Castles, mills and cloud inversions

October and November saw us back in the Lakes for a week each time, making these our last visits of the year. October’s weather was glorious and we had what we considered to be one of our most interesting weeks. Staying on the west coast just outside Whitehaven, we climbed Dent and Flat Fell on a sublimely warm and sunny day, ambling up through fresh, tangy, fragrant spruce woods to Dent’s pretty summit, before dropping down to walk through two tiny hidden valleys, then climbing gently again to Flat Fell with its sublime coastal views.

Ponsonby Fell was reached from our starting point in the gorgeous Blengdale Forest, seeing only two people all day and marvelling at far reaching views of the Screes from yet another viewpoint. We re-visited St Bees in time for a beautiful sunset and wandered round Eamont and Whitehaven’s harbour.

A gentler day was spent in Nether Wasdale, walking to the foot of Wast Water through Low Wood, where we were rewarded with the most spectacular view of the Screes and the head of Wasdale which again, we had to ourselves. Heading back through beautiful pastoral landscape was made more interesting by the discovery of tiny, ancient bridges and delightful old cottages.

Moving on, our next stop was three nights at the very comfortable Boot Inn in Eskdale, catching the tail end of Storm Babet. This made for an exhilarating climb up to Boat Howe in very strong winds which sent us staggering on its exposed summit! We ducked into Burnmoor Lodge for a while to get out of the wind before exploring three stone circles and several old shepherd huts which made the return journey very interesting. We also spent a fascinating hour or two at the exquisite Eskdale Mill; a tiny corn mill dating from the 16th century and as authentic as it’s possible to find.

We then moved on to Ravenglass, to a hotel right on the waterfront with the most beautiful sunsets over the estuary from our bedroom window. We spent a lovely morning at Muncaster Castle, exploring the grounds and enjoying a very entertaining guided tour. The views from the Castle’s terrace towards Wasdale were gorgeous.

Our final morning saw us up and out just after dawn to tackle Stainton Pike and The Knott. The weather had deteriorated, becoming very windy and very cold with more than a hint of rain to come. As we climbed higher, the wind hit us like a solid wall and cold, although light, rain was flung in our faces, stinging like needles. We decided against carrying on to Stainton Pike as the weather was deteriorating fast and the ground was already saturated. We reached The Knott’s summit after a fairly circuitous route involving clambering over walls and through streams, but the wind was so strong it made even talking difficult and we began to get really cold the moment we stopped. It did get marginally warmer as we began to descend and the wind did decrease in intensity, but it perhaps wasn’t one of the most enjoyable walks we’ve done!

In November, we treated ourselves to a second stay in a beautiful flat in Ambleside. This was our chance to be back in the centre of the Lake District which we love and which we’d missed during the year, staying out on the edges of the national park as we continued to climb the Outlying Fells. We completed eight fells in two walks, happy that we’d made them longer, and so giving us a chance to relax a little in between.

Our first walk was part of the Bannisdale Horseshoe and took in Lamb Pasture, The Forest, White Howe and Long Crag, We set off very early, mesmerised by a golden sunrise illuminating frosty fields. The weather was perfect; sunny although very cold, but we knew rain was forecast for mid morning, so we were ready with full waterproofs and the hope that we might be back at the car before it started. The walk was long but straightforward, although the pull up to The Forest much steeper than anticipated and, at our furthest point, Long Crag, it felt very remote and much colder. The promised rain thankfully began an hour or two later than predicted and we were on our return journey, but it still entailed a good two hours in heavy rain. Thankfully in our wet weather gear, we stayed warm and dry.

We then spent a day relaxing as Storm Debi hit with a vengeance bringing constant, cold, torrential rain Having been out briefly for coffee early, we hunkered down for the rest of day, enjoying being in the warmth of the flat. The following day was more settled, so we visited Keswick for lunch and a walk in light rain up to Castlehead from where we had the most staggering view of Derwentwater, swathed in mist and weak sun which broke through the cloud every so often.

In a change, we had arranged to meet our cousins for a walk and a catch up as they had been visiting their son in Ulverston, so we chose a simple route round Rydal Water, up to Rydal Cave and on to Loughrigg Terrace giving us a chance to chat, before more heavy rain drove us indoors for lunch at The Swan Grasmere, which was lovely and it was really good to see them.

A day in and around Ambleside preceded our final walk, saved for the last day of the week when sun and clear skies were forecast. We parked in Staveley and headed up Nameless Potter Fell 1, Brunt Knott, Nameless Potter Fell 2 and Ulgraves. Accompanying us first thing was the most spectacular and perfect cloud inversion; something we’d waited about 16 years to see and was utterly stunning and totally spellbinding. Cloud and mist seemed to follow and swirl around us as we walked from peak to peak, but we were always just ahead of it, basking in the surprisingly warm sun. By lunchtime it had all dissipated. The walking was easy, the views were gorgeous and we loved this set of fells, especially the views of the Howgill Fells from Ulgraves. Our return journey took us past Gurnal Dubs and Potter Tarn and through an old mill, now a tiny farm, built in 1542. It was was lovely, as was a chat with the lady clearing the farm’s yard of leaves.

All in all, two lovely weeks despite (or in some cases because of) the weather, leaving us with 34 fells to go to complete the Outlying Fells challenge!