pubs, one of which is home to a gin distillery (the Dalesman), so I should be OK.

On Monday I head off to Helmsley on the edge of the north York moors to start walking the Cleveland Way.  I need to get a taxi from here to the railway station at Garsdale and then another from the station in Thirsk to Helmsley.  I spent a good half hour phoning around trying to arrange this.  So many of the local taxi companies in these small towns double as the school bus so I had to settle for a bus that will get me to the Garsdale station an hour early - and I'll miss breakfast!  The taxi at the other end was also tricky even though I arrive at 1pm so I can't imagine school runs have anything to do with it.  

Dinner was much more upmarket than I've been having lately so the food was very tasty and the portion sizes sensible.  A good thing given how little I've walked today.  I liked the look of the menu at the Dalesman so much the first thing I did was book a table for dinner tomorrow night too!  For tonight's dinner I started with a twice baked cheese souffle and then a lamb Wellington.  Both were Not Bad.  For dessert I had the lemon posset, which sadly only rated You Can Eat It status.  It needed to be a little tangier.  To drink I had a G&T with the local house gin.  It was very good and the glass was garnished with a slice of dried orange, a slice of fresh lime, a sprig of rosemary and a handful of juniper berries!  A little over the top but still appreciated.