Rosthwaite > Keswick

12 miles. The best customer service in a hotel can never offset a lumpy bed where your feet hang off the end. I tried to tough it out and listened to an owl hooting and crickets for a couple hours but at 12:30 I went for an Ambien. Woke up to hard rain hitting my window. Sounds a little intimidating. Despite the rough bed I feel fresh and ready to go. Scrambled eggs on toast again, I might change it up tomorrow. I’m dragging out breakfast, the thunder outside is rattling silverware on the tables. Heavy rain. Last nights forecast included thunderstorms, torrential rain and hail for the day, dropping rapidly from 68 to 53! The front desk assures me that it should break around 11:00, strange coincidence, that’s also check out time.  
At 10:30 it looked to be clearing so I headed out for some more pasture hopping for a few miles to a stream side path. It turned out to be a very nice slightly humid day.

The stream path connected with a wooded trail where I found an interesting slate arch just off the path

The woods continued and rolled over gentle hills on comfortable grass and down to a lake where I walked the shore north to Keswick.

 I’m staying at the Avondale guest house and the service is exceptional, the owner made a dozen phone calls to help me coordinate a ride to the Honister slate mine tomorrow. Mona also surprised me with a bottle of wine in my room for our anniversary. I went to “The George” for dinner based on the hotels recommendation and ordered a half portion of the house specialty simply called the cow pie. Finishing it was a bigger challenge that the walk today. The portion is absolutely huge, it must be three inches thick and is basically a giant wedge roast beef between two very thin layers of pastry. By far the best meal I’ve had on the trip.  

Having a glass of wine and enjoying the food coma in the lounge, going to bed early!