Day 8. Keld to Reeth. About 11 miles ( about 112 so far)

Day 8:  Keld to Reeth 12 miles

A great evening, last night, with several of our C2Cers gathered at our venue. Beer, G&T then wine, followed by water, as we need an early start tomorrow. Bags from here, like Kirkby Stephen, need to be taken down at breakfast time at 7:30. 

Lots of discussions about the routes so far and the options for tomorrow. Rachel and Sue off to bed at 9:45 as usual, whereas Jackie and I made it to at least 10:15! 

So today, we have the high route with the remains of old lead mines and moor, or the lower, river level route. The St Clements, (Dan and ? From Alaska ), the Likely Lads, now re-named the Lads and Dads ( Rob, Ben, John and Craig from Alfreton) and the Corgis, (Alison and Lee from Essex) all favoured the high route. Taking the low route were the 3As ( two from America, one from Australia, all using Sherpa to plan their trip and carry their bags,) and a German couple. 

We had a split; Sue wanted the low route to help her poor feet, whereas I wanted the interesting high route. Rachel nobly offered to accompany me and Jackie went with Sue. 

We started off together, then soon separated. Our way was stoney all day. The ups though were well worth it to see the old mines. An interesting industrial heritage of lead mines, left to crumble. On top, the visibility was minimal as the cloud descended, or we rose to meet it. The Lads and Dads soon overtook us, although we had passed their campsite when they were having breakfast. For safety, Rachel and I stayed close to the St Clements and Corgis. Between us we had a variety of maps and guide books and helped each other to decide which way to go, until eventually we sighted the Lads and Dads again. A few scrambles and slips and slides through peat led us to the deserted workings and finally back down to the moors above Reeth. We had already been told by the Lads and Dads that Reeth had five pubs, and we were staying in one of them. Alas, we spotted them outside the neighbouring one to ours, so I had already downed a pint before Jackie and Sue arrived from their more leisurely route. 

By 4:00 two pints of Black Sheep had been consumed, so I decided to book in to our pub, only to find to my surprise that I had booked us all into separate rooms. I am hoping to beat the four hours continuous sleep of last night. What do I need to do to be able to sleep at night? Meal in pub and a few more drinks with the Lads and Dads, then an early night for me at least. Only 11 miles tomorrow to get to Richmond.

Accommodation: The Black Bull, 1680 pub and needed an upgrade! Smelly room (dogs), damp bathroom, tired decor to say the least. Good beer and views.