It was Monday and it was Carlisle, but today I dropped off DH at his work and took a 30 minute drive to a tiny settlement called Lanercost, mainly known for the remains of its priory.

I was doing a 3.5 mile walk, setting off on a path by the River Irthing. Unfortunately fields 2 and 3 contained cattle. Field 2 had a large family group including a fully equipped bull, but they were away on the far side and did not find me interesting. Field 3 had bullocks, but not the unruly type. They approached me but were not aggressive, following me for a while then going about their own affairs. Anxiety level of 30, where 0 is Zen-like calm and 100 is the total terror experienced by my friend I. when anywhere near even the most tranquil cows.

It was scorching hot even before I got to the small stretch of the Hadrian's Wall path included in this walk, and I remember it was also sunny when I passed this way before doing the whole route a few years back. I remembered fondly a house where the owners ran a self-service refreshment place in one of their sheds; they stock tea, coffee, cans of soft drink and chocolate bars. I was so grateful when I discovered it just at the junction with the lane where I turned back down to the Village. No chilled sparkling water, so I had a diet coke, not something I normally have these days. And no carbage snack of course.