The Lake District, Day 5.

Rain was in the air again this morning so I decided that it was new waterproof time.  My old one has been letting in water for some time now and the local outdoor shop has a closing down sale with some good bargains, so it was time to strike and indulge myself with a new Mountain Equipment Rupal jacket.  I now look forward to staying dry on the hills.

Business concluded we elected to go and explore Longsleddale as it had looked so alluring when we drove past the end of it on the way up to Penrith.  Once turned off the A6 we were immediately on narrow single track banked lanes, lush with spring vegetation.  Farms and tiny hamlets scattered the dale and the scenery became more wild and remote as we drove further up the dale.  We stopped at the public toilets halfway down the dale and were very impressed with their standard so much so that we were more than happy to contribute to their upkeep.

We had not really planned to walk but the old drove road heading up to Gatesgarth Pass and over to Haweswater and Swindale was just too tempting despite the rain.  It gave me chance to try out the new jacket.  We made it up to the pass where we had our lunch in the shelter of the wall before returning to the car, shopping at Kendal Aldi and then a meal back at the van.

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