Day 3 - Honister Pass Slate Mine to Grasmere

What a day!  9 hours of climbing up and then down.  Once again, we misjudged the distance we had set ourselves for day 3.  This was a very tough day both physically and mentally - a lot of tough terrain.  Exhausted!!!  However the scenery was absolutely stunning.  The day started cool with the promise of sunshine, and it didn't disappoint.

 Toby was a bit reluctant to set off after what we went through yesterday!

 Above you can see the track we came down yesterday in the horizontal rain and wind.

 From Honister Slate mine, we headed down into the valley of Rothswaite, passing a few admirers on the way!

 Because of all the rain that has fallen recently, all the paths are mini rivers!!

 As we climbed, this seemed like a really good place to stop for lunch.

 We thought we were only going to the crest that you can see below.  Ha Ha!!!!

 The rivers and waterfalls were absolutely spectacular.  There seemed to be so many photo opportunities today.

 Okay!  Now we've been climbing for a while, as you can see from above, but everytime we crest a peak, there seems to be another!!!

 Todays theme tune?   Many Rivers to Cross!

 There must have been hundreds of the buggers!

 We must be at the top now?  Like hell!

 The final part of the climb was a "make it up as you go".  There was no path to speak of and we had to attempt a rock climb up a waterfall!  Hey, after what we've been through over the last couple of days, we are invincible!

 However, Toby needed to stop for a rest.

 We did finally reach the top, and the surrounding views were stunning.

However, what goes up, must come down and the descent was absolutely horrendous.  There were no paths to follow as they had all been washed away, so we had to follow the various rivers down.  It took us just over 3 hours to descend into Grassmere Common.  We have done around 40+ miles in the last 3 days.  Our feet are starting to complain, and we have started to compare blisters!

Time for bed!