Tuesday 17 June.
We weren't in a rush this morning to get away for our holiday in the Lakes, planning on getting off nearer 10am. I read in bed with a cup of tea as usual before getting up to make the breakfast. After having a shower I cleared up in the kitchen while Moira completed the packing of the 'van. It's strange that we can survive walking the breadth of Spain with all we need in a small rucksack but require everything but the kitchen sink when we go in the motorhome.
I drove the motorhome while Moira led the way in the car; we were taking the car as well as it would be easier for getting around the narrow twisty roads of Lakeland We got through the outskirts of Glasgow and onto the M74 motorway heading south to the Borders and Carlisle. Moira got herself stuck behind a lorry and for some reason wouldn't pass it, we were only doing 50mph. I was getting frustrated driving at that speed and having to keep changing gears. I put my foot down and went to the front, Moira got the hint and retook the lead and got the speed up to 60mph.
We stopped at the service area at Gretna, for a rest and a cup of tea before heading off again. It was only 60km to go to our campsite near Ullswater and we made it in an hour. We came off the M6 at the Keswick junction and then at the first roundabout took the Ullswater exit. It was only about 6km along a minor road before we made a right turn up a hill to the campsite, the Ullswater. We registered and got set up on our pitch, it was a bit down at the back and I drove the 'van rear wheels up on the ramps. After hooking up to the electrics Moira made lunch while I tuned in the TV. Reception wasn't very good and I may need to put up the satellite dish later.
After lunch we walked down the hill to the main road to see if we could get to the lake shore. There wasn't an obvious route to the water’s edge as we walked along the road, it was very busy and narrow without any pavement. After a short distance we turned back and retraced our steps up the hill to the site. We intended to climb Helvelyn tomorrow starting at Patterdale so drove there to research parking facilities and where the route up the fell started. It was a twisty-windy road and Moira had to take it slow and easy. There were a lot of lay-byes with cars parked but they were too far from Patterdale and our route. When we reached Patterdale there were some cars parked on a piece of ground in front of the old school beside a farm track. Moira stopped and I enquired about parking there from a guy who was changing from his boots after his day's walk. He said it was all right to park there all day and it was free, he had done it himself today, but advised to get there early in the morning as it was a popular spot. I told him we intended doing Helvelyn tomorrow and he directed us to the starting point.
Moira parked the car there while we walked along to the turning on the other side of St Patrick's Church, as directed. It was at the bridge that crossed Grisedale Beck. There was a ‘local’ at the junction and he confirmed it was the way to the fell. We headed back and carried on into the town. It wasn't much of a place, a couple of hotels and a village shop where Moira got jam; she had forgotten to bring some. There was a large car park in the village but it was £4:50 for a day, we will get here early and use the free one. Back at the car we drove 'home' to the site.
We watched some TV when we got back but reception got steadily worse, eventually we could only get the main channels and there wasn't anything on we wanted to watch anyway. We washed up the dinner dishes at the sinks, the water was boiling then I read for an hour before setting up the Freeview recorder to watch some programmes I had recorded previously. After that I made up the bed and we got to sleep. The site was quiet, there are a lot of 'vans in the touring area but only one is occupied, the others seemed to be stored. There are also plenty of mobile-homes but none of them appeared to be occupied either.
Wednesday 18 June.
We wakened at our usual early hour after a good night’s sleep. After a leisurely cup of tea in bed I made the breakfast and Moira got our lunch prepared and the daypack loaded for our walk. It was 8am when we made for Patterdale where we parked in the spot we discovered yesterday, there was just one other car there. After changing into our boots we were off to the hills. It was looking a bit cloudy on the tops but the forecast was good and it was warm, we were only wearing t-shirts and shorts.
The problem with hill walking in the UK is that the routes aren't generally waymarked and we had a few problems as we made our way up the tarred lane that ran beside Grisedale Beck. Fortunately they did put a signpost at the start of the long u-shaped valley that directed us to the right for Helvelyn and up the hill. Once we crossed the Beck by a stone bridge it was on to a rough stony track that climbed diagonally up the side of the steep hill. We soon gained height and had an excellent view of the valley stretching below us with a path running all the way up the valley floor beside Grisedale Beck; this was the path that we intended returning by after a ridge walk from Helvelyn’s summit..
It was a steady climb and we were feeling the strain on our legs which weren't as fit as they used to be, especially after our recent bout of tummy trouble. The cloud and mist was still over the tops but a little blue sky was beginning to appear and we were hopeful it would eventually clear. We didn't see anybody else on our route but when we reached the ' hole in the wall' where our track joined the one coming from Glenridding ,we met three guys. One of them was actually on his own and had tagged on to the other two, but he found them too fast so he walked with us instead. He was from Adelaide, Australia and was over for four weeks holiday. The rest of his party had gone to visit Beatrix Potter's house today but that wasn't his scene so he took to the hills instead, his name was Peter and was good company as we made for the top.
We could now see the rounded shape and flat top of Helvelyn with the two arms, Striding Edge and Swirrel Edge leading by narrow rocky ridges to the summit while below was the beautiful Red Tarn. The choice of ridge was taken at this junction and we were tackling Striding Edge. It wasn't a difficult route and required only a little bit of hands and knees scrambling. There was one tricky point at a tower of rock but it was only in finding the best route. Once at the end of the ridge it was a final steep climb to the relatively flat surface that led to the summit cairn. The earlier cloud had cleared and we were rewarded for our efforts with some magnificent views of the surrounding hills and looking at the way we had come up with the path along Striding Edge now obvious and the other ridge, Swirrel Edge leading to the next peak Catstycam. Central to all this was Red Tarn that nestled in the hollow between the two ridges.
After some photos at the top we walked over to the cairn at the top of the route from Swirrel where we bade farewell to Peter who was returning that way. We returned to a large stone cross with seats near the summit and sat there for our lunch. There was an obvious path now along the summit ridge that led to the peaks of Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike and that was the way we headed. It was a good wide path and now lots of people were making for Helvelyn by that route. We stopped and talked to a few and made sure we were heading in the right direction, we were. It was an easy walk now just a steady descent to a col before a gentle climb to next fell-top, Nethermost then the same sort of up and down to Dollywaggon.
Our view of Grisedale to our left was blocked by Striding Edge but to our right we had a wonderful panorama of the next valley with the lakes of Thirlmere and Grasmere with the hills of the Langsdale Pikes behind. Ahead of us we could see the start of Windermere with the summits of Seat Sandal and Fairfield. As we rounded Dollywaggon Pike the path began to descend and at the bottom in a hollow Grisedale Tarn could be seen. It was a very hard descent over a type of stairway built from rocks, in places very irregular and very hard on our knee joints. On at last reaching the flatter surface at the tarn we stopped for a rest and met a group of young Scots lads who were doing their Duke of Edinburgh Challenge. It comprised a four day hike over a set route, camping at farms and having to carry everything they needed. They seemed to be enjoying it.
From Grisedale Tarn it was a steady descent, some short sections quite steep and rough but mainly it was easy going. The only problem was my knees which after many years of pounding roads while running are now playing up, especially on downhills. Further down we met a group of Australians from Melbourne; they were doing the ‘Coast to Coast’ walk and this was their fourth day. They said that they will have to have a break further along the route as they couldn't get accommodation in the area where the first two stages of the Tour de France are taking place. We were now past the turning where we began our ascent earlier this morning and on to the tarred lane. We accompanied the Aussies to the main road into Patterdale where they left us for their accommodation for the night in the Grisedale Lodge.
The car was safe and sound, a lot more were parked there now and some double parked, blocking the ones behind, fortunately we were clear and able to get away easily. We changed from our boots into our trainers first and it was a relief. My back was beginning to get painful and I had difficulty bending to get my boots off. It wasn’t long before Moira got us back to the campsite and the motorhome. I had a cup of tea and Moira a beer before we freshened up with a shower. The water was lovely and hot, it relieved some of the aches and pains. We watched some TV after dinner but fell asleep during a programme. we were both very tired after a long hard walk.
Thursday 19 June.
It was the same start as yesterday, up early, breakfast, packed up and out at 8am. The weather wasn't looking as good as yesterday, lots of cloud about and it was a little cooler but the forecast said 'no rain'. We were heading over to Borrowdale today and Moira took the back roads from the site, some of them narrow lanes with passing places. Eventually with a lot of twisting and turning we reached the A66, Penrith - Keswick highway. It was about 7 miles from there into Keswick and we passed a better 'A' road that went to Ullswater which looked a better option to take on the way back.
There wasn't a great deal of traffic on the road and Keswick which always used to be a bottleneck and snarled up with cars was empty and we were soon through the town and heading towards Grange and Borrowdale. We made for the car park at Seatoller intending to leave the car there and climb the lovely mountain, Glaramara. The price of parking was prohibitive, £7 for the day; we decided no and headed for the farm at Seathwaite about a mile down a narrow lane. Just before the farm there was a wide verge with lots of cars parked and it was free, we joined them and got our boots on for our walk.
There was now a change of plan, rather than walking all the way back to Seatoller we decided to carry on and climb up the hill to Sty Head Pass and make further plans from there. The signpost said 2 miles to Sty Head and it was easy going along the gravel path beside Grains Gill to Stockley Bridge. Once over the bridge it began to rise steeply before easing off to a steady climb. The path wasn't too bad, a bit rough in places and a few marshy sections to boulder hop. Generally the area looks quite dry with some of the streams having very little water; there couldn't have had much rain here recently. We were both feeling fairly good after being practically dead at the end of yesterday's walk and made fairly good time, must over an hour, to Sty Head.
At Sty Head there were a few people about but they were all heading up Great Gable. We had a rest, admired the wonderful mountain views and Sty Head tarn then consulted the map. We decided to head up to the next pass at Esk Hause and climb Allen Crags and reach Glaramara along the ridge walk from there. It was another steady climb on a fairly good path. It went past another beautiful tarn, Sprinkling Tarn, with hundreds of little minnow type fish before reaching a junction in the paths. We stopped there and had another look at the map while having a cup of coffee and a mini Bounty bar. I figured out that the path to the right headed for Scafell Pike and this was confirmed by a guy who was making on his way down from there. He also said that the left one went to Allen Crags which we could see above us. After our break we continued on this route and reached a short-while later the junction of Esk Hause. Carrying on from there leads to down Langdale, to the right was again to Scafell but our route was to left, again on a short steep climb to Allen Crags.
It wasn't much of a climb, although it was at 2572 ft. we had done most of the climbing getting to Esk Hause which was itself at 2490 ft. At the top of the crags we had a most wonderful panorama of the peaks: directly in front was Great End and behind that was the ridge heading to the point of Scafell Pike, to our right was Great Gable and Green Gable and on the left the Langdale Pikes. There was still cloud about but it was high and the air was clear giving us lovely sharp views. Ahead of us was the final view, that of the ridge path and the rounded top of Glaramara. It was an up and down path with some steep climbs to false summits but very pleasant among small tarns and outstanding views of all the peaks. At last we reached the top of Glaramara at 2560 ft. near enough the same altitude as Allen Crags where we began the ridge walk.
It was lunch time we sat just below the summit cairn and we spoke to a guy who had come up from Seatoller. He said that the route via Comb Door was a bit of a scramble, he came up by an easier route round the other side. We watched from the top as he descend and saw the route he was taking and followed in that direction when we began descending. The views were now up Borrowdale to Derwentwater. It was a fairly easy descent all the way with no serious steep drops requiring scrambling. It took just over an hour to reach the main road, about 500 m from Seatoller. It was then a mile to where the car was parked at Seathwaite and it was now easy walking on the level smooth tarred lane.
At Keswick Moira took the by-pass round the town and turned down the A road to Ullswater from the A66, which was much quicker than the lanes we used this morning. It took us out on the main road halfway between the campsite and Patterdale. When we reached the site we went for our showers straight away, we were feeling stiff and sore and the nice hot water helped ease some of the pain. I had a bad blister on the instep of my left foot; Moira put mercurochrome and a plaster on it. There was a cup of tea waiting when I returned from getting washed and it was very appreciated. After dinner and the washing up done it was the Uruguay v England World Cup match on TV. England lost 2-1 so that cheered me up. That was their second defeat in the group stage and were now dependent upon favourable results from other teams helping them.
Friday 20 June.
When we finished our walk yesterday, sore and tired, it was going to be a rest day today. But this morning when we got up we were feeling much recovered and decided to have a relatively short outing today. The weather was promising again, a bit cloudy initially but the forecast was for blue skies later. We left a little later this morning, 8:30 am, and drove to Keswick. We were going to go up the Catbells and walk along the ridge to Dale Head and drop down to Honister Pass. We intended to walk down from the pass to Seatoller and catch the bus from there back to Keswick.
From Keswick to the start of our walk at Hawse End turned out to be quite a distance and would be long way to walk after we got off the bus to get to the car. The car park was a farmer’s field and it cost £3 for the day, this was a reasonable charge. From there it was a short walk up the bridleway that wound its way round the contour of the hill.
Last time we did this walk we missed the turn heading to the top and ended scrambling up the grassy steep bank further along the bridleway to get to the path above where we could see he people walking. This time I was on the lookout for the junction and it was only shortly after starting along the bridleway. It was a stiff winding climb up to the path that ran along the ridge to the pointed pinnacle of the Catbells. The most outstanding part of this walk was the incredible views of Derwentwater. The conditions were perfect and the views crystal clear. The reflections and the islands were beautiful and as we got higher we could see the houses of Keswick and the towering Skiddaw behind. Further to right was the other glorious mountain of Keswick, Saddleback or Blencathra, while in the distance was the next major lake, Bassenswaite.. Every time we stopped for a breather we got another aspect of the view and out came the camera to try and recapture it.
As usual there were a few false summits and some scrambling but we reached the top in an hour. It was only 1481ft. not a tough hard climb but at such a relatively low altitude the vista was exceptional. We sat there for quarter of an hour just soaking up the scenery. It was beginning to get busy and a lot of walkers were appearing along the trail which stretched out clearly in both directions along the ridge. The next top on our route was Maiden Moor at a slightly higher altitude of 1887ft. There was a steady drop to Hause Gate and at this col there was a path dropping down to the bridleway, we started on, which led to the village of Grange at the end of Derwentwater. Now there was a steep climb for a short distance before levelling out before the next rise taking us to the top. Once there it was time for a cup of coffee and a mini coconut bar. We were joined there by a trio of guys we met earlier at the start of the trail; they were from Preston and had driven from there this morning. They were doing a long circuit of the peaks so pacing themselves by taking it easy initially.
We could see Dale Head in the distance with the path making its way along the ridge. It wasn't very far but we were still worried about getting back and the walk from Keswick to the car. Another alternative was to get the bus to Grange and walk back along the contour/bridleway to the car park. The other option was to turn back and at Hause Gate take the path down to the bridleway and return to the car. We chose the latter and turned back, Moira also wanted some time to wander around Keswick.
My legs were feeling the descent as we made our way back down and the route from Hause Gate was mainly a rock built stairway but was still painful on the knees. Once on the bridleway it a much smoother surface and level; a mile or so took us to the car and we were now able to stride out. At the car it was time for lunch before heading for Keswick. When we reached the town it was a mission finding a place to park that wasn't going to cost an arm and a leg. There were plenty of car parks but the municipal ones wanted over £2 for an hour. Even the supermarket, Booth's, were charging £2 to use their car park though there was the concession of a refund if you spent £20. I wasn't particularly interested in spending money just to walk around the shops and would have gone back to the site but Moira wanted to do some shopping. We drove about looking for a back street to park and found a place near the caravan park where there were a few cars parked and one space left. It was about a kilometre from the town centre but we still had some energy left in our legs to accomplish that.
There were a lot of outdoor shops, hotels and restaurants in the town centre and the prices were as steep as some of the climbs. There was a New Balance factory shop and we checked out their prices. They were offering 50% discount on their shoes and the offer was genuine. I got a new pair of running shoes at £27:50, not a bad price at all. We went to the Co-operative for Moira's shopping and the prices there were also high. It's an expensive place to live.
It took another half an hour to get back to the campsite and it was relaxing cup of tea before having a shower. It was an early finish today and I had time to read my book for an hour before dinner while we listened to the 'News Quiz' on the radio then we did the washing up.
Suzy phoned tonight and told me that Costa Rica had beaten Italy in the World Cup. That was the end of England's last hope of qualifying, Italy had to beat Costa Rica and Uruguay then England had to win against Costa Rica in their final game with enough goals to get through by goal difference. It wasn't to happen Ha! Ha!
Saturday 21 June.
It was another nice day today but we were a bit sore and tired from all the walking we’ve been doing. So it was definitely to be a rest day. Moira made a big breakfast this morning, bacon, egg, sausage and mushrooms, it was the biggest fry up we have had since our tummy upsets.
After lunch we tried to set up the satellite dish but weren’t having any success in finding a signal. Another camper told us that there was a satellite connection next to the power sockets. We tried that but still didn’t get anything, we thought it was something wrong with our cable and Moira borrowed a cable from the office. Still we couldn’t get a signal and the office sent a guy up to help us. We eventually got it going, but it wasn’t very good, the picture kept breaking up. There seems to be a problem with either their connections or ours. We had to take their cable in through the window directly to the Sky box we couldn’t get anything plugging into the outside sockets. Also the push on connectors Moira bought don’t appear to be any good, we had to take them off and resort to the screw on part. It is strange that we can get good reception in the south of Spain but a poor signal in the north of England.
The site was a lot busier with people here for the weekend in the caravans that are stored here. The woman opposite had arrived last night and said that their friends in the other caravans got together and played music until late but would be finished before 11pm. The music started mid-afternoon and it was three guys with guitars sitting at the ‘van opposite strumming and singing. It was all 50’s and 60’s stuff, they were good on the guitars but not great singers. They sang and played all afternoon then after a break one of them played on his guitar for an hour. That was it, we weren’t disturbed and it was quite pleasant listening to them. I don’t know if they were pub singers or something similar and this was a practice session.
After dinner and the washing up done there wasn’t anything worth watching on TV, we spent the evening reading. It was early to bed to get well rested for the hills again tomorrow.
Sunday 22 June.
Another nice day and it was back to walking. The plan was a circular route starting in Patterdale; so we wanted to make sure we got a space at the free parking spot at the old school. After a cup of tea in bed and reading for an hour I got up and made the breakfast. While I shaved and cleaned my teeth Moira prepared lunch and packed the small rucksack. We got away at 8am and there were a few cars at the spot when we got to Patterdale but enough room for us. There were people in the hall where we park but nobody bothered about us leaving the car there.
We were going to climb Place Fell, there was a circular route described in the Cicerone Lakeland guide book we got from the library. It was a 11km circuit climbing the fell and down the other side to the banks of Ullswater where there was a lakeside path back to Patterdale. The start was at the far end of the village and crossed the Goldrill Beck that flowed into Ullswater. As we reached the bridge over the beck Moira’s heel was sore where she had had a blister, we returned to the village shop and bought some plasters for it. It was all right once she covered it, my feet were fine, today I decided to wear my trainers instead of boots for the walk.
On our way again it was a tarred lane once we crossed the bridge that took us up to a farm where we had a choice of two paths. After a lot of shouting and argument Moira asked the farmer who gave us directions, it actually made no difference both routes came together further up the slope. It was a steady climb up the side of the hill on a fairly good rocky path. At a col, Boredale Hause, it was another choice of routes. One distinctive path went up the hill to our right, this went eventually to Angle Tarn and Hartsop Dodd, straight on led to the hills around Bampton Common. Our route was to the left and there were two options, while scratching our heads a couple coming up behind us told us which to take, again it turned to make no difference both met again a little further along the path.
It was the usual ascent with plenty of false summits but eventually we recognised the true one by the lovely conical pillar of rocks marking the summit. The midges were very bad when stopped to take some photographs; I thought midges were native to Scotland. The views were out of this world, it was the Ullswater equivalent of the panorama we had of Derwentwater from the Catbells. Also high behind the lake we see distinctly Helvelyn, the two edges with Catstycam the point at the end of Swirrel Edge. The ridge we had walked to Grisedale Tarn was clear on the horizon and on the other side of the valley the towering Fairfield. Eventually the midges won and we got going, they don’t seem to be very good against moving targets.
After the initial steep rocky drop from the top it was a grassy path that took us along the ridge. It was easy going and we made fairly good time. We had more wonderful views of the lake and the Helvelyn range. The nice grassy path continued and headed down beside Scalehow Beck; there was supposed to be a waterfall, Scalehow Force but we didn’t see it. There isn’t a lot of water in the streams and gills though still plenty in the lakes.
When we reached the bottom at Sandwick Bay I was looking for the nice easy coastal path that we were expecting. There was a path that went along the side of a wall that was rough and going up, we went in search of the friendlier one. We asked a couple coming along and they said that this was the way to Patterdale and if we went the other way it went to the steamer pier at Howtown Wyke. There were plenty of people on this trail, they take the steamer from Glenridding to Howtown then walk back along this path. The guy said it was a 7 mile trail and they had already done 2 miles so 5 miles to go. I thought that was a bit more than the Cicerone guide said, our route was 11km and we were over halfway. Anyway there was no other alternative.
The path was fairly good most of the way and quite smooth but after crossing a bridge over Scalehow Beck it started to undulated. It climbed in places to get round steep sided hills that stretched all the way down to the shore. When the path did drop to the shore line it was then obvious that this was the correct route, there weren’t any alternative user friendly paths there. The views of the lake were outstanding, the weather perfect giving clear panoramas of the sparkling water and the mountains behind. Two steamer ferries were steadily ploughing their way through the waters of the lake, one heading for Howtown and the other coming back and making for Glenridding. We stopped at a nice point, Silver Hill with a flat surface and some smooth rocks to sit on, a nice spot for lunch. A few others had the same idea and it was soon quite crowded.
After lunch it was still up and down for a while but it levelled off as it got towards the end of the lake and near Patterdale. The path into town passed the farm that was signposted from the place where we had parked the car. The farm had a campsite on its land and they had a tea room serving cream teas and doing good business. The path did as we expected meeting the main road where we were parked and soon we were heading back to the site. It was a straight run back, but at the waterfall, Aire Force, the road was block by a fallen branch from a tree. We had to turn and go up the road we take to Keswick. I checked the map and navigated a route through the back roads for Moira. It was quite a good route and we were soon at the site.
It was an early finish today, 3pm. After a cup of tea I settled down with my book and read for an hour; I then had a shower. We listened to the radio while having dinner then once the washing up was done it was time for ‘Countryfile’ on the TV. There wasn’t anything else we wanted to watch so we stretched out on the couches and read and before getting to sleep.
Monday 23 June.
It was out again walking today again. It was the usual procedure, up and made a cup of tea then after reading for a while made the breakfast. Once Moira had the lunch packed we were off at 8am. Today’s peak was to be Bowfell in Langdale near Windermere. It wasn’t far if it had been by motorway but it was a narrow twisting road over the Kirkstone Pass to pick up the main road to Ambleside. There was a by-pass round this busy town which took us to a minor road into Langdale. I thought that we would park at Old Dungeon Ghyll which was at the end of the road and would probably have to pay, but just before the old hotel there was a lay-by with a few cars parked so we pulled in there. There were police signs all along the road saying no parking on the road or verge, hopefully where we stopped wasn’t considered to be the verge.
Another group had parked just before us and were getting ready for their walk; they were going over via Mickleden to Esk Hause and down to Borrowdale on the other side. They had left a car there for returning here later. I asked for directions to the start for Bowfell and one of them was quite knowledgeable. He pointed out the Band, a wide path that made its way up the spine of a rounded fell and at the top the rocky summit of Bowfell was indicated. We followed the road past Old Dungeon Ghyll and on to Stool End Farm. The route went through the farm yard and the farmer had erected friendly signs indicating the way through his grounds. After the farm the trail became a gravel path that followed the Oxendale Beck but we soon cut off to follow the Band route. It was a steady climb, not particularly steep and we soon got into a regular stride. There were a few people on the track and we were faster, soon overtaking them. We stopped a few times not for a rest but to take in the exceptional views, back down the valley Windermere could be seen while on the other side of Mickleden there were the Langdale Pikes of Pike o’Stickle, Loft Crag and Harrison Stickle. On the other side was Crinkle Crags and we could distinctly see the path coming down beside Browney Gill to cross a bridge over Oxendale Beck; this was the route we intended to return on after doing the ridge walk from Bowfell to Crinkle Crags.
After the fairly easy ascent the path now crossed over a grassy plateau before it began to climb more steeply to the col with Three Tarns. Before reaching the col there was supposed to be an exposed route called the Climber’s Traverse which was a more direct way to the top but we didn’t see the turning, so I wasn’t tempted. The weather was nice again and we were sweating as usual climbing to the col but at the pass there was a breeze blowing and it became quite cool. After a break for a drink of water we set off again for the final section to the rocky cliffs and crags to the summit.
From the col it looked quite an obstacle with a lot of scrambling ahead of us but the path though very rocky made a zig-zag route up to another boulder strewn plateau. The last part was a bit of scrambling and boulder hopping but a line of cairns took us along a safe route to the big cairn marking the summit of Bowfell, 2960ft. just short of being a Munro. From the top the ridge route could be seen running in one direction to Esk Pike and down from there to Esk Hause, from there was Allen Crags we climbed the other day and behind that Glaramara. Where we had come from was the Three Tarns and the ridge to Crinkle Crags. The other peaks evident were the Langdale Pikes, Scafell, Great Gable, and many others. It would have been nice to spend a lot longer there but the sun was being obscured by some clouds and the wind feeling very cold even with our fleeces now on.
I thought the descent back down to the Three Tarns would be a struggle but it wasn’t bad, we both were wearing our trainers today and they are a lot more flexible than boots, making it easier on the downhills. At the tarns again it was feeling a bit warmer and we found a comfortable rock to sit on to have our lunch. It couldn’t have been that cold as a fell runner came past just wearing shorts. When we began again it was another rocky climb first round Shelter Crags before making the cairn on Crinkle Crags, at 2816ft. The scenery here was much more rugged with rocky outcrops and sheer cliffs close to the path’s edge. We took a wrong path on the way down and came to a dead end at a drop that would require ropes to negotiate. Fortunately there was an escape route by dropping down the fellside and making our way gingerly around the obstacle. At the bottom we could now see the correct path coming safely down further to the left. There was a further rocky climb up Great Knott where we met a couple heading for the Crags and Three Tarns. They wanted to know how far to go and if there were any cliffs and exposed places as the guy was frightened of heights. I remark to Moira later that hill walking was a strange hobby for someone with acrophobia.
After Great Knott it was a fairly easy walk on a good path to the junction at Red Tarn. Carrying on from there led to the next peak of Pike o’Blisco but we had had enough climbing for one day and took the descent down Browney Gill. The path was a gradual descent while it followed the gill but when it cut across Brown How it became very steep going straight down to Oxendale Beck. Fortunately the path was mainly constructed with flattish rocks into a type of stairway making it easier going; but it was a long way down and the bridge we could see crossing the beck didn’t seem to be getting any closer. At last we were there and on to the smoother-leveller path to Stool End Farm. The road after the farm past Old Dungeon Ghyll to where we had parked seemed a lot further than when we started out this morning. The car was safe and sound and the police if they were checking obviously didn’t consider we were parked on the verge. A lot more cars were now stopped there than when we left earlier.
We finished off the coffee from the flask with a mini chocolate bar before driving back. Moira drove the same way as this morning and it took an hour. There were a few spots of rain but it didn’t come to anything; the evening turned out to be warm and sunny again. We both showered as soon as we got to the campsite and then it was dinner time, it had been a long day, 7 hours walking and 2 hours driving. After dinner I worked on my diary and watched the start of Wimbledon on the TV, Murray won his first game in defence of his title. Later after I made the bed, Moira soon fell asleep but it was still early and I watched one of Julia Bradbury’s Wainwright Walks I had recorded; this one was High Street and it’s not far from Patterdale and one I want to climb.
Tuesday 24 June.
We had a rest day and after breakfast I got the computer out to update my diary. While I was doing that Moira drove to Morrison’s in Penrith to her weekly shop. I listened to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 while having lunch and it was the usual nonsense. In the afternoon I spent it reading my book, I’ve started a new Inspector Banks mystery by Peter Robinson called ‘Children of the Revolution’ and is quite good so far.
I was going to watch the England v Costa Rica match after dinner but when I turned it on I found it was finished, the kick off had been at 4pm. I didn’t miss much there was no goals. England finished at the bottom of their group with only 1 point.
The weather had been all right today but not as sunny and warm as the previous week. If it stays dry tomorrow we will go walking, probably do High Street.
Wednesday 25 June.
We had breakfast, packed up the lunch and out before 8am. The weather wasn’t as good as it had been; it was a bit cold and cloudy. Moira drove to Patterdale and we parked in our usual spot next to the old school which I now noticed was a B&B. We walked through Patterdale and over the bridge at the end of the village to pick up the same route we took last week when we climbed Place Fell. We must be getting fitter 
From Boredale Hause we took the right hand path in the opposite direction to Place Fell. It was a steady climb to a path at the top which ran round the contours of a hill to arrive at Angle Tarn. It was a beautiful large tarn, with a few islets, that nestled in a hollow. The path went round the edge of the tarn and began to climb again; unfortunately we went wrong and picked up a trail heading for Satura Crag. Near the top we could see the correct route below winding its way up to the next hill the Knott. We scrambled down a slightly worn track in the grass, probably created by others who had gone wrong, down a steep bank. At the path we looked behind and a fell runner was making his way down the same way having also mistaken the route. He passed the time of day and quickly jogged along the track ahead of us.
The path now made its way along a ridge and in the valley below we could see Hayeswater, a reservoir, with the track at the dam wall leading down to the village of Hartsop. The sides opposite and at the head of the valley were very steep and strewn with scree. At the end of the ridge we began climbing again to round the rocky top of the Knott. From the top the path levelled out and reached a junction, Straits of Riggindale, where the Coast to Coast route branched off to go over Kidsty Pike and descend to Haweswater, continuing then to Shap. Our route went straight ahead and after another easy ascent we made another mistake. The path at the top levelled out and made its way over a plateau to a tall manmade pillar of rocks on a rise in the distance. We made our way to this beautiful cairn and met a few people there relaxing after the climb from Kentmere. This was when we discovered our mistake; this wasn’t High Street but Thornthwaite Crag, the path over the plateau we had just walked was ‘High Street’ and the trig point marking its ‘summit’ was 1¼ miles back. We had chat with some of the people there about the original Roman road and they told us that it was on the other side of the wall that ran parallel to the track about 10 metres away, but there wasn’t anything obvious to see. We sat down and had a cup of coffee in the shelter of the wall and cairn. At the same time two girls arrived, fell running, and I took a photo for them standing by the pillar of rock. They were out training along the route of a forth-coming fell race. It was a 12 mile event and the record time for females was 1hr 22min. A good enough time for that distance on the road !
From Wainwright:
Most of the high places in Lakeland have no mention in history books and until comparatively recent times when enlightened men were inclined to climb upon them for pleasure and exercise, it was fashionable to regard them as objects of awe and terror, and their summits rarely visited. Not so High Street, which has been known and trodden, down through the ages, by a miscellany of travellers on an odd variety of missions: by marching soldiers, marauding brigands, carousing shepherds, officials of the Governments, and now by modern hikers. Its summit has been in turn a highway and a sports arena and a racecourse as well as it is today, a grazing ground for sheep.
High Street was put there by the Romans who built one of their straight roads across the top of it, ignoring the fact that there was a mountain in the way. So when you’ve made the effort and got to the top, just remember all you had to carry was your sandwiches. Once squads of Roman auxiliaries had to labour their way up carrying tools to build a motorway in the sky
When we finished our coffee we made our way back along the plateau to the highest point at the other end; there we found the trig point at a gap in the wall. We checked out on the other side of the wall for remains of the Roman road, there was a two metre section that was clear but nothing to suggest it was the actual road. From the trig point we continued on our way back and at Straits of Riggindale we decided to go out the ridge to Kidsty Pike. There were a number of people, on the Coast to Coast, making their way along the ridge and we all settled at the pointed rocky top for lunch together. There was an excellent view of the end of Haweswater below with the forested area of the Rigg sticking out into the lake. Haweswater is a reservoir that supplies Manchester with its water. The original smaller lake was dammed in the 1930’s and the village of Mardale Green was covered by the waters. People were moved out, the houses demolished, the bricks from the church used for the construction of a pier and the Dun Bull Inn at the Rigg destroyed. The bodies in the graveyard were exhumed to be re-buried in a special section of the cemetery at Shap. They tried to make it all blend in by building a small islet typical of other lakes. The route from Mardale head ran up the spine of the hill opposite, the steep scree covered slopes running down into Riggindale below us. On the valley on the other side but hidden from us was Blea Water, the deepest tarn in the Lake District but we could just make out the outline of Small Water tarn that sat higher up on the ridge.
After lunch we retraced our steps along the ridge to the path heading round the Knott and back to Angle Tarn. We didn’t go as far as the tarn but picked up a path after the Knott which dropped down to Hayeswater reservoir intending to pick up the trail at the dam wall that went to Hartsop. It wasn’t a long way down and after a steep start levelled out somewhat. When we reached the bridge over the outlet from the dam there was a sign saying ‘footpath closed’, we were going to ignore it but workmen on the other side told us to go further down the stream to the next bridge. This meant crossing rough pasture and marsh land, we weren’t at all happy by this. After trying to avoid the worst of the marsh we reached a good path that took us to the bridge. We were joined by a guy from Wales, near Cardiff, who saw that we couldn’t get over at the dam wall and picked up the path earlier thus avoiding the wet ground. Now on the path to Hartsop it was rough and steep at first but levelled out when we crossed Hayeswater Gill again and into the village of Hartsop. Our Welsh companion left us there, he had parked his car here and it was free, just a requested donation to help the local school.
From Hartsop we picked up a bridleway that ran parallel with the main road leading to Patterdale. It was tarred initially but then became a bit rocky though still faster going. It came out where we started earlier this morning at the farm where the track went up to Boredale Hause. Along this path we came across a number of groups doing their ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ challenge. We spoke to one party and they were heading for the Hayeswater reservoir and camping there tonight. Most of the groups were of 5 or 6 people, they were going for a silver medal; a couple of larger groups of about 20 had a guide and that was for the bronze award. By going straight on from the Boredale Hause junction it took us to the other farm up from where we parked the car. It avoided having to go through the village and on to the main road. Back at the car we finished the coffee in the flask before driving back to the site. It had been a long day, nearly 8 hours walking so close to 20km.
As soon as we got to the ‘van we headed down for a shower. We had dinner next and watched again the Julia Bradbury walk on High Street to see if we had missed anything today. From her visit she didn’t really see anything of the actual Roman road either.
Thursday 26 June.
It has rained during the night and it was still showery this morning. We decided to have a rest day as we were still tired after our long walk yesterday anyway. After breakfast I updated my diary and did a crossword in the ‘Telegraph’. The rest of the time was spent listening to the radio and reading my book.
After lunch the weather improved and though it was still a bit cloudy the sun was trying to break through and it warmed up. The forecast for the next few days looked very promising and I set about planning a walk for tomorrow. My fancy was to walk up to the Langdale Pikes from Borrowdale; it would be a good route.
Another job we started to do was to design a ‘business’ card that would highlight our walk to Rome next year. I thought that we could hand it out to any people we meet when out walking etc. It would give our blog address and also the web site for donations to the charity. Moira wanted us to get t-shirts from the Pancreatic UK cancer people and have a photograph of us wearing them on the card. We will have to wait until we get home as the form for ordering t-shirts is there. In the meantime I have got a rough design and have downloaded a map of the route to go on the card as well.
In the evening after dinner and the washing up done there was nothing on TV. All we are getting at the moment is either World Cup football or tennis from Wimbledon. we got to bed early instead and read our books before getting to sleep.
Friday 27 June.
It was a nice looking morning, a bit of cloud about and it was still chilly. When we left at 8am we had our fleeces on and kept them on most of the day. Moira had packed the small rucksack with lunch after breakfast and made sure the rain jackets were in it, you can’t depend on weather forecasts in the Lakes especially on the hills. She drove over to Keswick and down the lakeside to Borrowdale. Before reaching Seatoller we turned in to valley to the village of Stonethwaite and Langstrath. It was only a short distance to the edge of the village where the local school was providing parking facilities, we pulled in there. It was for a donation and it suggested £2 which was reasonable. It was just before 9am when we were on our way.
It was an easy walk beside Stonethwaite Beck through the local campsite with surprisingly some big tents in such a remote place. At the junction with Greenup Gill we turned along a very good wide path to the right into Langstrath and now followed the course of Langstrath Beck. After a short distance the track went through a gate then disappeared. We could see the route we wanted on the other side further up the beck but no way across without paddling. We kept to the side of the stream on a grassy bank looking for a better place to cross, fortunately further upstream there was a line of stones and we were able to ‘boulder hop’ to the other side. Now after a pleasant stroll on a flat track we began to climb beside Stake Beck to Stake Pass. Ahead were a large group of ‘Duke of Edinburgh-ers’ who we were catching until we met a woman coming the other way. She was doing the Cumbrian Way long distance path from Ulverston to Carlisle; when she saw my Camino hat badges we got talking about the routes in Spain; she had done the Via de la Plata. When we got going again the ‘DoE’ group weren’t much further in front and we caught up with them at the top where they had stopped for a rest. The path up to the pass was a continuous zig-zag and this took out the steepness allowing us to make good time.
At the top, known as ‘Pile of Stones’, presumably due to the large cairn there, we sat down and reviewed our situation and the various paths while having a cup of coffee and a Bounty Bar. Ahead was our route to the Langdale Pikes, to the right were two tracks one going down to meet Rossett Gill then join the route down Mickleden to Old Dungeon Ghyll; the other track going right followed the ridge around Rossett Pike to Angle Tarn just below Esk Hause. The latter was the route we planned to take when we returned from the Langdales.
After our short break we headed up towards the domed rocky pinnacle of Pike o’Stickle that we could see poking out above the ridge ahead. We met a couple of guys coming down they had started at Old Dungeon Ghyll this morning coming up Jack’s Rake to Pavey Ark then to the Langdales, they said we were 45 minutes from the peaks. Their time estimation was accurate and at the bottom of the rocky top of Pike o’Stickle we decided to by-pass it and climb it on the way back. Instead initially we made for Harrison Stickle that we could see on the other side of a dip. There was a good path that went down at first then we had a rock constructed ‘stairway’ going up before a bit of scrambling to the top. The summit was rocky but relatively flat with three cairns, we had to estimate which one was the highest and the true top. We now had an outstanding view looking down Mickleden to the Langdale valley and in the distance the beautiful Windermere. Closer and in the hollow below was Stickle Tarn with the broad face of Pavey Ark dominating.
Instead of descending the way we came up we took an easier route down a steep grassy bank thus avoiding the rocky scramble. It took us down once more into the dip before Pike o’Stickle where we sat down on some convenient rocks for lunch. Lots of people were about now and passed along the path, also we could see figures dotted on all the surrounding peaks admiring the views. A couple we met near the top of Harrison who were coming down at the time now passed as we had our meal, they were very slow, especially the woman.
Setting off again there was another peak to consider, Loft Crag, along the ridge from Pike o’Stickle but we decided against it and headed for Pike o’Stickle. Where the rocky scrambling section began we caught up with the slow couple who were standing considering whether to tackle it or not and which way to go. Moira and I took different routes up, mine was more of a climb and I was surprised when I got near the top to see Moira already there. From the summit we now had a panorama in the other direction. It was where we had climbed the other day; the Band going up to Bowfell, the ridge to Crinkle Crags and the route from there down to Oxendale. Further round we could see the ridge going over to below Esk Hause that we intended taking later. We found the scramble down not so bad and found the slow couple stuck half way up, the woman didn’t know which way to go and we advised her of the best and easiest route.
Once on the main path again it was a gradual descent to the ‘Pile of Stones’ and we made very good time. The first part of the ridge route was on a very well defined path that climbed steadily to Liming Crag. From there the path disappeared, we could see where we wanted to go and went cross country in that direction. Unfortunately a lot of the ground was marshy but luckily with all the dry weather it was fairly firm and we didn’t sink into it, only getting our feet slightly wet. Eventually we picked up a path again and it took us to Angle Tarn. From there the paths were very distinct and good, one going down to Mickleden, another round the tarn for an alternative route up Bowfell and ours to Esk Hause. It was a bit of a climb, the first part not too tough which flattened out before a steeper section to get to Esk Hause. Now we were on familiar territory and descended the route we came up when heading for Allen Crags last week. At the junction with the track to Scafell where we stopped before for coffee we did so again and finished off the flask with a hot crossed bun that was left.
As we were preparing to set off we met a guy coming down the Scafell track, he had just climb the first fell on the route, Great End, and was heading home. He had come up from Seatoller by Grains Gill, the way we wanted to go back. He directed us to that junction just a short way down the hill, he was continuing to Sty Head to return by that variation. The route down Grains Gill was quite steep at first but it was again a rocky stairway which made it easier on our knees. Further down it was gentler and we seemed to be making good time but it felt like a long way. At last we reached Stockley Bridge and it was then just a short distance to Seathwaite Farm. Unfortunately we weren’t finished it was a mile along the lane to Seatoller and then about another mile on the Borrowdale road to the turn off for Stonethwaite. Even with all our climbing and descend on rough paths our legs still seemed strong and we were able to stride our strongly on the easy tarred surface. From the turn off from the Borrowdale road it was only a short walk to the edge of the village and the school where the car was parked.
We didn’t hang about and Moira soon had us on the way back to Ullswater. We listened to the radio, reception wasn’t a bit crackly at first but improved as we neared Keswick and on the Penrith road. We were listening to the ‘News Quiz’ but once we turned off for Ullswater the signal was very poor and we couldn’t hear a thing, we will listen to it when repeated tomorrow. It was 7pm when we arrived back, it had been a long day; we had been on our feet for nearly 9 hours, our longest walk of this trip.
While Moira made the dinner I relaxed with a cup of tea. . We didn’t bother showering tonight we were too tired and didn’t do the washing up either; we left both jobs until the morning. Andy Murray was playing his match when I turned on the TV. He was 2-0 up in sets and leading 5-2 in the third . We watched while he won the game that was in progress, and the match.
Saturday 28 June.
It was overcast and cold this morning and it stayed that way all day. The forecast was much more promising form tomorrow with a high pressure system developing over the country. We were tired after our exceptionally long trek yesterday so it was to be another rest day. After relaxing in bed for an hour, after waking, with a cup of tea and a book, we showered. Moira made the weekly full English breakfast today and that helped our ‘recovery’.
The next job was to get the dishes done from yesterday that had been skipped last night and tidy up the ‘van. After that it was to be an easy day. I got my diary up to date again then attempted the ‘Telegraph’ crossword. I failed to solve two clues so couldn’t submit it for the competition. We listened to the radio all morning and were able to hear the repeat of the ‘News Quiz’ that we only got snatches of on the way home from our walk yesterday.
After lunch we spent the afternoon reading, I finished my ‘Inspector Banks’ mystery; why are the endings of these books always so disappointing. We got the washing up done this evening after dinner then I put the TV on for the lottery quiz show but the football match between Brazil and Chile was just starting extra time so all programmes had been rearranged. I watched the football, there weren’t any goals in the extra half hour and it went to a penalty shootout. Chile missed their final shot at goal leaving their South American neighbours triumphant. Other than the excitement of the penalties what I saw of the actual game was rubbish. When eventually we did get the lottery show it was a new quiz where after answering the questions the winners have to estimate the last 30 seconds in order to a press a button at the right time to open the safe. Both pressed at the correct second and won the money, which was more than we did, getting only two numbers correct in the lottery.
Sunday 29 June.
It was looking very nice this morning, clear blue skies though early on it was feeling a bit chilly. We went through our normal procedure for getting out early for a walk; having breakfast at 7am then out about an hour later. We were heading to Buttermere today, first of all to climb the Haystacks then do a circuit along the ridge picking up a few more ‘Wainwrights’ on the way. Moira took the usual route to Keswick and down to Borrowdale. At Seatoller she went over the Honister Pass then heading down the other side to Gatesgarth at the southern end of Buttermere. I thought the road over Honister was a major type road but it was actually a B-road with passing places. Moira said that there used to be a lot of tour buses using it, causing lots of hold-ups, fortunately there weren’t any about today. We parked at Gatesgarth which consisted of just a farm. It cost £4 but there weren’t any alternatives.
From the car park the lane led down past the top of the lake to continue down the far side of Buttermere. Our route cut off at the bend, going straight up the hill right away. We could see the Haystacks above us, the track after a stiff steep climb levelled out somewhat as it ran diagonally up the side of the mountain. The ascent was halted a number of times to admire the magnificent views of Buttermere and the surrounding mountains, and take lots of photographs. We hadn’t spent much time in this area on our many previous visits to the Lake District and decided that this was a part of the National Park that we must visit again; the scenery was out of this world.
After the relatively easy climb across the side of the hill we had a bit of a scramble over a rock strewn stretch that went straight up to Scarth Gap. This col was that gap between the ascent to Haystacks and the ridge route to High Crag via Seat; another path came up the other side from Black Sail Youth Hostel and Ennerdale. The ascent now of Haystacks was a rough rocky track with lots of scrambling. The dome of rock that we could see from the col wasn’t the top; it was the first of the ‘haystacks’ which were a series of rounded tops with short flat sections in between allowing us to catch our breaths. Climbing up to Scarth Gap it was very warm and I took off my fleece that I had put on at the start. It was on again at the col as the wind was feeling very cold. As we climbed further the wind got stronger and colder, it wasn’t very pleasant. Eventually we reached the summit and it was a delightful place. Below the top were two tarns and this was where Wainwright requested his ashes to be scattered. The views showed Brandreth at the head of Buttermere and above Honister pass, behind we could recognise the rounded top of Great Gable and on the other side the Ennerdale valley with the Black Sail Pass at the top.
This was Wainwright’s favourite fell and he wrote:
Haystacks stands unabashed and unashamed in the midst of a circle of much loftier fells, like a shaggy terrier in the company of foxhounds, some of them known internationally, but not one of this distinguished group of mountains around Ennerdale and Buttermere can show a greater variety and more fascinating arrangement of interesting features. Here are sharp peaks in profusion, tarns without islands, crags, screes, rocks for climbing and rocks not for climbing, heather tracks, marshes, serpentine trails, tarns with streams and tarns with no streams. All these with a background of magnificent landscapes await every visitor to Haystacks.
While on the summit admiring the tremendous views another group of walkers arrived. They had come up from Black Sail Hostel and we stood talking to them for about 15 minutes. This distracted us from the cold wind but when we started the descent we were soon reminded of it. It was feeling very cold and uncomfortable, we donned our rain jackets on top of our fleeces and that improved the situation except our hands which were freezing. Halfway down, we found a spot between rocks that was out of the wind and had a cup of coffee and a Bounty Bar. Back at Scarth Gap I was thinking about calling it a day and heading down as the conditions weren’t pleasant and I thought the next peak, High Crag, which came to a point above us, would be very exposed and get the full force of the wind. We saw other people heading up the first section of the ridge, to the rocky top of Seat. We decided to carry on and follow them.
The next ‘Wainwright’ fell was High Stile along the ridge. The guys we spoke to said it was a pretty level walk but it turned out to be a fair climb to get to the upper ridge where the cairn marking the summit was at the far end. The panorama now opened out in front of us as the ground ahead became less mountainous, after Crummock Water and the smaller Loweswater, as the flat plain met the coast; it was so clear that we could see the coast of Dumfriesshire on the other side of Solway Firth. On the other side was the Ennerdale valley with Ennerdale Water just below us. We spoke to an Irish couple who had also come up Red Pike and they agreed the descent down the direct route would be tricky.
Red Pike was now in front of us and after an initial rocky descent it was an easy walk over a grassy track to the final top of the day. After lunch on High Crag we had kept our rain jackets on until we warmed up but the wind started blowing again as we made our way across the ridge, it was especially strong as we passed gullies that dropped steeply to the bottom and created wind tunnels. From the top of Red Pike we could see Bleaberry Tarn in the hollow below and the track leading down to it, it didn’t look too bad but we followed the advice of the other walkers.
We should have taken the risk on the shorter slippery path as the route we took seemed to go on for ever. After dropping sharply on a rocky stretch it was easy going over a grassy shoulder. It seemed to be dropping to the section between Buttermere and Crummock Water that we could clearly see below but then it turned and followed the contours round an unnamed hill. It was a narrow path through the heather, eventually we could see where we wanted to go, a gully heading down to Crummock Water, but we didn’t seem to be going down and getting any nearer to the bottom. Eventually we met another, much better, path that had a rock stairway which quickly descended to the gill that drained into the lake. We realised that we must have made a wrong turning somewhere and should have followed this later path from the top; this also must be where the waterfall was probably to be found as we didn’t see it on our route.
From the gill the path wasn’t very distinct in places and went through some marsh at times. It seemed to be never ending again as it wound round the bottom of the hill that we had rounded in the opposite direction further up. Eventually we came to a better path and it was another long haul over the area between the lakes. It was now very warm down at the lower altitude and the wind had also disappeared. When we reached Buttermere the lakeside path was much better, gravel and flat.
We now made excellent time and the view up the length of Buttermere to Brandreth and the Haystacks was absolutely beautiful. We met the Irish couple we spoke to on High Stile and told them we didn’t like the route from Red Pike that they had suggested and thought we would have been better risking the slippery slopes. Soon we reached the lane from the farm and were back at the car park. It was after 5pm and had been another long walk. We had been walking for close to 8 hours and completed 4 ‘Wainwrights’.
With the coffee finished there wasn’t any hanging about at the end and Moira got us on the road straight away. Honister Pass was a lot busier than when we came over this morning. Moira had to be careful especially with all the cyclists out doing some serious hill work, and struggling up both sides. It took an hour to get back to the campsite. The first thing to do was have a shower and we both felt much better after it. Moira made spaghetti Bolognaise for dinner tonight and it was very nice, we left the dishes until morning, we were too tired.
‘Countryfile’ was very good this week, I then made up the bed and before getting to sleep I watched the first half of the Costa Rica v Greece World Cup game. There weren’t any goals in the first half and at the interval I gave up and got to sleep.
Monday 30 June.
We decided today, being our last day, to have a short walk to finish with. I looked up the list of ‘Wainwright’s’ on the web and selected one of the smaller hills, Troutbeck Tongue. It was more or less a stand-alone hill a short distance from the village of Troutbeck. The village was on the other side of the Kirkstone Pass so not too far to travel getting there. As it was going to be a short outing, I checked a blog online and a woman did it there and back in 3 hours, so we were planning to leave later for this walk at 11am.
After breakfast I worked on my diary and brought it up to date with the account of yesterday’s trip to Buttermere and the Haystacks etc. While I was doing that Moira got some of the packing done, things we wouldn’t need again, the bread maker and the halogen oven for example. It was a beautiful day again, the wind had disappeared and it was very warm with the sun shining from a cloudless sky. It was a straight road through Glenridding and Patterdale to the Kirkstone Pass but on the other side we missed Troutbeck. We were well down the hill and nearly at Windermere when we pulled in to consult the map. There had been traffic lights on the road where workmen were renovating an inn and that was where the turn-off was to the village that we had missed. Moira turned back and found the turning just after the traffic lights but Troutbeck was a strung out village and we risked going down a narrow lane in an attempt to get to some habitation. Fortunately the lane took us to the hotel but the car park was for patrons. Nearby a land surveyor was parked at the side of the road and he told us to park behind him. It was a bit of a verge where he was and the traffic wasn’t going to be busy here, so we chanced it then prepared to get going on our walk.
I had a map in one of the guide books from the library that showed the route into the area where we were heading. I was able to pin point where we were and find the way back to the main road along another lane. On the other side of the A592 there was a signpost indicating a track to ‘Ing Lane ¼ mile’. It was a fairly rocky track through a walled lane that met up with Ing Lane which was a tarred farm track. We could see the hill we were aiming for further up, and on its own in the middle of, the valley. It was about a mile on the flat hard surface before a signpost pointed over a meadow to ‘High Street’ At the top of the meadow we met a couple of girls on their way down, they said that once through the gate, head along the track to a gate and go over a stile to proceed up the hill. The track once through the gate was a wide gravel path that led up to High Street where we were a few days ago. This track was the course of the old Roman road that went over the top along High Street and continued to Penrith.
We found the gate and the stile a little further along the track and turned uphill. It was very steep on a narrow partly overgrown path that was wet and marshy in places. We met a group coming down and they said that they had come up from the opposite side of the hill and that way was a grassy gentle slope. We pushed on and the track dried out but became rockier, fortunately it was only a small hill, 1194 ft., so after the usual few false summits we got to the top in just over an hour. We sat on the rocks beside the cairn and had our lunch. Looking back the way we had come Windermere could be seen stretched out before us, while up the valley the track we had left continued climbing to Threshthwaite Mouth. From this col and to the left was the route to Thornthwaite Crag, with its manmade pillar of stone and on to High Street. The col Threshthwaite Mouth was well named; it looked like a mouth with the ridges on each side the jaws then in the valley the tongue, Troutbeck Tongue where we were standing.
I was a bit dubious about following other people’s advice about better routes after yesterday’s detour but we had plenty of time and decided to go the suggest way down. We continued over the top and the slope was now very gentle over a grassy track. It was lot longer but nothing serious. It eventually met the High Street track just before it started the steep climb up to Threshthwaite Mouth. We turned down at that point and it took an hour of pleasant fast walking along the valley to Troutbeck. The car was still safe and sound; the land surveyor guy was still parked in front of us. We had a cup of coffee from the flask and a Bounty Bar before heading back to the site. The walk had taken 3 hours including our lunch stop; that was another ‘Wainwright’ bagged.
Back at the motorhome Andy Murray’s match had just begun and we watched it to the end. Murray won in straight sets and is now into the quarter finals. Once dinner was over we washed up tonight. The site is getting busier with people arriving every day, most are in the caravans that are stored here and also the summer holidays are starting with tomorrow July 1.
It looks like you had an absolutely wonderful time in Lake District. Thanks for sharing your precious experience. Love all the pics......
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