Today's walk is the sole reason why I didn't include Catstye Cam when I traversed Striding Edge yesterday, wanting to conserve as much energy as I could as I joined David, Rod, and Michael on an epic high-level circuit of Troutbeck. David initially walked this route back in April and enjoyed it so much that he couldn't wait to complete it again, only this time with company. The only slight change David made from his previous walk was that instead of descending St Raven's Edge into Woundale, today we're going to make a direct descent via Broad End, which will lead us directly onto Kirkstone Pass and Baystones thereafter.

Despite feeling in good shape, I've overdone it with the Lucozade Sport, one of which I'll drink before the walk, two during, and the last one once the walk is complete, which I feel adds that extra kick and also aids against cramp, which my calfs tend to suffer from during long walks. The forecast was looking great, but as per usual, it changed at the last minute, leaving high-level clouds and breaks of sunshine that would come later in the day. It has been a while since I last walked the III Bell Ridge, and what finer way to include it than in an epic such as this.

The first thing I did when I got home yesterday was remove the gel insoles from my boots and replace them with Meindl's standard insoles for now until the slimmed-down versions arrive, which David recommended from Amazon. We had arranged to meet at Church Bridge car park on the banks of Trout Beck, where I arrived to find David, Rod, and Michael kitting up. Surprisingly, there was only one parking space left after two camper vans had parked selfishly, one of which took up the space of three cars. I backed my car between the other camper van and a large tree and came to a stop on the river bank.

After a quick greeting, I returned to my car to complete my kit up and drained the remains of my first Lucozade Sport between conversations, most of which were spent chatting about how glorious a morning it was. With that said, at this precise moment, most summits are well below cloud, which we confirmed during our drive in. With my car locked, we left the car park and crossed Church Bridge before crossing the road before making our way towards the bottom of Garburn Road (Pass)

Summit time at Baystones was extensive as we pondered when and if we should make a move. "We nod off now, and it'll be midnight when we wake up," Michael joked, he wasn't wrong. A few more minutes were spent soaking up the sunshine and surveying the route before it was time to leave. Packs shouldered, we left the summit before making our way to the top of Nanny Lane and began the long walk back to Troutbeck as I glanced over to the III Bell ridge, which had been in shade for the last half hour now. We are passed by a dumper tractor with one gear and no suspension, struggling against the incline of the lane. The infamous tree on the corner of Nanny Lane was reached, and we knew Troutbeck was close we could smell it. The rooftops of Troutbeck come into view as we left Nanny Lane behind and join the  tarmaced lanes of Troutbeck while dreaming what we could do with a lottery win here.

It's almost 4pm and we've been on our feet for almost eight hours, but no one mentions it. Instead, we take in the views beyond the fields and over to the III Bell Ridge, which by now is glowing in the afternoon sunshine. Silence as we continue our descent towards Church Bridge with our cars reached. I look left and notice the hay lying in the field this morning has now been bailed as a Landrover Discovery leaves the field. At a guess, we figured it was the farmer's wife dropping off bate for the farmer. It's exactly 4:10 pm now, and we timed our walk at exactly 8 hours. It's been ages since we have walked so many miles and for this duration. There comes a point in the day when you're normally off the fell and on your way home. At that point, we were on the summit of Caudale Moor with miles still to go.