“Cheese From Whores!”

You may think that “Cheese From Whores” is an odd title for the first day of our holiday, the journey from sun soaked Bolton to the vagarities of the weather in north west Cumbria.  I’ll explain later!

We left the aforementioned Costa Del Sol of north west England rather later than intended as Noelene (hereinafter referred to as The Boss) was still working (yes, even on Sunday morning) and we eventually got away just before 1:00 pm, following Goughie and Julie (herinafter referred to G&J) up the M6 and stopping for lunch, just after they’d finished theirs, in Cartmel where, so I’m told, that wonderful delicacy Sticky Toffee Pudding was invented not so many years ago.  The Boss was keen to buy some whilst we were there but, of course, we wouldn’t have been able to carry it around the Coast to Coast (hereinafter referred to as the C2C) for two weeks.  Well, we would have been ABLE to, but it wouldn’t really have been in much of a fit state afterwards.  So I told her not to worry as you can buy Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding in supermarkets these days.  Referring to the night we’d stopped opposite the Wensleydale creamery (or is it a “cheesery” in which cheese is made?) during my Pennine Way stroll a few years back, she said “Yes, but it wouldn’t be the same. It’d be like buying cheese from Hawes”.  With a wit as sharp as a rapier, I replied “Oh, I didn’t know whores sold cheese, I thought they just sold their bodies”! Well, I thought it was funny!

Anyhow, I digress; after lunch we wandered around Cartmel with G&J.  I found it to be rather “over touristy” but I suppose that isn’t too surprising as, without all the visitors, it would be quite lovely.  However, just as we were enjoying the ambience of the place it started to rain and I mean real pissing down rain!  Not a good portend for tomorrow and the proper start of the walk that I’d been planning for months and assuming brilliant weather for the whole 12 days.

We drove in a convoy (of two cars?) to St Bees, past the “sinister by reputation” Sellafield nuclear site, including the signposted LLR Repository – Low Level Radiation and arrived at our B&B for the night, Stonehouse Farm, at about 46:00 pm.  We checked in to the attic room which was pretty good but which involved climbing up several flights of stairs with our huge amount of luggage – far, far too much for a walking holiday. One of the other rooms had been sneakily taken over by a couple of one legged guys with bad hearts who had simply occupied the place when no one was looking.  However, they were eventually evicted and calm was restored.

Stonehouse Farm B&B

Once harmony was the order of the evening Goughie and I drove over to Cleator (about the half way point of tomorrow’s walk) and left our car there as The Boss was going to join us for the first half of the day.  Then we headed for the Nelson Arms, just across the road from the B&B where we dined and quaffed before returning to Stonehouse farm for a good night’s sleep.

Some Day 0 Photos