Day I - Sunday 9 July 1978

Arrived in Liverpool at the ridiculous hour of 5 am, but we didn’t disembark until 7 am. We got the bus into Lime street station, found out about train times and wandered over to Liverpool cathedral in the hope of catching an 8 am mass – but no such luck. The great big modern art copper doors didn’t open until 8.30 and mass wasn’t until 9 am. Our train was at 9.40 and so we didn’t have time for mass. However we had a good look around. It is truly beautiful inside, whatever about the outside, which is cold concrete.

We got the train to Preston, which arrive at 10.40. we headed in the general direction of the bus station. We passed a church on the way, though we were unsure whether or not it was Catholic. It turned out it was and we caught a boring, half empty, 11 am mass there. After mass we continued to the bus station. Paul Barney and Aidan caught the 12.00 bus to Ambleside. We fixed a rendezvous and gave them instructions to find a suitable camping site for the night.

Martin and Sheila then headed to the convent with the suitcase. There we got a feed of bacon and brown bread sandwiches and fruit salad – delicious. We then walked back to Preston bus station and with much effort and lots of to-ing and fro-ing we got a bus to the M55 and M6. After half an hour or so we got a lift as far as the entrance to the South Lakes, just south of Kendal. Another twenty minutes there got us a lift to Ambleside. We arrived sat 4.45 and made it to the bridge house just in time for the first meeting at 5 pm. Aidan and the others had found a good camping place. Aidan was surprised to see us.

The camping place was ideal. We had some soup and sandwiches for teas. Then Aidan and Martin had a game of chess while Sheila Barney and Paul went down to the lake. After the tents were up, Aidan Martin and Sheila went down to Ambleside to the pub. – it was hard to find a nice one – but we did eventually. Then back to the tents and bed, stealing one single strawberry on the way – tut tut!