The Lakes in Spring

Our second visit of the year to the Lakes in May was in complete contrast to our week in March. This time, we were blessed with wonderful weather and it reminded us how lovely it is to walk in Tshirts when it's warm and relatively dry underfoot. This was to be our final visit to the north eastern Lakes, climbing the last of nine Shap Fells we had left to do. 

Our first, and longest, walk was the Wet Sleddale Horseshoe, onto which we also tacked Wasdale Pike and it was quite a long, physical day. The weather was overcast with some light drizzle at the beginning of the morning, but it was thankfully warm. Underfoot was very marshy and running wet in parts, but for the most part dry. Navigation wasn't a problem even though there weren't any discernible paths, but the terrain was hard going - uneven, rough grass, hidden rocks, vast swathes of heather and lots of undulation. However, we also had beautiful views down the length of Wet Sleddale and across to Swindale, but it felt very remote indeed and we didn't meet or see anyone else all day. Wet Sleddale is a pretty valley, and it was lovely to see it from a different angle. 

A visit to Temple Sowerby and Acorn Bank provided an opportunity to visit a new area, and we thoroughly enjoyed wandering round the beautiful gardens and orchards, before following the wonderfully named Crowdundle Beck to a small working mill, then back along a woodland path lined with the most prolific swathes of wild garlic we've ever seen. The sight and smell was incredible and ran from the mill all the way back to the main house. 

The following day found us out early to drive the thirty or so miles to Keswick to attend the Mountain Festival for a second time. The weather was perfect and it was wonderful to be back in amongst the scenery of the northern fells once again. We wandered down and round Derwentwater taking photos. then had a cup of coffee outside at the Lakeside Cafe, before spending time at the lively festival. Lunch was at the lovely Elm Cafe in George Fisher's which was Abrahams when we last ate there, but the changes were lovely and the food was delicious. Somewhat reluctantly, we left Keswick later that afternoon and headed back to Shap, checking into the Shap Wells Hotel for our second stay there, heading immediately up into their little woodland to watch the Red Squirrels which was a delight. The weather was now beautifully warm.

Todd Fell and Whiteside Pike were next on our list to tackle, and they were absolutely stunning. The sun was bright, it was warm and dry, there was a profusion of wildflowers and lambs, and the whole walk only took us around two hours,, so we were able to drink it all in. Bannisdale looked stunning, with vast sweeps of bluebells carpeting the fellside. A gentler day followed and we spent a lot of time in the woods back at the hotel, watching, photographing and filming the squirrels which was magical. We made the short drive to pretty Orton village to buy one or two food items that afternoon to take with us on our walk the next morning; the Crookdale Horseshoe. 

As the weather was forecast to be much warmer, we were on the fellside at 7am in the cool of a misty morning. Walking along the ridge from High House Bank to Robin Hood then on to Lord's Seat, was delightful; easy, only very slightly undulating, warm, clear, dry, on a path of sorts and with wonderful views in all directions. We made good time and enjoyed every minute, sitting for some time on each summit. From Lord’s Seat, we headed off piste towards Crookdale Beck, where we stopped for coffee and a bite to eat observed by a herd of curious sheep, before heading back up and over Whatshaw Common, meeting two fellow outlying fell walkers and enjoying an interesting half hour chat with them.

We headed home early the next morning as rain was forecast, but it had been a wonderful, enjoyable week. We were a little sad to have finished the Shap Fells; indeed all the eastern fells now, in this beautiful and remote corner of the National Park. Our next visit will be to the west coast, but I think often and with much affection about those gentle fells and the red squirrels in that special, magical little woodland.  

Duddon Delights

Our first trip in 2023 at the beginning of March was to the Lakes, staying in Coniston with the aim of climbing seven outlying fells in and around the beautiful Duddon Valley. Snow was predicted for the end of the week, but we had beautiful blue skies and clear, warm weather all week, except for one afternoon when it snowed very lightly and continued through the night, and we woke to the Old Man resplendent in white against the bluest sky. The roads were clear and it all look gorgeously alpine.

Our first walk was about half way along the Duddon Valley where we parked opposite the river and took a gently climbing path up through the bracken. It was very warm, but easy walking and very dry underfoot. The views out to the coast were beautiful and we soon reached the first of four fells climbed that day, Great Stickle. The breeze was a little cooler on the summit, but we soon warmed up again as we headed towards our next objective, Stickle Pike, very prominent ahead. A simple walk over flattish ground, then a very steep final climb, and we were enjoying fantastic views over to Caw and the Coniston range. A short down and a little climb back up brought us to Tarn Hill, then we dropped down again to Dunnerdale Fells, which took us about 20 minutes to find as there were no obvious paths. The views were beautiful and the whole plateau was dotted with tiny, pretty tarns. Back at the car, we brewed coffee and drank it by the River Duddon.

Our next walk was The Knott and Raven's Crag in Dunnerdale, in the upper Duddon Valley; somewhere we'd never been before and which felt very remote, although it was stunning. This was our favourite walk of the week, and the path took us past the old Stainton mine workings, then very gradually and easily climbed up to The Knott at the end of the ridge, where we basked in the incredibly warm sunshine, admiring the views out to the coast. We spent quite some time soaking it all in before descending a little way, then tackling a steepish although very simple and short climb, which brought us out on the Raven's Crag ridge. It was lovely in the sun, although the breeze coming from the high fells behind us was a little cooler. We spent a lot of time enjoying the warmth before continuing on to the end of the ridge, before dropping down and re-joining our original path back to the car, and lunch in Torver. 

The final climb was The Pike from Ulpha. The sun was really quite hot as we parked opposite Ulpha Church and took a path up through Rainsbarrow Wood, then out onto a fairly steep section of the Birker Fell Road. Branching off at a finger post after only about 10 minutes on the road, we could see The Pike ahead as we crossed a field of Herdwicks and took a signed footpath through a very quiet Baskell Farm, up onto the open fellside beyond. From there, it was a stiff climb to the summit where the wind became much stronger and colder. The views were superb; right down the length of the Duddon Valley one way and over the vast, wild and remote expanse of moorland looking towards Eskdale, the other. We contemplated climbing Hesk Hill, but as snow was predicted, we decided to leave that for perhaps the summer months and more benign weather. We took photos, then made our way back again, stopping for a drink by a drystone wall for a little respite from the wind, but by the time we were back at the car, it was so warm we sat by the River Duddon at Ulpha Bridge brewing hot drinks and enjoying the peace and scenery.

Aside from climbing, we visited Kelly Hall Tarn and Torver Common again, areas we love, we walked by Lake Coniston and sat on the shores drinking hot chocolate. We lazed in the beautiful hotel gardens with their view of the lake and enjoyed looking round the Ruskin Museum. After a week in Coniston, we moved on to Ambleside for a couple of nights, staying at Rydal Hall, enjoying some quiet time before the journey home. It was a lovely ten days away, with beautiful weather and some stunning, new landscapes, topped off with a sprinkling of snow.

THe view from Great stickle

The knott’s sunny summit

duddon valley from the pike

a snow covered old man of coniston

The Shap Fells

The hottest August on record saw us in the far east of the Lake District, walking the Shap Fells as part of our quest to complete Wainwright's outlying fells.

The hills here do not comprise individual, distinctive peaks but are rather a rolling massif of grassland and distinctive pink granite. The landscape around the pretty, linear village of Shap is beautiful; pastoral, gentle and far reaching with panoramas on a scale we have not often seen in the Lakes.

The remote valley of Wet Sleddale was a delight. It felt truly unspoiled, filled with birdsong, trees and small hillocks covered in purple flowering heather. The reservoir, although obviously a man made shape when viewed from above, had wading birds around the shoreline, was Scots Pine lined and very pleasant to walk beside on a warm early morning. The fells above Wet Sleddale were rolling rather than steep, grassy rather than rocky and completely devoid of people, even in the middle of August. Vast grasslands, small tarns and stunning views made this a wonderfully peaceful place to walk, then sit and admire the panoramas.

The limestone outcrop of Knipescar Common has become a firm favourite. A beautiful plateau with the most incredible panorama; stretching from the village of Shap, to all the high fells around Haweswater, to the northern fells and right round to the Pennines. An absolutely extraordinary view from a very modest little fell. Time was spent hunting for a stone circle or ancient enclosure in the bracken, finding stones but unable to view the whole, then enjoying something to eat in what has to be one of the most beautiful lunch spots.

High on the Shap Fells, we ventured over towards Crookdale early one morning, climbing over surprisingly marshy ground as the heat began to build. Toiling up the first grass covered bulk, we stopped often to catch our breath and the breeze, and to take on water. The summit was shimmering in a haze of heat, and time was spent searching for the three small stones making up the summit. Discussions were had as to whether to venture on to another, higher peak given the heat, but on we ploughed. The breeze thankfully cooled us as we climbed higher; the views opening out over Crookdale, the Long Sleddale fells and the hazy Pennines on the horizon. The summit was unclear; we ventured on further, wasting precious energy, then had to re-trace our steps and climb a wall in order to find a concrete summit ring buried in the grass, marking the true summit. The descent was swift, but in the bottom of the small valley out of the breeze, the heat had reached fearsome proportions and, after labouring up the other side of the valley, we felt ourselves overheating and dripping with perspiration. A quick breather, taking long, deep gulps of water and dousing ourselves liberally from a small marshy pool, revived us enough at the end of the climb for the walk back to the car to a welcome change of clothes and refreshment.

A beautiful area; one that really made an impression on us and one we will return to, of that I have no doubt.

beautiful wet sleddale

SCOTS PINES ALONG THE SHORE

views from the fells above wet sleddale

photos don’t do the panorama from knipescar common justice

crookdale