It was still raining when we read the sign ‘Youth Hostel 650yds’. It had rained all the way up the motorway, all the time we had donned our walking gear, taken the first photographs, had our lunch and walked the 151/2 miles from Ulverston to that sign in Coniston. What, might you ask, were four more mature ladies and one brave man doing booking into a Youth Hostel on a wet Friday evening? We were walking the Cumbria Way, a long distance footpath through the Lake District from Ulverston to Carlisle. Why? Well someone had the idea that one way to raise money for our Building Together Fund might be to undertake a Ladies’ Sponsored Coast to Coast Walk and persuaded some others that this would be fun! We are taking this venture seriously and decided to try out our skills and endurance on a practice walk ñ a mere 70 miles over 5 days. (The Coast to Coast is 190 miles!)

The rain just had to be ignored, we’d done our planning ñ bought the maps, and the books, booked the accommodation, worked out our support vehicles, organised our transport and persuaded our children that we were going to be OK, so it was onwards. Our party consisted of Margaret Squire, Chris Oldham, Melba Southwood, Sister Myrtle (doing it as part of her Sabbatical), Delma and Tony Whitman. Yes we had allowed men in on our practice and were very grateful for their assistance especially with transport.

In Ulverston we met Jackie and Derek Clarke ñ Jackie was to walk part of Friday with us before departing to a Disney party in the South (every grandparent’s duty!). We said goodbye and thanks to Kathleen Speight, one of our drivers and made sure Chris Squire, our support vehicle for the day knew where to meet us. Progress was slow, the grass was long in the fields, there were lots of stiles and it rained. We were just descending to a road, along which we were to meet Chris and where Derek was waiting to whisk Jackie away, when misfortune struck. Melba was climbing over the stile when she slipped and crashed off it, hitting her head on a rock. We had some very anxious moments here and eventually decided that Melba should return to Preston with Jackie and Derek to be checked over at RPH. We wish Melba well as she recovers from her neck injury. It was a rather shocked and wet group that proceeded to that sign.

Our welcome at the Youth Hostel was very friendly; it was warm, we filled the drying room, ate our meal and ‘crashed out’ early in our room. The ‘girls’ were all together in an eight-bedded room, which we shared with one other lady who we had seen on the way. It turned out that she, Carolyn, and her husband, Keith, who were also walking the Cumbria Way came from Penwortham and attended the Pentecostal Church on Sherwood. We also met up with another fellow Cumbria Way walker, Julian, a young accountant-cum-artist from London, walking alone in trainers with a brolly! The night passed, some slept, some snored, and some listened!

Saturday dawned bright and sunny and saw the arrival of Edna and Ray Armstrong ñ Edna to join the walk for 3 days and Ray to act as support, and also Steve and Cynthia Grice who were walking for the day. As we re-joined the waymarked path Keith and Carolyn and Julian joined us. We walked in sunshine, with the beauty of the fells around us and plenty of companionable conversation. Lunch was on the rocks at Skelwith Bridge, ice cream and Morris dancing at Elterwater and rain further down the Langdale Valley! By the time we said goodbye to Keith & Carolyn and Julian (who were staying in the Langdale Valley), to be ferried to Ambleside Youth Hostel, it was pouring.

It must have poured all night (no-one seems to have heard it!) and was still raining as we greeted Geoff Oldham ñ added support for the day, breakfasted and waited for Ray to collect his car from the public car park. When Ray got out of his car with no shoes or socks on and his trousers rolled up to the knees we were a little surprised but when the water poured out of the open car door we were shocked. The car park had flooded overnight ñ apparently it does so 3 or 4 times a year but not in May! (Source - Ambleside Information Office!). Ray’s was not the only car or bus to be stuck. We set-to with saucepans and buckets and baled out ñ attracting quite an audience, and then mopped up with towels borrowed from the Youth Hostel. When we arrived in Langdale, Julian was waiting for us and we set off down the valley to climb Stake Pass into Langstrathdale. The rain had filled the becks and where the previous day you could have stepped over them we had to look for ways to cross them. The path became a river and our pace was slow over very difficult terrain. Our first rendezvous with our support vehicles was very late, we decided to cut our losses for that day and abandon the last few miles (we saw later they were also under water). Around the walls of the small car park at Rosthwaite were draped off-white towels ñ we thought the gypsies were about but no, it was Ray drying his car cloths. (This is not an advert for car valeting ñ he won’t really fill your car with water if you hire his services). It was here that we said goodbye to Julian who was staying in the village overnight. He had been a very interesting companion, chatting to all of us and very interested in what we were doing and why. Myrtle broke her Sabbatical and delivered the parable of the talents at the top of Stake Pass on his request. He said he wished he was continuing with us.

Monday saw us walking from Keswick to Caldbeck, 14 miles if we climbed, 18 if the weather was bad and we had to take the lower route. Dave Ridout had volunteered his services as a guide for the higher route and we arranged to meet him at Skiddaw House. The party was reduced to five now, blisters being a problem for one. We met Dave as it sleeted heavily at Skiddaw House and later met up with Keith and Carolyn to whom we had mentioned Dave’s offer. The rain dried up, the path went up and up and up and we all arrived at Great Lingy Hut (2,159 feet) for lunch. The rain had cleared and as we walked along the ridge the Solway lowlands, the Pennines and the high fells of the northern Lakes spread out before us. It was a wonderful feeling. Dave saw us over the top and put us on to the path down to Caldbeck. Thanks Dave.

We found that Keith and Carolyn were staying at the same B & B as Margaret and Myrtle and as they were eating at the pub that night (the only place in the village for food!) we booked a table for 10. We had a very happy evening before Ray and Edna returned to Preston. We said goodbye to Keith and Carolyn, as they needed to leave promptly in the morning to make sure they reached Carlisle to catch their train home.

Four of us set out for the final push to Carlisle with Margaret acting as our support. The sun shone and the walk was through flower ñ strewn woods and grazed parkland beside the River Calder, a beautiful final day. The last section of the walk was along a cycle track from Dalston into Carlisle. It was tarmaced ñ not easy on the feet but flat and didn’t require any map reading. We could concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other! Part way along, an elderly cyclist stopped us and asked, "Are you the group from Preston?" We did wonder how our fame (or infamy) had spread! It turned out that Margaret had spoken to him earlier in the day, as she waited for us, and he was very interested in our venture. We reached Carlisle in very good time, excellent spirits but varying degrees of stiffness. We had done it!

With all our trials and misadventures, was it worth it? Undoubtedly. We learnt a great deal about long distance walking, about ourselves and our ability to cope in adverse conditions. It was a goal accomplished. We walked through some magnificent scenery and amongst beautiful plants and trees. Above all we experienced some great fellowship - not just with our own party but with those we met along the way.