Ford

Thanks to our daily exercise, Dan and I walk along by the Lune at least three times a week. One of our common topics of conversation has been the progressive lowering of the water levels with some idle speculation that we could probably walk across at some point in the near future. I've been wondering where.

As you go north up the Lune from Devil's Bridge, there is a private bridge at Underley and then a ford up at Nether Hall before you get to the next public road bridge at Rigmaden. However, the OS map also shows a crossing between Scar Brow and Low Beckfoot, just above Underley, so I suggested to Dan that we investigate it for our long Saturday walk. 

Which we did, today. To get to Low Beckfoot we took our regular route along Laitha Lane but, on reaching the golf course, turned left instead of right. This brought us out on the road that runs from Devil's Bridge up to Sedbergh and we walked a little way along that before picking up a footpath running all the way up to Beckfoot Park.

What a lovely route! You can see part of it in the first of my Extras. I was simultaneously excited at the prospect of having a new run whilst pained that I've been oblivious to it for all these years!

As we reached Lowfields Lane, we met another walker who warned us of an agitated farmer just ahead who had shouted at her - "Don't you know there's a lockdown on?" - and set his dog on her. (She was completely unfazed by this and said it was harmless: she was evidently someone who is very comfortable with dogs.) I must say that I didn't feel too nervous about this: any man who's happy to treat a solitary woman like that is precisely the kind of bully who'd shy away from confronting two large men. (And in the end, we saw no sign of him or his dog, anyway.)

We followed the lane around to the houses at Low Beckfoot and then took the footpath straight across to the river. It was signposted right up to the bank, so it was definitely the right way, but there was no crossing us such. The path picked up on the other side clearly enough but there was no obvious crossing, no ford. However, it did look shallow enough to traverse, which was the important consideration.

We took off our shoes and socks, and started across. It was agony! At least it was for me; Dan was making good progress to the other side. Admittedly I was feeling a little more cautious about falling over - I had my phone and our picnic - but my feet! The torture of having one's feet beaten was brought to mind as I made my way gingerly across all of the cricket ball sized stones.

"Aren't your feet hurting?"
"Yeah, a bit."

Dan reached the other side, dropped off his shoes and socks, declared he was going to swim, and started to make his way back out to the middle. I would loved to have joined him but by the time I got to the bank I simply couldn't countenance the journey back out over the stones. 

So I watched him swimming for a bit - see second Extra - while enjoying the respite for my feet. When he came back to join me, we had our picnic; a bottle of beer and cookies that the Minx made this morning. Then it was up to the road, due south to Kearstwick, and back home. 

"Do your feet still hurt?'
"Nah, they're fine."
(Why are my feet so sensitive?! Especially with all the running. I don't get it.)

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-10.8 kgs
Reading: 'Underland' by Robert Macfarlane