Alexandra served us a delicious breakfast, with fresh fruit salad, yogurt, croissants and rolls, a selection of cheeses, and cereals; what a welcome change from eggs! We departed just before 9:00 into much better weather than forecast. Although cloudy, visibility was good and it wasn't raining. For several miles north of Thwaite farm, the path was extremely muddy as a result of considerable rain combined with cattle traffic on the footpath. This made for slow going, and gaitors are recommended! We stopped at Crook of Lune to chat with the elderly owner of a lovely stone cottage. She has lived here for more than 50 years, and her two daughters now own the cottages opposite (one a former mill operated by the family). The Way soon crosses the M6 (a jolting reminder of modern life), and leaves the riverside for several miles although briefly joins the River Mint before Shaw End. This provided a fitting picnic stop, though as a light rain began we kept our lunch break short. The remaining walk to Burneside is fairly nondescript, crossing many low lying field boundaries and stiles. However, the Way joins the Rivers Sprint and Kent beyond Burneside and offers a beautiful stretch of several miles between Cowen Head and Staveley, with dense mature woodland bordering the river. In Staveley we overnighted at the comfortable and friendly Eagle and Child (highly recommended for excellent food and accommodation), and were joined for dinner by friends from Kendal and beyond.

Lovely Goodies Farmhouse

View from Goodies, above the Way

Another view near Goodies, from the footbridge over the Lune

Spectacular bluebells in Crook of Lune Wood

Crook of Lune Bridge

The view north from the bridge (our picnic spot in 2000)

River Lune

Lovely house at the Crook of Lune, a former mill

Rolling hills in the Lune Valley

We briefly met the River Mint

Black Moss Tarn feels peaceful and remote

Fields of buttercups near Burneside

Hawthorn in bloom near Burneside, beside the River Sprint

Lovely stretch of river near Cockshot Wood

Enjoying the company of friends at the Eagle & Child
(Jim "The Milk," Jim "El Presidente," and Arthur walked more than 450 miles in the Sierras in the summer of 2001, with a cumulative elevation gain of more than 90,000 feet!)

On to Day Seven

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