Day 39: Alston to Ousby
📍 Distance: 13.00 miles (20.92 km)
☀️ Weather: Sunny and warm all day
🕥 Start Time: 10:36 AM | 🕓 Finish Time: 4:36 PM
Last night at Haggs Bank campsite, about five miles outside of Alston, we were welcomed with incredible generosity by the site’s owners, Helen and Danny. Not only did they waive our site fees, but they also donated the amount to Alzheimer’s Research UK. As if that weren’t enough, Helen arrived in the evening with a much-appreciated supply of beer. The facilities are immaculate, clearly a labour of love for the owners, who take obvious pride in maintaining such high standards.
The day’s route began along a riverside path—at least in theory. In practice, the riverbank had eroded so severely in places that sections were nearly impassable. It made for a careful first couple of miles, plotting a safe course across washed away sections. Frankly the path should have been closed to prevent walkers getting into serious difficulty.
Once clear of the hazards, it was a 5-mile uphill slog on the main road to Hartside Summit. The climb was tedious, but the views from the top—panoramic sights of the Lake District fells—were a real boost after a rather bleak morning.
From Hartside, the route turned more pleasant, following footpaths down the fell side and through the villages of Gamblesby and Melmerby, eventually leading to Ousby.
We wrapped up the day with a pint and some good food at The Fox, the pub right next to the campsite.
Huge thanks to Sid, who kindly let us park the motorhome for free—again, the waived fee went straight to the JustGiving donation page.
Tomorrow is a shorter leg—13 miles to Appleby.
