Day 3 - June 5th

Today, we picked up the segment we started yesterday during our walk around St. Bees Head. We walked for a little over three hours and are at the entryway to the Lake District National Park in a small village - Ennerdale Bridge.

The day was supposed to include the climb over Dent Hill, regarded as one of the more difficult parts of the Coast to Coast trail - oh darn! Trees were across the path, so we were diverted to the lower trail. On the way, we passed a stone circle, a megalith, the Blakely Raise Strone Circle. I have included a photograph in today's images, that really does not do it justice. It is no Stonehinge, but you cannot help to wonder by who this was built and why. Like many of these sites, this one has suffered over time (we visited several in Spain and Portugal).

"The circle was apparently dismantled in the 18th century by a farmer who used the stones for gate-posts. In 1925 a Doctor Quine of Frizzington "restored" the stone circle, setting the stones in concrete. Whether or not he erected the stones in their original stone holes is unclear, and it is unlikely that all of the re-erected stones come from the original circle.”

The circle was on a plateau high enough that we could see the Isle of Man one way and look into Scotland the other. It was a pleasant walk. After settling into our lodgings, we took a short stroll through this small village, including a visit to the local church of St. Marys, wwhich has an association with William Wordsworth:

“William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge visited the old chapel (now replaced) in 1799. They spoke to the church priests about the graves in the old churchyard. Ensuing from this William Wordsworth was inspired to write his famous poem "The Brothers" in 1800.”

While some may find visiting cemeteries gruesome or inappropriate, I find it a wonderful way to understand the history and character of an area or community. It was a grey day with a light drizzle as we visited the cemetery, but I found some interesting things to make images of.

https://www.reedpikephotography.com/coast-to-coast-photos/day-3

(Sorry, you will need to copy and paste the above in your browser - damn iPad version of Squarespace has limitations and you cannot add a link!)

Tomorrow is one of the longer days, 15 miles through the Lake District National Park. The weather looks favorable, with some sun and periods National Park.