Sedbergh to Kendal
Sunday 19th August 2007
18 miles walking
Click here for all our photos from this walk.
It had rained in the night but it wasn't raining first thing, and once again the weather was fine for most of the day. Dales Cottage had been just about perfect for a two-night stay and the breakfasts at the Dalesman were excellent (Helen particularly enjoyed her cheese on toast today) but yet it was the cheapest B&B of the whole walk (£170 for the three of us for two nights).
We walked back through the grounds of Sedbergh School and back to Birks, then we followed the River Rawthey downstream along a particularly attractive stretch, being joined by the River Dee just before Brigflatts.
There was then a short section along a road before we cut across to the River Lune and followed this upstream. The first stretch took us to Lincoln's Inn Bridge and the second stretch took us to Crook of Lune Bridge.
There was a good-looking lunch spot (a wall by the Crook of Lune Bridge) but we decided it was a bit early. So we kept going...underneath the Lowgill Viaduct (formerly on the Ingleton-Tebay railway, but now there are trees where once there was track) and across a bridge over the M6. Eventually we found another suitable lunch-spot, a dead tree with good views of the Lake District fells ahead of us.
After lunch we walked through undulating countryside, crossing the main west coast train line then walking alongside it for a while. We met a walker who was walking the Dales Way the other way – he’d come all the way from Windermere today and was going to Sedbergh. We passed Grayrigg (where the Canadians are staying tonight) then at Grayrigg Farm we stopped to talk to a farmer with some delightful little dogs.
The undulating countryside continued, frequently very wet and muddy underfoot, and we passed first the River Mint and then Black Moss Tarn. We joined a road and descended steeply to the A6; over the A6 and another kilometre or so of walking brought us to the minor road we’d decided to follow into Kendal (Kendal is just off the Dales Way).
We followed the minor road down into Kendal, through a small industrial estate, and we found Balcony House easily. We have two lovely rooms – Helen has the balcony and a four poster bed. We had some difficulty finding somewhere to eat; both the Duke of Cumberland (which had been recommended) and the Italian were full, and I was tired so didn’t want to walk any further, but we eventually had a very pleasant meal for three in the Chinese restaurant right next door to the Italian.
