Our final day was fine and pretty as we were walking through suburban villages and smaller farms as we got closer to Penrith.
As navigating wasn’t easy, Kay had her head in her phone most of the day because the markers were not to be found.
We came across a retired English couple who had been a day ahead of us. They were the only people we had met doing the Lady Anne’s Way. They had a map and guide book and no gps so had spent a lot of extra time finding their way.
We met up with them again at Brougham Castle, another one that Lady Anne owned, where we had lunch. Also had a photo with them at Penrith, the end of the trail.
We carried on into Penrith meeting a group of three lads on a walking trip up to Edinburgh. A German, a South African, and one from Belgium. They were in awe of our journey and how far we cover in a day, compared to them. The German guy had recently been in New Zealand, and the guy from Belgium was very interested in Te Araroa.
We had booked an airbnb for a couple of nights in Penrith, which was such a treat.
Overall, this walk was not difficult, but it would have been better with more markers. We spent a lot of time finding our way. It is a relatively new trail, so hopefully, it will get better as more people walk the route. We missed the interaction with other walkers. The weather wasn’t very summery but the villages and farms were just like I have seen on chocolate boxes and English TV programs and movies. I really don’t understand why I am always surprised at this!
Well, it is new to the modern walking trail community, however Lady Anne regularly followed this path 500 years ago. She and her servants must have had a better sense of direction than we do.
