Joanna On The Trail

Sunday, August 9, 2026

💡PRO TIP: Be sure to have small bills/coins with you for honesty boxes, tuck shops, and other places that only take cash. Two of my B&Bs have been cash-only, and several small shops as well.

12.71 miles / 1,638 ft elevation gain

Today was the second half of the segment I’d split with a stop in Orton. I did the short half yesterday (~8 miles), so today was expected to be 12.5 miles. Not quite a rest day, but not a lot of elevation gain (less than 1,800 ft), so it shouldn’t be too bad, especially compared to the Lake District, which is still fresh in my memory.

Leaving Orton

The email confirmation I got from The George said it was room only, no breakfast (the only time that’s happened this trip). I was already carrying a lot of food around in my bag, so I decided to make coffee in my room and eat the fig bar I’d bought at Jacksons in Grasmere. I tried to convince myself it might be somewhat healthy, but it tasted way too good. It tasted like brown sugar, with a bit of oats and fig mixed in. So rich I could only eat half. I was all packed up and on my way by 8:50, saying bye to my fellow walkers eating breakfast as I left.

Refreshments from Sunbiggin

The first part of the walk was on a road, but within 20 minutes I was climbing over my first stile into a grassy pasture, rejoining the C2C path. Supposedly there was a stone circle around here, but I didn’t see it. There would be several supposed archeological sites today, but I couldn’t find them; they all looked like more grassy pasture to me. After several stiles in rapid succession alongside Orton Scar, I eventually hit a narrow road that led to Sunbiggin Farm. Along the way I passed a horse pasture, and a pretty, but thin, bay mare came over. I thought she was looking for attention, but she started cribbing on the gate. Cribbing is a compulsive, nervous habit some horses have, typically high-energy horses kept alone in stalls or small paddocks. It was unusual to see it in a horse out in a large, grassy pasture with other horses, and I felt bad for whatever was causing her stress.

Sunbiggin offers camping and a cute little refreshment stall; I stopped in the latter to check it out. There were cold drinks, candy bars, flapjacks, crisps, coffee, and tea. I was hoping for a sandwich, but there were none (honestly, I wasn’t sad to “have to” eat the rest of the fig bar for lunch). I did find the most unique flavor of crisps I’ve ever seen: prawn cocktail. I couldn’t resist getting them, as well as some cheddar & onion crisps in case the prawn ones weren’t great (I gave them a 50/50 chance of being edible). There were also Nescafé cappuccino packets that said “bigger pack, better value,” so I couldn’t help but make a cup (it was surprisingly good). After dropping my money in the jar, I left just in time for it to start raining. The Dutch family had stopped to put on waterproofs, and an older couple stopped briefly as well but set back off soon after I got there. I stopped to put on just my rain jacket, and we joked that they’d probably see me down the trail pulling my waterproof pants on over my soaked hiking pants like the other day. Luckily, the rain didn’t last long, and I quickly took my rain jacket back off.

Connections on the Trail

The road turned into a grassy, gravelly track lined with heather. There’d been some heather-covered fields yesterday too, and there’d be many more in my future. Eventually I caught up with the older couple and slowed down to walk with them for a while as I drank my coffee.

They’re the first Americans I’ve met on this trip! They live in South Carolina now, but are originally from Tennessee and Kentucky. We talked about what we’d each done for work before retiring, and they told me about other walks they’ve done. In order of easiest to hardest: Hadrian’s Wall (they suggested this one for me and Lee, since he’s into history), the West Highland Way (Scotland), the Wicklow Way (Ireland), and now the C2C. We talked about our other travels and pre-retirement lives, including how everyone assumes the “Dr” belongs to him, when it’s actually she who has a PhD, while he “only has a Masters degree.” I probably won’t see them again, since they’re taking their time on the C2C, something like 3 weeks including rest days. Considering she’s 69 and he’s 76, I’m impressed they’re doing the C2C at any pace. Good inspiration to keep moving so I can hopefully keep doing this kind of thing for the next 2 or 3 decades.

When I finished my coffee, we said our goodbyes, and I quickened my pace.

Endless Rolling Pastures

About 4.5 miles into the walk, on a section that overlaps with the Dales Way, I’d been walking through endless fields when I came upon a small white refrigerator with “snacks & drinks” written on the door. I was all set, but I still checked it out, half tempted to buy something just for the novelty.

I continued on through more rolling fields, mostly filled with sheep, passing an underground reservoir and Bent Farm, which offers camping. I was hoping they had a toilet for passersby, but the sign didn’t indicate that. I kept walking and eventually found a wall to hide behind and pee. Lorna, Ettie, and I were commiserating the other day about how difficult it can be to find a spot to pee, and how easy it is to get surprised by other walkers when you finally pick a spot off trail. It’s a real logistical issue, especially for those of us who squat.

When I was thinking about this trip, I was hoping the sheep would be friendly, but it turns out they’re very skittish and usually run away as you approach. Some of them do this funny thing where they run ahead of you on the path, clearly trying to get away, but never think to just turn left or right. A week into this walk and I’m kind of glad they aren’t interested in interacting with humans; there are just so many of them that I’m sure it would get old fast.

I’d been dodging cow patties for a while, so I’d been on the lookout for the source. Eventually I came upon a small herd of blond and red cows lying down and passed by without incident. One of them had her head curled around in a cute way, similar to a dog. I resisted the urge to try to pet her. A while later, I spotted a black cow scratching her chin against a stone fence; again, I really wished I could stop and help her with the itch, but didn’t think she’d appreciate it.

Lunchtime at Smardale Bridge

Around noon I dropped down into a valley, where Smardale Bridge crosses Scandal Beck. It looked like a good place to sit, protected from the wind, to eat lunch. Just after sitting down, I heard someone running down the trail. Looking up, I saw a fell runner in a red shirt heading my way, with a small deer running down the hill behind him. He stopped and we chatted for a bit while I ate the other half of my fig bar. He’s a local, appears to be in his mid-60s, and runs here frequently. He said there are deer around often, and we saw a few more on the hill while we talked. I told him how impressed I was that he could run this terrain without twisting an ankle, and wished him a great rest of his run.

Into Kirkby Stephen

After a steep climb from Smardale Bridge, up to the top of the heather-covered hills, Kirkby Stephen came into view: a 3-mile, 600 ft descent from there. I’d been walking for 9.5 miles and 4 hours at that point, and my feet were getting sore. The soil had changed to hard red clay, even tougher on my feet, so I stopped to take some Advil. It also looked like it was raining in the valley, which I wasn’t excited about.

Heading down towards the railroad footpath underpass, there were some people with a truck and trailer, with some of the sheep penned up. The sheep and their friends still in the field were making quite a commotion. I couldn’t tell exactly what was happening, but it seemed like the people were loading some of the sheep into the trailer. When I finally made it to the underpass, it was blowing drizzle, so I put on my rain jacket and waterproof pants (the Dutch family would be so proud!). The rain lasted maybe 10 minutes, and then I was stripping the waterproofs back off because I was so hot.

Around 2pm, the path dropped me into a strange barn area with a sign for Ivy Cottage, so I knew I was getting close. 20 minutes later I was in “downtown” Kirkby Stephen. Check-in wasn’t until 4pm, so I went to the White Hare Cafe. Initially the server said the place was full, but a couple offered me their table just as they were leaving. I’m so glad they did, it was a great stop. I had a latte (decaf wasn’t available; I hope I can sleep tonight!) and a delicious individual-size broccoli and Stilton quiche with coleslaw, salad, tortilla chips, and bread on the side.

White Hare Cafe is clearly popular, with only about 5 tables; while I was there the server turned away at least a dozen parties, apologizing profusely and suggesting where else to go. He was quite a character, seemed to know everyone, gregarious and friendly with locals and non-locals alike, and I enjoyed watching him work. When I told him I was staying at Ivy Cottage, he said it’s a lovely place, and that Pete and Elaine are very nice. Pete is a carpenter and has done beautiful woodwork in the cottage. He suggested Mango Tree (Indian) for dinner, which sounded great; otherwise the Chinese takeaway. He spent a lot of time talking with a couple he knew, I think from the military, whom he hadn’t seen in years.

Dinner with the Aussies

After settling up at White Hare, I called Lee on my walk to Bollam Cottage. Since it was just 0.5 miles away and still 30 minutes until check-in, I found a bench to sit on while we finished our conversation. Arriving at the B&B at 4:20, the two Australian couples were already there but heading out the door. They were going to the Black Bull for the Sunday roast, but had just learned the last call for food was 4:40! They invited me to join them, and having eaten all my meals alone for over a week, I happily said I’d meet them there, even though I’d planned on Indian food tonight. I got checked in by Pete, was quickly given the lay of the land at their adorable B&B, switched into my Altra running shoes, and hurried to the pub.

I was glad I went. We had a great conversation: they asked about the US, told me about Australia, and we all traded travel stories. Turns out the two couples had only known each other for a year, having met on the Tour du Mont Blanc last year (which they highly recommend). One couple lives outside Sydney (Derek & Ange), the other in Melbourne (David & Charmaine).

Most people have been surprised that I’ve retired, but on the walk back I learned that folks in Australia often retire fairly young, Charmaine also recently retired. It’s apparently not uncommon, at least in higher-paying careers, to retire by 55 or so.

When we got back to Ivy Cottage, we filled out breakfast forms (and lunch forms, for them) and ate the fruit cake with butter that had been set out for our arrival.

I went up to my room by 7pm, had a nice hot shower, and used the foot bath with some Radox muscle soak. I think I used too much, it created a ton of bubbles!