The first day of the hike. Our party is eight Australians, four Americans, one British, and our leader, Malcolm Wade. On our first day, we hike north to St Bees Head and then strike inland through Cleator until we reach Dent Fell, the beginning of the Lake District, reaching Ennerdale for our first night's stay.
1 Breakfast at Fairladys
2 After assembling at the Albert Hotel near the railway station, we pass by the beach where we each pick up a small stone. By tradition this is thrown into the North Sea at the end of the hike.
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5 In 1907 the SS Izaro, carrying iron ore to the smelter, was wrecked here
6 "Wainwright's Wall" is the official start marker for the C2C. The three dotted boxes are the National Parks we will be passing through.
7 This is where we get our start-of-the-trail pictures
8 Malcolm leads as we start our north along the cliff top to the westernmost point on St Bees Head
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10 A final look back on the town
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15 KIssing gates vary a lot in size; some of them are difficult to negotiate with a pack on.
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18 Only one trail seen here is human. The rest were made by sheep.
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23 Black guillemots nest by the thousands along the cliff, while seagulls cruise by, hoping to steal their eggs.
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28 St Bees Light, as we approach the westernmost point on the Head.
29 Crossing a stile
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44 Our first rest stop, at an abandoned quarry on the cliff top
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49 We head inland
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53 The village of Sandwith (pronounced Sannoth)
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62 A canola field
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64 We don't pass through Whitehaven, but turn east into sheep country
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68 The railway viaduct
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70 A gated footbridge
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73 A road crossing, which we climb onto
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76 ...for a rest stop
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78 A cast iron sign
79 The village of Moore Row
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86 The town of Cleator
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93 Up Black How...
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96 ...onto Dent Fell, our first big glacial hill of the Lake District
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99 Lunch atop Dent Fell
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104 Heading down to Ennerdale Wood
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106 These second-growth larches were planted as mine timber stock, but were preserbed when the mines closed
107 But they will have to be cut down because they harbor phythophthora fungus, which can ingfect other trees and bushes in the area. They will be replaced with native deciduous trees.
108 A deer stile, the tallest type
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114 After a steep descent from the Fell we come to the Nannycatch Valley
115 Up the valley toward Ennerdale
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122 My B&B at Ennerdale, the first of several that host us on our first night on the trail
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124 Taking our boots off feels so good...
125 Tea to unwind after our first day
126 The proprietors at Thorntrees
127 Timw to get ready for dinner at the Shepherd's Arms
