Day 4 Grasmere to Patterdale. GPS reads 52 mles

Today we start with the weather looking grim. This is meant to have  been an easier day but, in the spirit of a charity walk, we made it very challenging. We leave Grasmere valley at the mill bridge  we go up a lane  then climbed by a wooded beck to a confluence of streams at the bottom of Great Tongue. By this time the weather was now light rain and the prospect in front of us was shrouded in low cloud.

Half way up we met the Americans who had kindly donated previously.

The Bridle way soon divides at Great Tongue where we took the route along side Tounge Gill crossing many streams. We were now in the clouds and very wet with little visability but again the  view down the valley back to Grasmere was better.

After walking through very wet  mist we reached the top of Great Tongue then dropped down  slightly and  the Grisedale tarn appeared.

 at the end of the tarn we could see the path to Dollywaggon  Pike.

It had been a steep climb to here but now we must decide on our route to Patterdale. We had three choices of route the first was a direct easy route dow n the valley but this was our shortest day on the whole walk so why not take a challenge, so as we originally promised our sponsors we took the hardest high level route via Hevellyn & Striding Edge. Helvellyn at 3113 ft is the third highest peak in England and the highest point on our coast to coast. The Climb is ardous and it was very steep and misty.

We eventually reached the summiit where we sat at a shelter to eat lunch and met four Liverpudlians, we started talking footie and had a great laugh dispite the wind, rain and cold.they sponsored us as we went on our way, so thanks to the Everton fans for the kind donations.

        Eating Lunch on the summit of Helvellyn

From here we have a nerve tingling drop on a crumbling slope above red tarn followed by a bit of mountain climbing to get to Striding Edge.

       This is not an easy walk

      The last drop down to Striding Edge    

Striiding edge ridge is a knife edge walk where the memorial plaque to Robert Dixon who was kiled here does little to calm the nerves.

This requires a steady head as we decided again to take the hardest route along the top of the edge with huge drops either side.

 This picture shows you a close up of Kirsty calmly walking the edge. If you want to see the edge from the distance here is a picture of it, taken another day, without the mist we had today.

If you look at this picture and then scale it with the picture of Kirsty you will get a small insight of the task we took on.

As we dropped down from the Edge we emerged below the cloud level and at last we had some views and we were now in the dry.

Our days destination was now in sight and it was all down hill.

After a long steep stretch down hill that once again reduces our feet and knees to screaming mode we took a short path towards Patterdale which is dominated on one side by the rugged mountain wall of the Helvellyn range we just scrambled across and the steep flanks of place fell, with, between them, the loveliestof lakes, Ullswater

                                                                                              Ullswater from the path to Patterdale          

We finally got to our B&B the Old Water view, what a fantastic place, we were met by the owner Ian and promptly shown our room which was the room Alfred Wainwright used to stay in.

A brilliant surprise and a superb room.

 One ofthe lovely personal touches at the B&B  This  teddy was perched on our bed (note the chocs).

We made this our shortest day a tough but enjoyable one (its a challenge so can't have an easy day).

We now have to rest as the next two days are possible the hardest we will encounter.

Janes knee has stood up to the punishment well today so fingers crossed we make it all the way.

Loving all the comments so thank you all kep it up.

Sorry for the late blog but we have had a fantastic night in the private bar :)