So Wet, Even the Cows Came Home Early

Left the green slate mine for a nice downhill walk on the tarmac to the quaint slate village of Rosthwaite. A local man pointed to the B&B on a quiet lane where he said Prince Charles comes for a bit of walking every February. Soon we walked over a small stone bridge turning toward our destination of Grasmere, one of the more popular towns in the Lake District. Ascended 2000k feet in rain to the col eventually making our way slowly across the vast dale before ascending another slightly higher col. Even up high the turf was so soggy our boots sank nearly to our socks. Crossed some growing streams carefully. Despite the rain, puddles and mud, my socks were thankfully not that wet until one unlucky leap where I landed up to my knee in muck. Took the high route undulating on top of the ridge to the base of Helm Crag, the prominent fell overlooking Grasmere. With the rain continuing, we were very happy to discover a variant trail leading directly to our farmhouse about 800 ft below in Town Head. The path turned into a green carpet like a golf course on a steep ski hill. And it was lined by the cutest sheep you've ever seen, like fluffy stuffed animals. Needless to say we were ecstatic to arrive on time at 4:30 pm having walked without a break for 7.5 hours. Our hosts at the farmhouse set out tea and cake, then left us to bring their cows home, 3 weeks early, from the higher hills due to the heavy rains this season. They disappeared on a tractor down the wet country lane as it was turning to dusk. Tomorrow's forecast calls for lesser showers and getting better as the day goes on!