RAIL TRAIL TALES

The Story has ended!

We've now walked all 8 stages. Tale 8 is below, but before reading that...

A few awards need to be given to those involved:-

• For being the most forgetful when it came to walking poles - Ian

• For being a "Great Big Lying Liar" when it came to telling everyone the distance to be walked - Malcolm

• For eating the most on every walk - Peter

• For putting up with having to get up early on Saturdays  - Jane   

• For taking the most photographs - Verity

• For the most swearing after being stung by nettles - Adam

• For the most stylish walking pole - Madeleine

• For the most extreme action to avoid doing more than two walks - Nic

• For the best attempt to electrocute himself - Malcolm (again)*

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See our tales below:

Tale 1 - Appleby to Langwathby - 17 miles

The best laid plans…  We had intended to walk the eight Trail stages in order starting in Settle, but engineering works on the line meant that instead we had to do the stage from Appleby to Langwathby first.  Click here to continue...

Tale 2 – Langwathby to Armathwaite - 13.5 miles

What is it about Armathwaite Station which makes people so forgetful?  For the second week running a walker (not the same one as last week) left their walking poles at that station in their rush to get on the train.  Fortunately, the poles were recovered when returning to that station at the end of the walk. Click here to continue...

Tale 3 – Settle to Ribblehead

Whose bright idea was it to do two of the toughest stages of our Settle to Carlisle Rail Trail in one day? That walker didn’t think it “worth getting out of bed for eight miles” and preferred 15+ miles of at times challenging terrain. We hope his wife, another walker, will start talking to him again soon. Click here to continue...

Tale 4 - Ribblehead to Garsdale

After a few weeks rest while some of the regular walkers tackled the Southwest Coastal Path and the Hadrian's Wall Path it was back to the Settle-Carlisle Rail Trail.  Seven walkers tackled the stage from Ribblehead to Garsdale, including two new walkers who inspired the rest with their youthful enthusiasm. Click here to coninue...

Tale 5 – Garsdale to Kirkby Stephen

No rain, no lost walking poles, no falls, no getting lost - the fifth walk of our Rail Trail was notable for the lack of incidents.  That's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable walk, but it turned into something of a school field trip as the walkers explored the landscape and history of the Pennines and Eden Valley. Click here to continue...

Tale 6 – Kirkby Stephen to Appleby

This was our missing link walk, from Kirkby Stephen where we finished Walk 5 to Appleby where we started Walk 1, having had to do the walks out of order because of track engineering work earlier in the year.  In theory, it was 14.5 miles of reasonably flat terrain with a pub stop on the way and plenty of eating and drinking places on arrival at Appleby.  Click here to continue...

Tale 7 - Armathwaite to Wetheral

After a long and gruelling walk two weeks ago the eight walkers thought they were going to enjoy an easy 8.5 mile riverside amble from Armathwaite to Wetheral - how wrong they were.  One of the shortest stages turned out to be one of the hardest and slowest. Click here to continue...

Tale 8 - Wetheral to Carlisle

When 13 turned up for the final walk from Wetheral to Carlisle there was some concern that bad luck might affect this leg, but it was not to be.  No falls, lost walkers, bad weather or even forgotten walking poles.

Click here to continue...

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