Not with a bang but a cold and shivering whimper did this 85 mile project come to an invisible end in the tourist filled town of Bowness on Windemere in the English Lake District, home of Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth, both of whom are shuddering in their graves, I am certain.
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| a spot of color to start the day |
My first thought this morning when I woke up cold was, "take the bus for the last ten miles" but I think it was laziness (about figuring out how to do that) and hot coffee that got me going in the routine. By this stage of the journey I had lost my guide book which most people depend on, and decided to leave the water proof massive map at the B&B having never opened it as it would only act as a sail if I did so out on the exposed hillsides.
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| the track at the end |
So I left with just my phone map to guide me which had done well enough so far and continued until the last two miles today when the phone simply gave up, soggy and depleted it went black. However, the wind and rain were not yet done with me and I found myself circling large sheep pastures looking for the correct exit, often unmarked. I was never in danger, just out longer than necessary, wondering if I'd need to try the pitiful whistle or emergency blanket (do those things work on soaked bodies?) but just kept plugging and eventually felt my way to town. Didn't see another walker until the last mile and then it was people on short walks from town.
Irrelevant is how it all feels now, perfect, another insignificant accomplishment in an insignificant life and I mean that with total honest sincerity regarding the unimportance of a small life which an event like this brings into relief.
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| lovely clematis for my sister |
So, to celebrate all of that I repaired immediately to a tea house where I ate the most extravagant artery clogging cream tea that I can imagine and can't believe I finished the whole thing! The waitress commented on my sogginess (chair was sadly soaked when I left) and she smiled when she saw that I'd finished it all after initially protesting that it was way too much...
Now I am relieved, warm, dry, and very, very tired.
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