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An early rise on our last day in Dent. Strange whine coming, it seemed, from somewhere in the roof. Decided I wouldn’t get back to sleep, so washed, dressed and had breakfast. From then it was loading bag after bag into the Blue car and then, Tetris style, packing things in where they would fit.

Drove toward Sedbergh and from there up, up and up over the hills through driving rain and eventually on to the M6 going north. Turned off again at Tebay for petrol. I almost had to take out a bank loan for that petrol. £1.68 for a litre of fuel is extortion and I needed quite a lot of those litres.

Back on the road we had some of the worst downpours I’ve been in. Almost everyone was down to 50mph on a 70mph road for a few miles before we cleared it. From there it was just an easy morning drive north. We drove through another downpour just before we turned off at Annandale services for a coffee, something to eat and a rest. I took the wrong turning from the services and was heading south again! My excuse is that I didn’t want to go home, I wanted the peace and quiet of Dent! The downside of the five mile detour to turn north again was that we had to pass that slow moving downpour twice more. Once coming off the M6 southbound and once going back north again. Eejit! From there it was easy. Just cruising at 68mph all the way to the M73 and home about 12.30pm. Emptied the car and started putting things away and being amazed at how high the grass had grown in a week.

Watched the qualifying for the Belgian GP but with very little interest in the race, because my head was still in Dent. The same thing happened three years ago when we returned from Valleyview, also in Cumbria. Maybe it’s Cumbria itself that has hooks in me!

PoD was some Honesty seedheads backlit, showing off the seeds.

Hoping for a restful day tomorrow. Hope the rest of the group are feeling better after a night’s sleep.

The beginning of the end of the holiday. Jamie, Simonne and Vixen went for one last walk in the hills while Hazel and Neil filled in the visitors book for the house.

We had Prawn & Pea Risotto for lunch made by Scamp then did a Team Photo at the round table outside.

Hazel and Neil were the first to leave to go and pick up their cat from the cattery.

Jamie and Simonne were next with and excited Vixen in her crate in the back of the car.

Goodbyes were said to all with the promise of a meeting up with each later in the year. Then the house was quiet and it was only Scamp and I who were left.

We’d walked round the village again today in the opposite direction from the last time, just to see things differently.

I went for a walk later up the hill beside the house and that’s where PoD came from. Beautiful light on the hills.

Memories:

• Empty house
• Checking the house
• Packing
• Team Photo
• One last photo
• The Wishing Tree
• Dancing Flags (flagstones)

Tomorrow the long way home.

Today was dull with occasional rain showers. Jamie and Sim were determined to get at least one more rambling session in. Hazel and Neil were off to Morecambe which will forever be called Moricambi. The explanation is that one boy Neil taught came from a less well off family and didn’t get to go on the exotic holidays the others in his class got. However, the boy’s dad told the son to just say they were going to Moricambi and nobody would know that he was instead going to Morecambe! I hope I got the story correct, Neil.

While some were climbing hills and others were facing the weather in Moricambi, we went for a walk around the village and that meant a going into the church. The first time Neil and I went in to the church last Sunday, we both commented that it ‘smelled’ like a church and it did again today. Scamp was impressed with the ‘tap your card’ to make a donation. It’s a great idea.

We crossed a dried up stream on our way back to the village and that’s where Scamp noticed the Rams’ heads on the bridge railings. They were all hand made, probably by a blacksmith. I’d crossed the bridge before and hadn’t noticed them! Such skill to make something like that by hand.

Since it was Thursday, some chocolate for everyone except me. Some traditions need keeping.

Jamie and Simonne were on dinner duty tonight with Beetroot Falafels and Black Bean Patties which involved a lot of preparation by both parties. Dessert was Freddo Frog chocolate.

PoD was one of the Ram’s heads.

Memories:

• The smell of an old church
• The rams’ heads
• Moricambi
• Fred Frog chocolates

No plans as yet for Friday.

Today we drove to Kendal.

It was a drive with lots of hills and inclines. Scamp remember the K Shop and we went looking for it. We saw signs for it, but the actual site seemed to have been demolished some time ago. Finally worked our way round the one-way system and found a multi-storey to park in. Parked on level 6 which was on the roof and had a great panoramic view over to the hills. That made PoD.

Found a wee coffee shop, an independent, and had coffee and lunch there. We also found a South American restaurant we’d been in many years ago, but, like a lot of the shops and cafe’s it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Kendal is a busy little town. I think I’d like to go back there some time.

Back home I went for a wander round Dent and took some photos of the church from the outside, and some of the river.

I was cooking tonight Venison Stew with Broccoli.

Memories:

• The panorama from the car park
• The alleyways that seemed to join streets
• The hills we climbed to get there
• The cobbled streets of Dent
• Twee little houses
• Lovely stonework

Tomorrow we may go to Kirkby Stephen.