After a steep initial climb we were presented with Lining Crag which required us to use our hands to climb as the footholds were totally unreliable. At the top somebody had left a full bottle of Vodka and an old digital watch - presumably someone trying to make a statement - "It's never a good time to drink a bottle of vodka on a mountain"?
On the top of the mountain there was thick fog; a bit like an 80s disco. Coupled with the fact that there were no obvious paths made navigation very difficult. Thank God for having a GPS app on the iPhone! Along the way we met a couple of Kent lads; Jim and James. Considering the poor conditions we decided to stick together. Also Jim and James had heard of a 'shortcut' which would save us 3 miles (a more than welcome offer!). The shortcut led to a very steep descent which meant we had to 'ass-slide' down the side of the mountain holding onto a fence in to the Grassmere valley. Ascent & Descent one complete. Now we had to do the second one!
The second ascent was much more gentle and a convenient stream was available for us to follow, meaning navigating was much easier. In addition the mist had lifted somewhat on the second mountain and the paths were much more clearly defined which also helped things a little. We arrived at our accomodation, Grinsdale Lodge at around 5:30PM to be welcomed by a very nice couple who took our bags up to our rooms and also offered to put newspaper in our boots to help dry them out...now thats what we call service!
We have gained some confidence in hiking/navigating today and are a bit more upbeat about tomorrow which includes the highest part of the Coast to Coast - Kidsty Pike (739m high).
Happy to find Patterdale has Vodafone 3G reception :)
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