Ennerdale

Day 3: Boot to Buttermere via Wasdale Head and the Black Sail Pass. After the day before we had some idea of what to expect, and set off with a set of taxi numbers should we need to abandon our walk.

The first problem came early in the day. The beck flowing out of Burnmoor Tarn had broken its banks. The bridge there was laughably short, reaching barely a quarter of the way across the beck. We had a short conversation with a baffled walker on the other side, before he set off to explore downstream, and we started a circuit to the north of the tarn. Even without this detour, the "bridleway" was just a linear stream and bog, adding delays as we tried to pick our way through.

By the time we got to Wasdale Head, we were late and tired, and though seriously about giving up. We knew that there was a significant beck to ford on the way up to the Black Sail Pass. However, the sun came out, we had a short rest, and helpfully the man in the outdoor shop said that if we could cross the beck there wouldn't be any other real obstacles.

When we got to the ford the water was foaming nicely, but the footing was sound and we got across. I think the water was more than ankle deep, but waterproof trousers seem to seal the top of the boots for a few seconds.

The blip comes from the other side of the pass, crossing the River Liza in Ennerdale.