Wandering the Lake District

Day 1: The Journey

At the usual time of 17:30hrs, ten Fellwanderers met at the Union to embark upon the annual Winter Tour, this year to the Lake District. After introductions, Matt and Ping on their first trip, discussion immediately turned to the anticipated freezing conditions — photos from the 2010 tour had been circulating and did not inspire confidence. An efficient packing of the minibus (including walking axes) meant we were soon heading north through Hyde Park.

Fortunately, the London traffic didn’t prove too tortuous so we made good time along the M1. A supermarket stop near Birmingham allowed one vital aspect of the trip to be sourced — food! An ambitious 20 minute target to be back in the bus was not met but soon enough we were motoring north again. Approximately five hours later, the minibus arrived at Thirlmere Recreation Hall, complete with Christmas tree, where we would be staying for the trip.

The hall was reassuringly — not to mention surprisingly — warm so after unpacking the bus and sorting out the food, roll mats and sleeping bags were out and everyone bedded down for the night.

Day 2: Rain

To all those who have been on many Fellwanderers trips and suffered at the hands of the spreadless cheese and pickle sandwich, Saturday was a dream come true. In the lunch-preparation room, we found Claire cutting into a large joint of ham and butter on the table along with thick, seeded white bread.

Sandwiches made and fully waterproofed, we headed out into the rain surprised by the relative warmth of the morning. The walk started from the hall bearing due east through the Stair Wood and onto the ridge containing Wainwright’s High Tove (515m), Ambroth Fell (479m), High Seat (608m), and Bleaberry Fell (590m).

The going was fairly easy without much steep ascent but due to the recent heavy rain we feared spending the whole day walking through deep bogs. Fortunately, and to the intrigue of many, the bogs were mostly frozen giving the strange sensation of walking on something that should be soft but is actually solid. Despite having two large lakes on either side of the ridge (Derwent Water and Thirlmere to the east and west, respectively) good views were few and far between as visibility was severely limited by low cloud cover and mist in the valleys.

The circular(ish) walk ended backat the hall just at the sun was going down. Dinner preparations were quickly underway for James’ goulash with dumplings. The recipe had been attempted on a previous trip and turned out partically sucessful — the pitfall being the lack of scone-baking experience in the group. This time, there was no such trouble with Sarah in charge of dumping-making so, needless to say we ate heartily leaving just enough room for a bread and butter pudding.

Day 3: Wainwrights

Sunday promised a long walk, navigated by Tom, to include ten Wainwrights in the North Western Fells — we knew this was going to be tough so started with a cooked English breakfast. After a short drive from the hall to Braithwaite we found ourselves ascending steeply onto a horseshoe-ridge, with eight of the peaks to be climbed during the day. Before too long the ascent was complete to take us onto Grisedale Pike (791m) and great views of the adjacent Whinlatter Forrest Park as well as the rest of the, mostly snow-topped, route.

We then continued along the first stretch of the ridge to bag Hopegill Head (770m) and Whiteside (707m), the latter providing an excellent view of Crummock Water. We then lost a lot height moving along the toe of the ridgeline followed by another steep ascent up to Grasmoor (852m). Unfortunately, at this height we were well and truly within the clouds, again restricting visibility but not dampening spirits. Continuing along this branch of the horseshoe we ascended Crag Hill (837m) and, with the sun low in the sky, Sail (773m).

While coming down from Sail the pathforked — one prong going down into the valley and the other continuing along the ridge. It was beginning to get dark (entre chien et loup we were told the French say) so this was the decision point: head back to the bus or carry on to two more Wainwrights? We agreed we had enough light to safely bag Scar Crags (672m) and Causey Pike (637m) so quickly made tracks. Many of the surrounding villages were illuminated by their street lights which made for a pretty landscape despite the low light levels.

The walk between Causey Pike into the valley felt very peaceful and we had just enough daylight to ascend our final Wainwright of the day, Outside (568m). Unfortunately it was too dark to attempt Barrow (455m) so we proceeded, now in complete darkness, with our headtorches on towards the lights of Braithwaite to collect the minibus.

We arrived back at the hall at about six o’clock shattered, having ascended 1600m during the course of the day.

Day 4: Rest or Run

Monday morning offered a simple choice — a gentle walk to recover from the previous day or to run 23miles over 11 Wainwrights. Sensibly the vast majority of the group chose the former and headed off towards Conniston Water, dropping off the runners along the way. This is the last we would see of them until the evening.

After the walk we drove into Keswick where the group further split into those who fancied an afternoon shopping and tea drinking, and those who fancied a quick lap of Derwent Water. After stocking up with additional supplies the two groups made their way back to the hall to prepare the much anticipated roast dinner.

At about six thirty Jack and Charlie returned from their run covering Glaramara (783m), Allen Crags (785m), Great End (910m), Esk Pike (885m), Bowfell (902m), Rossett Pike (651m), Pike of Stickle (709m), Loft Crag (680m), Thunacar Knott (723m), and High Raise, (802m) so were unusually quiet for the rest of the evening! The roast beef with all the trimmings, including chestnuts, was served soon after and certainly lived up to expectation and left us all immobile once the Christmas pudding had also been demolished.

Day 5: Views and Singing

Tuesday morning started with a drive to a car park near Conniston to tackle another five Wainwrights in the Southern Fells. The walk started with a steep ascent with scrambling sections — the pinnacle set the tone for the rest the day. The sky was near cloudless providing stunning views of Morecambe bay in one direction and snow capped peaks in the other. Strangely, the snow on the fells made them seem much larger and more dramatic, more akin to an Alpine environment, than they actually are.

The route followed another ridge around Levers Water and Low Water. The going was mostly good though very undulating meaning the day was characterised by lots of ascent. First, and after many false summits, we were up Weatherlam (763m) and stopped for lunch in the sun — a rarity this year and made all the sweeter by roast beef sandwiches! Taking every opportunity to skate on the frozen lakes, we made our way towards Swirl How (802m) followed by Brim Fell (796m) and The Old Man of Conniston (803m). Here, it was possible to see both Snowdon, despite it being over 100miles away, and the Isle Of Man.

On the way to the final Wainwright of the day, Dow Crag (778m), the sun started to go down. The reddish-orange sky across the sea was magnificent with the lights on the Isle of Man looking as though the sea were on fire. The offshore windfarm only added to the picture. We descended down an old quarry road looking into this scenery which, I think, had a calming effect on us all. Taa was in charge of the evening’s dinner: adelicious Thai Green Curry. Just after dinner the village carol singers knocked on the hall door. We, of course, let them in and requested “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” followed by “Good King Wenceslas” and sang along with zest! It seemed a fitting event for our last night in the Lakes and left those from cities and abroad slightly bemused.