Day 2. The rainy one…

Blissful (slightly medicated) night’s sleep on the plank.  Not cold, not bitten and once the Spanish lads simmered down, very quiet.  Actually we all slept well.  Got up at around 6.30am, the ponies were given some feed and led down to the beck to drink.  

Bacon butties for breakfast and then we loaded up and set off.  Firstly up an extremely steep hill - Sarah and I took it slowly.  This is us up at the top looking down at Haweswater.  The rain really started around 11 and didn’t let up for the rest of the day.  

We came down a steep hill slowly, I was leading Pansy who it turned out was The One to have as it was practically like walking a dog.  Nasty moment when we got to a locked gate and the numbers to the lock that Tom had been given didn’t work.  He sorted it.  ‘Nuff said. 

We sheltered under an awning for lunch which was pasta cooked from first principles, impressive as the rain pinged off the sides.  As the ponies were de-rigged and tethered to eat Eliza said they were impressed  at how we were coping with the weather.  We credited our childhood - rain never stopped a good walk, or a camping trip.  

We decided, collectively, to do the flatter route home alongside Haweswater rather than back over a hill.  Which meant we made good pace and were back in the yard by 4pm. I was so wet that the rain had gone through my waterproofs, my trousers and was pooling in my socks.  I led pacemaker Fay along the road and she kept trying to trot so that contributed to the brisk retreat.  

It was a joy to drink tea and stand in the barn peeling off wet clothes. 

Jono and Sue took us to Oxenholme but the last train for two hours had just left so they heroically doubled back and drove us to Preston in the tipping rain listening to the election announcement. The trains were held up by a broken down train in Scotland and finally one arrived.  They chucked everyone off and it headed back south with us on it.  G&T tinnies opened and sandwiches to consume on a celebratory trip. 

Into Euston at around 9pm and in the Covent Garden hub by 9.30pm