Five Days in the Lake District, part 4

Day 4: Great Langdale to Keswick
This is the only day of the trip that we stuck to the Cumbria Way the whole time (though it's actually day 3 of the Cumbria way).

The day started out looking cloudy but dry, with even a hint that maybe the sun would come out later. In the time it took me to put on sunscreen outside the front door, it starting raining. blah. But not a heavy rain, just the light drizzle we had come to expect, and we were hopeful it would be short-lived. We struck out from the Old Dungeon Ghyll, deeper and deeper into the Langdale valley towards Mickledon, the basin where the Langdale peaks come together. At this point you have to make a decision: turn around or head up and over. Luckily, the Way goes up and over the lower part of the ridge, but still high enough to afford a great view of the valley, with it's broad river bed and rocky terrain. Just image what it would have looked like if we could have seen the peaks! Surprisingly, this valley actually reminded me of some river beds in Denali National Park of all places. Smaller mountains, though.

After the climb out of Mickledon we descended into another beautiful valley with a good Scottish name: Langstrath. It was in this valley that we saw what I can only describe as "The great sheep migration of July 2010". What we saw was a line of dozens of sheep walking out of another valley that branches off Langstrath, following the path and walking in a nearly single-file line. And they were being pretty noisy about it! The sheep just kept on coming...soon it looked like a hundred or more sheep all walking alongside the river with great purpose (on the opposite bank from us, sadly). We could only assume that they were being herded by someone deep in the valley, but we couldn't see it. After about a half hour of this we encountered a short line of sheep walking towards us on our side of the river, and they were followed by a real-life shepherd carrying a crook, and his real-life sheepdog, who was having the time of his/her life running up and down hills herding sheep (who really are amazingly easy to herd). It was pretty awesome.

After a few hours the trail brought us to the hamlets of Stonethwaite and Rosthwaite, in the valley of Borrowdale, which seem to exist only to accommodate walkers and vacationers like us. I should mention that by this point it had been fairly dry for a while, but our boots, which had started the day a bit damp from the day before, were completely soaked through, and I was grumpy about it. The bits of chocolate in our gorp weren't enough to get me through my afternoon grumpiness, so we had to stop for a pint at the Scafell hotel.

Fueled by beer, the next few miles passed without too much trouble: rolling hills and farmland, crossings of the River Derwent, clearing skies, lots of adorable sheep, craggy fells all around us. By the time we reached Grange-in-Borrowdale it was downright sunny for the first time in the trip (see photo of me wearing sunglasses for proof)! The only problem was that when we got to Grange we still had 5 miles left, and our feet were really starting to ache from all the walking in wet, dirty socks. The lesson here is CHANGE YOUR SOCKS! Which we did not. And our feet just got more tired and our moods more glum the closer we got to our destination.

Which is really a shame, because it should have been a very nice ramble. The sun was shining, and most of the rest of the walk was flat and through a pretty forest along the edge of Derwentwater, another tempting lake. Derwentwater has a system of shuttle boats that we could have taken to Keswick, but it really seemed more appropriate to walk, even if at that point it was more of a hobble to the tune of constant whining.

Knocking on the door of the Bridgedale Guesthouse was a huge relief, as was a shower and a pair of dry socks. I'll save descriptions of Keswick for our last post, but I'll put in a huge plug for the pub we went to that night, called the Dog and Gun. It's 100% dog friendly, and even has a dog menu. Also fantastic local ales (Keswick Brewing Company = awesome) and big plates of tasty food (butternut squash lasagna!) for the cheapest prices we saw in the Lakes. Check it out! you know, when you happen to be passing through Keswick...

15 miles walked.
Towns: Stonethwaite, Rosthwaite, Grange-in-Borrowdale (seen from afar!), Portinscale (just outside Keswick), Keswick
Peaks: none

Five days in the Lake District, part 3

An early start to the day in Grasmere, as we left the hostel shortly after 7:00.  But before we started the rambling in earnest, we stopped at St. Oswald's, where Wordsworth worshipped.  Two pictures, the first one suitably softened into the Romantic early mist.

This second, rather more prosaic, picture captures one of the key trends within British Christianity in the last few decades: the decline of denominational conflict

After being disappointed by the still-closed bakery (what kind of bakery isn't open by 7 AM?!), we started the walk proper.  Up and over a little ridge to rejoin the Cumbria Way at Chapel Stile.  From the top of the ridge the main view was a rather unsightly slate quarry, but by the time we reached the valley floor the quarry disappeared from view and picturesque-ness returned.

We stopped by a small stream for a bit of breakfast: pita, cheese, and gorp.  Then it was into the valley of Great Langdale.  Our guidebook told of the tremendous views of the Langdale Pikes to the north, but the cloud cover kept them pretty obscured.  We did, however, see plenty of sheep, like this friendly pair.

Four miles into the day we arrived at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, a famous destination for Lake District hill-walkers and climbers, complete with the Hikers' Bar watering hole.  We dropped off our big bag at the hotel, then had a look at the weather forecast for the day.

The initial plan for the day was arrive at ODG early enough to make it to Scafell Pike and back.  But 14 miles of serious hiking with less than a 10% chance of views from the summit (coupled with gloomy skies in Great Langdale) dissuaded us from climbing England's highest mountain.  Instead, we opted for a walk that kept us closer to "home," ascending High Raise, described in our guidebook as the "overlord" of the Langdales.

The ascent up High Raise had three distinct phases.  First was a steep but well-traveled path following Stickle Ghyll to a waterfall.  This part of the climb was full of other hikers, including some young children with impressive hardiness - we overheard no whining about the rain.  The power of the waterfall is rather poorly captured in this photograph, but it at least provides a sense of the terrain.

Just above the waterfall, at an elevation of approximately 1,500 feet, is Stickle Tarn, a small lake that was dammed in the early 19th century.  Towering over the tarn is the imposing face of Pavey Ark.

After Stickle Tarn, the path upwards became a lot more lonely, and also much less clear.  No longer able to just follow the stream up, we had to use our compass and handy Ordnance Survey map.  About two-thirds of the way up this section of the climb, we were crossed paths with another hiker who had been bounding ahead of us.  "You can't see jack from up there," he warned us, as he rather gloomily passed us by.  But at this point we were committed to making it to the top, so we continued upward.

The next clear stopping-point was Sergeant Man, a subsidiary peak of High Raise.  The clouds actually did roll away enough for us to get a nice view of the valley below, though they continued to enshroud the high peaks in the distance.

From Sergeant Man, the final ascent to High Raise was nothing more than a short walk, with a barely perceptible change in elevation.  Given the mist that had settled on the summit, I'm not sure that we would have found the summit cairn without a clear compass heading to follow.  Here I am at the summit of High Raise at 762 meters.

Our plan from this point had been to descend back into the valley via some other peaks, bagging Thunacar Knott, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Pick o'Stickle, and Loft Crag along the way.  But that would have involved finding a different path down the western slope of High Raise.  Given the mist, lack of landmarks (we even struggled a bit finding our way back to Sergeant Man), and advancing hour, we decided to just descend the way we had come up.  A bit below the tarn, the clouds finally cleared enough to allow a decent photograph of the valley below.

From there, back to the hotel to check in and enjoy a hot shower.  Dinner at the Hikers' Bar was disappointing (not least because they didn't actually have either of the menu items I order), but sometimes, as a vegetarian, you just have to accept your fate.  At least the stilton and broccoli soup was flavorful and warming.

We had a long day to Keswick in front of us, so early to bed...

Approximately 10 miles walked
Towns: Grasmere, Chapel Stile
Peaks: Sergeant Man, High Raise 

Five Days in the Lake District, part 2

Coming to you 10 days later, it's the 2nd day of our rambling/hill walking trip!

We woke up in the Black Bull Hotel in Coniston to dry weather and patches of blue among the clouds. Score! One delightful aspect of the trip was that 3 out of 4 places we stayed were B&Bs, so breakfast was included. That morning, our vegetarian version of the full English breakfast included tea, orange juice, toast, jam, cereal, 2 eggs, beans, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and fried bread. Not a bad way to start a day of walking!

Our plan for this day was to hike the standard day 2 of The Cumbria Way, which technically goes from Coniston to Great Langdale, but hotels in Great Langdale were limited and pricey (we discovered why when we were there), so we opted instead to spend the 2nd night in Grasmere, another picturesque town on a lake, 2 miles off the Way.

The day started with a little bit of climbing out of Coniston, but generally this was much more of a rambling day than a fell-walking day. Forests mixed with rolling, grassy, sheepy hills led the way to Tarn Howes, a large lake that used to be 3 separate lakes until a dam was build downstream. This of course led to a discussion about how even what we consider to be beautiful and "nature" today may have been shaped by human hands in the past, and in this case you wouldn't know it unless you stopped into the helpful visitor information booth.

From there to the small town of Elterwater the terrain was mostly rolling farmland, with many picturesque farmhouses, views into green valleys, and the ever-intriguing stone walls from centuries ago. All of these stone walls necessitate one of the most charming features of the Way - the bizarre collection of ways there are to get over and through these walls. In some places there are wooden steps, or stiles, to simply climb over the wall. In some places there is a space in the wall and there is a gate to let you through - either a standard swinging gate (with a variety of locking/closing mechanisms) or more involved kissing gate. Or there was our favorite, the tiny gate at the top of the wall with embedded stone steps. Amazing. This funny little website has a nice picture and description of a kissing gate. Or, if you want to build your own, check out this one.

Somehow we managed to navigate all of these gates and arrive at Elterwater, first the water itself, then the tiny village. The lead-up was a very nice flat path alongside the lake with an open field where many people were playing with their dogs. Overall, I was very impressed with how the dogs, for the most part, were refraining from chasing the sheep. Elterwater is home to the Britannia Inn, which has a nice pub and is very clearly a haven for cyclists, ramblers and hill walkers alike. We stopped in to enjoy a cup of tea and a scone, and to try Coniston Brewing Company's special "Britannia" ale.

It was in Elterwater that we diverged from the Way to hike up and over a small ridge and into Grasmere. It was actually nice to gain some elevation after a day of walking in valleys, and from the top of the hill the views back to Elterwater and down into Grasmere, which is of course situated on yet another lake, were great. In Grasmere we were staying at a youth hostel, though this term is a bit misleading, as the other guest ranged from young children to couples in their 60's. Another reason I wanted to detour to Grasmere is because I couldn't resist the name of this hostel: The Grasmere Butharlyp Howe. We scouted out what looked like the restaurant with the best veggie options (a caramelized onion, walnut and stilton tart for a starter, and sticky toffee pudding for, um, pudding, though actually in the North they just call it all "sweets"), devoured our food, enjoyed a few local beers back at the hostel (the "Scafell Blonde" and "High Pike" from Heket Newmarket Brewery, for those of you keeping track at home), and were in our bunks by 10pm.

Approximately 12 miles walked
Towns: Elterwater, Grasmere
Peaks: none

Five days in the Lake District, part 1

Thanks to Becca's mad planning skills, and buoyed by a sunny and basically rain-free weather forecast, we pulled off a last-minute trip to the Lake District last week.  While the weather didn't exactly cooperate, we still had a lovely time tramping along the Cumbria Way and climbing some fells.

Day 1: London to Ulverston to Coniston
The 6:05 AM departure from Euston was, without doubt, the most stressful portion of the trip.  But we managed it just fine, catching the 5:41 subway from Tufnell Park and arriving at Euston with plenty of time to collect our tickets and settle into our first-class seats that were inexplicably cheaper than the standard fare.

I can't say that I remember much of the train ride up to Lancaster, as we rather groggily watched the Midlands pass us by.  Lancaster's also something of a blur.  It's really only the list of stations served by the Cumbrian Coast Line that really woke me up.  Ready?  Carnforth, Silverdale, Arnside, Grange-over-Sands, Kents Bank, Cark and Cartmel, Ulverston, Dalton, Roose, Barrow-in-Furness, Askam, Kirkby-in-Furness, Foxfield, Green Road, Millom, Silecroft, Bootle, Ravenglass, Drigg, Seascale, Sellafield, Braystones, Nethertown, St Bees, Corkickle, Whitehaven, Parton, Harrington, Workington, Flimby, Maryport, Aspatria, Wigton, Dalston (not to be confused with the Dalton above!), and Carlisle.  All in just over a hundred miles.  That, my friends, is a local train.

Our first surprise of the trip came soon after disembarking at Ulverston.  We already knew about the Laurel and Hardy Museum in Ulverston, but what we didn't know was that Swarthmoor Hall was just a mile away.  Yes, as in Swarthmore.

It being early on a Saturday morning, the actual building was closed.  But we had a nice stroll around the gardens and some early views of fells in the distance.

After wandering around Ulverston, a vibrant little market town, we hopped on the bus up to Coniston.  "Bus" is really something of a misnomer.  It was really more of a glorified shuttle van, and even that was more than enough space for its riders.  Aside from us, there were two little old ladies who had come into Ulverston to do their shopping (one of whom, inexplicably, had nothing more in her shopping bag than a few apples and a handful of carrots) and a backpacker.  Hardly the stuff of a money-making route, which probably explains the sulky teenager driving the bus.

We checked in at the Black Bull, drawn in as much by the accolades the associated brewery has garnered as anything else.  After settling into our room, we decided to attempt the Old Man of Coniston, a 1,365-foot peak that rises almost directly out of the village.  There was a light mist as we left the Black Bull, but we were hopeful that it would burn off in the afternoon sun.

After a few moments of uncertainty regarding the exact direction of the trail, we were well on our way.  About halfway up we passed an old slate quarry.  The exact location of the mining was easy to determine, with a rather stark contrast on the mountainside between green ferns and gray mining spoil.  A bit further up we reached Low Water, a small lake.  Along the way we were already starting to marvel at the omnipresence of sheep, with no sign of them thinning out in number as we ascended.

By Low Water, we were pretty well socked in by clouds.  Not exactly optimistic about a view, we kept going up.  We faced a pretty steep section near the top, but the encouraging words of those on their way back down provided all the inspiration we needed.  Sadly, no view whatsoever from the top of the Old Man.

But still, the first ascent of the trip.

As you can tell from that picture, we were soaked and cold.  So back to the Black Bull for a hot shower and dinner at the pub.  If you find yourself with the opportunity to sample some beers by the Coniston Brewery Company, be sure to try the Blacksmiths Ale.  Top-notch stuff.

Approximately 6 miles walked.
Towns: Ulverston, Coniston
Peaks: Old Man of Coniston