Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club
A Walk Through the Ages
Walking Through the Ages
Sunday 4th August 2013
When people stare at you as you are walking through the streets and then have little whispered conversations, usually it means that your dress is not adjusted correctly or you are someone famous. Neither was the case today, Sunday 4th August. 18 walkers set off from Keswick and half of us were in the sort of costumes that might well have been in vogue anytime in the last 200 years. We had a clergyman leading the way – he received and acted on his promotion to the episcopacy half way round. We had a very demure looking nun, an Austrian climber who looked like an extra from the Sound of Music. There was an ill kempt peasant, with rope instead of a belt, and both the peasant and the Austrian were accompanied by very beautiful maidens with long flowing dresses. In addition we had a couple of suave looking gents with nifty hats who would have looked o.k. in any era in the last two centuries. We took a sponsored collection for the Keswick Mountain Rescue and the total stands so far at £150 give or take a few coppers. We went over Cat Bells, down to Manesty and on to Lidore then back along the lake to Keswick.There were slight differences from the normal walk. At lunch we had a rousing rendition of Jerusalem, plus a poetry reading and a sing along to Rod Stewart. On the walk back we were joined by a family from New Jersey who will no doubt dine out on the tale of walking with a group of genuine old fashioned English eccentrics for the next year. We reached Keswick looking slightly bedraggled and finished off with a lovely meal at Adriano’s in Carlisle.
Peter Flynn
A little correction to Peter's report. The sing along was "Scottish Soldier",
that was Andy Stewart not Rod.
It was a great day, many thanks to everyone who came along. To those that didn’t you missed a treat. There were some great outfits. A special mention for” Mother Superior” Lynda who waited at the motorway turn off to be picked up. Radio Cumbria reported long traffic queues at the Wigton Junction, I wonder why. I think everyone would agree the “Star of the show” was Bernard, what a character he is. I had no problem walking along looking like an idiot, I’ve done it most of my life. At one point coming down Catbells a woman said to me “ are you in fancy dress”?, “fancy dress, I wear this all the time”. We had a newcomer with us. Heather brought along her youngest son Brent, a baptism of fire. Heather is obviously very proud of him and rightly so, a fine young guy. God knows what he thought of the company she keeps. He might well have given her some advice on Sunday night. A great day and many thanks to Peter for arranging the whole thing.
John McKay
Photos from Peter Flynn, John Harrison, John McKay
