A Great End on Great End!!
/WE DID IT!!!!!
We finished climbing all 214 Wainwright Lakeland mountains on a beautiful still, warm summer’s day on the morning of Monday 26 July 2021, 14 years after we climbed our very first fell, Latrigg, but really in earnest after 9 years as we only climbed four fells between 2007-2012. If you pushed it all into one continuous timeline, it’s taken just under four and a half months! We left Great End until last as it seemed an appropriate place to finish and it really was; we had the summit to ourselves, it was a fantastically perfect morning, and we thought it had some of the best views of any we’ve seen in the whole of the Lake District.
So, we set off from home at the start of a heatwave in the middle of July that didn’t really start to cool down until we’d been away for five days. It was really hot and very humid and we really don’t like hot weather, so we broke the journey to Eskdale with a night just outside Lancaster and a walk beside the River Lune that evening. We then had two nights at the Woolpack Inn in Boot. From the Woolpack, we did a simple two mile walk beside the beautifully clear little RIver Irt that afternoon, then cooled off with a swim in its crystal clear waters.
The next day saw us setting off at 6am for the climb up to Hard Knott via the Roman Fort and sitting on the stunning summit well before 8am. A gentle walk down, crossing the Hard Knott Pass and across a pretty flower strewn common brought us to the base of the very steep climb up Harter Fell which was draining in the rapidly building heat. The strong, cool breeze at the top and all the way back down was wonderfully refreshing.
The next stop was Nether Wasdale for four nights based at the Screes Inn which was comfortable, if warm, with excellent, plentiful food. Setting off at 3.30am the next morning to avoid the worst of the day’s heat and to get a parking space in a very busy Wasdale, we tackled Red Pike and Yewbarrow, watching the sun rise over the Over Beck Valley and having Red Pike to ourselves at 6am. Yewbarrow’s flanking path was a little tricky in places, but once on the summit, the views of the Wasdale giants were magnificent, as was the view over Pillar and down Wast Water. We were back at the car cooling our feet in the beck by 10.30am just as the heat of the day was building.
After a day off, we set off again at 3.30am (we really enjoyed walking at this time and it was warm enough for just a Tshirt and so lovely to see the sunrise), this time up the Nether Beck Valley from Wasdale. It was a much longer walk to the head of the valley but the pink sunrise ahead of us was stunning. A stiff climb saw us at the top of Scoat Fell, watching the sunrise turn peachy gold over Kirk Fell, which was so beautiful. We carried on to Steeple with its beautiful views down Ennerdale, then took the easy path down and back up to Haycock, which, in the beautiful weather, was so lovely and quiet with fabulously clear views. Our final point was Caw in the distance, although it was an easy walk and the summit was flat, warm and quiet. We then took a flanking path all the way back to the rim of the Nether Beck Valley, pushing down through the bracken to the valley bottom and walked back to the car. This had been a long walk, about 10 miles, but the weather had finally broken so it was warm without the humidity, which was perfect walking weather and such a relief. We hadn’t seen another person all day.
We then left Wasdale and headed round to Keswick and Borrowdale, to the Glaramara Hotel in Seatoller for our final walk and final summit. We’d had some Tshirts made with a a graphic Bro had designed, and we had a half bottle of Champagne to take with us for the summit. We filmed our preparations leading up to leaving our hotel room, then the journey to Seathwaite Farm and shots of each of us climbing little sections all the way up. Again, it was a lovely day with clear skies, sunshine and no cloud. The pull up the valley beside Ruddy Gill was warm as it began to get a little hotter, but at Esk Hause there was a lovely cool breeze. There were lots of people toiling past on their way to Scafell Pike, so we were pleased to be branching off to Great End, which we had to ourselves.
We filmed ourselves walking towards the summit and touching it at the same time. It was an overwhelming moment and we were both a little emotional - perhaps tiredness, relief, delight, sadness or a mixture of all of them, but it felt strange to think this was officially our last mountain. We spent a long time on the summit, soaking in the views, toasting Alfred Wainwright, remembering our dogs, taking photos and video and finishing the Champagne! After about an hour and a half, some sandwiches and water, we set off on the long descent back to the hotel where were enjoyed a cool shower, celebratory drinks, a delicious meal and hearty congratulations from the staff and some of the other guests we’d got talking to.
We are immensely pleased and chuffed and delighted to have completed this amazing challenge together. It’s been a joy from start to finish and something we’re incredibly proud to say we’ve done. I’m not sure what we’re going to do with ourselves now as it’s been such a big part of our lives for so long, but our next holiday will definitely be something completely different (and a little more relaxing!), then we might start exploring the Yorkshire Dales, Wales, Scotland and Northumberland. We will always make return visits to our beloved Lakes and we might even climb something, just for old times sake!
