Or carry by the padded handles or the included no-slip shoulder strap, adjustable with padded support for comfort. This part of the Dales Way has few settlements or accommodation opportunities, and so most Dales Way walkers will have spent a night in Sedbergh. In poor weather it is more comfortable to picnic on lower ground either by Black Sail Hut (mile 23) or further on by the youth hostel at Honister Hause (mile 25. The unfenced land in the vicinity of Sunbiggin Tarn (milepost 74) with its abundant black-headed gulls and other birdlife is a pleasant spot for a picnic at about the half-way point. A long stage with two long ascents, and many walkers will split it into two, either by continuing past Glaisdale to Egton Bridge or Grosmont the day before, or by stopping off at Littlebeck or High Hawsker and finishing with a short day into Robin Hood's Bay.

Depending on the weather and cloud conditions and the speed of your progress, possible picnic spots include the 'Straights of Riggindale', a high saddle at 2,500 feet on the High Street ridge offering fine views of the surrounding lakes and mountains, and the peaceful shores of Haweswater Lake. Walkers who started the day at Ingleby Cross or Osmotherley will not want to go further than Blakey Ridge (milepost 161) in a day, but from Clay Bank Top to Blakey makes a short and rather easy day. If the hills are clear of cloud it is also possible to take a high-level alternative along the crest of the ridge of hills west of Borrowdale, reaching High Spy (653m) before descending via the sharp summit of Cat Bells Peak, back down the shore of Derwentwater at Hawes End. Your day is filled with some woodland and pastoral undulations passing some interesting old farms and a castle.

At first there are views back to the shimmering sands of Morecambe Bay and soon the shadowy mountains of the Lake District National Park come into view ahead.

For a sustained walking trip such as this, with often rough going underfoot, steep gradients and long days, a good standard of fitness is required before starting. However, you will probably be well past there by lunchtime, so in good weather we suggest Calf Crag (mile 33. If you make an early start you can be at Skelwith Bridge or even Elterwater in time for a pub lunch.Today there is nowhere en route to obtain lunch or any other refreshments until you arrive in Borrowdale, almost at the end of the day. Especially attractive are the whitewashed cottages and cobbled streets of the pretty village of Dent (milepost 56), where you can relax and enjoy a pub lunch. If the cloud is low you need some ability with map and compass, so in wet or cloudy conditions we advise taking the low-level route following the River Swale.