“… And then I was like, I’m just going to pour myself a bottle of wine and call it a day.”
Julia Howell
Waking up to a spectacular cloud inversion in the Grisedale valley.
Walking The Wainwrights – Section 3 – Wasdale to Borrowdale then Keswick to Grasmere
Wednesday 12th August 2020, Wasdale National Trust Campground, Wasdale to Wild Camp at Styhead Tarn, 12.7km
Peaks bagged: 33. Kirk Fell (802m)
We finally left Wasdale National Trust Campsite after a 4 night stay due to Wayne being out of action for a few days due to a serious bout of diarrhoea. He of course wanted to stay close to a toilet and rest up and it wasn’t until today that he was feeling somewhat better, although still rather weak, so we planned on a shorter day to test his legs (so to speak).
Back on camp rations, we had our usual Belvita biscuit breakfast with hot mugs of tea whilst we waited for our laundry to dry. We had to make use of the camp tumble dryer because rain in the night had made our clothes wetter than when we had hung them out to dry, and of course it was gear that we wanted to wear today.
So finally ready to set off around 9:30am, our aim was to get up and bag Kirk Fell – one of the dominant peaks of the Western Fells we were yet to summit. Our plan was then to descend around the back of Great Gable and set up camp for the night beside Styhead Tarn. It wasn’t too far distance wise, but we had a big climb from 75 metres in the valley at Wast Water all the way up to 802 metres at the top of Kirk Fell. If there was ever a test for Wayne’s legs – this was it!
The sun was already blazing over the valley when we hiked towards the Wasdale Head Inn and we knew it was going to be a scorcher of a day as it was forecast to reach temperatures of 28 degrees. Taking the track to the right of the stream flowing through Mosedale, we began a slow and steady climb towards Black Sail Pass at 542 metres.
Following Mosedale Beck, we were heading for Black Sail Pass. As the 8th highest mountain in the Lake District at 892 metres, Pillar dominates the skyline.
Taking a slow and steady walk through the Mosedale valley as Wayne was not yet back to full health.
Taking a breather…
Pushing on up the valley beside Gatherstone Beck.
Looking back towards Yewbarrow, Wayne endeavours to reach the pass, however long it takes.
It really was slow and steady as we made numerous stops because Wayne’s legs felt so weak. Reaching the pass around 12:30pm, we then took another break in order to psyche ourselves up for a steep scramble through a gully that would take us directly up to the grassy top of Kirk Fell.
Resting and re-hydrating just after Black Sail Pass in readiness for a scramble up Kirk Fell Crags.
The gully proved rather daunting as it was a giant stone chute filled with loose rocks leading straight up to the plateau at the top. As we weren’t wholly comfortable with what was underfoot – it felt like the larger rocks were going to give way and start a rock avalanche beneath us – we stuck to the right-hand side of the chute and tentatively scrambled our way up using the jaunty rocks as hand holds. Completing the ascent in one stint as we didn’t want to stop at all in such a precarious place; it was such a huge relief when we finally crawled out onto the grassy bank above us.
Wayne tackles the final section of the gully. It was a welcome relief to reach the grassy bank at the top of the stone cute after a tiresome climb.
From the top of Kirk Fell Crags we had incredible far reaching views out towards the central fells.
But as ever in such arduous circumstances, that wasn’t the top! That was merely a climb through Blacksail Buttress, before we then had to traverse over several grassy banks to finally reach the summit of Kirk Fell. Our efforts were instantly rewarded however when we were presented with hazy views of Wast Water in its entirety to the southwest.
After so much effort, Wayne was all smiles on finally reaching the summit cairn on Kirk Fell.
Looking across to the Scafell group from the summit of Kirk Fell.
Southwest views of Wast Water.
Stopping to have lunch on the rocky summit as it was now 2:30pm, we worked out the next route and what felt like our tenth back-up plan for when we reached Keswick to resupply the following day, an actual town where Wayne could also visit the pharmacy.
After it being such a hot morning, the clouds had built up around the surrounding peaks and we could see a storm brewing over in Ennerdale. With the threat of it coming our way, we quickly made a move, descending Kirk Fell via Beck Head then taking the stony path below the north face of Great Gable to Windy Gap, before heading down Aaron Slack, a well-cairned, loose stone path leading to Styhead Tarn.
Cloudy reflections in Kirk Fell tarn with Great Gable peeking out above.
Our view of Green Gable and Great Gable whilst descending Kirk Fell.
Taking the well-defined path around Great Gable towards Green Gable and Windy Gap.
Looking onto the lush green western face of Green Gable as we continue our ascent to Windy Gap.
Looking towards Ennerdale as Wayne approaches Windy Gap.
Now for the real leg test – the descent to Styhead Tarn via Aaron Slack was both steep and on scree – my favourite kind of trail.
In fact, as we often say when seeing things from afar, Aaron Slack looked much worse than the reality of the descent, which was both steady and manageable by zig-zagging down the slope and going with the scree.
At 433 metres, Styhead Tarn is a popular wild camp spot particularly with Duke of Edinburgh groups and we could see that when we arrived from the huge stone wind break that had been built as well as several used fire rings. At 5pm we were the first hikers there today and as the storm seemed to be inching closer, we decided to set up the tent despite it still being early.
Walking around Styhead Tarn debating on where to pitch up for the night.
Setting up on a flat spot along the southern bank of the tarn.
Luckily we just managed to hunker down inside the tent before the heavens opened.
It was a good call as no sooner had we got pitched and unpacked, the heavens literally opened. Thankfully in our warm, safe cocoon we could ride out the storm. With huge cracks of thunder ringing out above us and rain drops firing down on the tent like bullets, we had no choice but to hunker down. As we started hearing pings on metal we were then startled to see hail stones surrounding the base of the tent. It was like a real freak of weather after it being one of the hottest days of the year! The worst was yet to come when we suddenly found ourselves marooned between a now raging Styhead Gill and a new river that had appeared the other side of our tent. Thank goodness we hadn’t pitched just a metre to the right or we’d have ended up in the middle of the flow.
The rain lasted around an hour before everything returned to calm, all the water sources around us now flowing with renewed energy. After taking a power nap whilst waiting for it to stop, we then got our chairs out and camp duties were able to resume, including filtering water. We then enjoyed hot bowls of tomato soup, followed by instant ‘onion’ mashed potato with Heinz Mexican beans poured on top (one of our new quick packet favourites). When I mentioned to Wayne we hadn’t yet done a proper ‘Trail Kitchen’ segment for the video, he apologised but said because he’d been ill he didn’t have his proper camera face on, so not tonight!
Despite the rain storm and the new stream that was now flowing to the right of our tent, we were still treated to a gentle sunset, so things weren’t all that bad, especially as we had reached our intended destination.
When we had finally ventured out of the tent, there were 3 other hikers who had set up camp across the tarn, which we had been expecting with this being such a popular spot close to Scafell Pike. Looking onto Great End in one direction and Lingmell in the other, it seemed uncanny that we had literally done a circuit since last Thursday ending up almost right back in the same spot, but having only bagged 4 more peaks since.
On this particular challenge, with our poor performance due to one reason or another, we have decided that we’re not geared up for this extreme kind of peak bagging. After our preamble from the Atlantic to the Med last year, it seems that we’ve become much more attuned to the slower pace of the Pyrenees!
Thursday 13th August 2020, Wild Camp at Styhead Tarn to Wild Camp below High Rigg, 23.5km
Peaks bagged: 34. Seathwaite Fell (632m), 35. Allen Crags (784m), 36. Glaramara (783m), 37. Rosthwaite Fell (612m)
It was the day of reckoning – would Wayne finally be feeling better so that we could make it to town? We were awake early at Styhead Tarn and remarkably had packed away before our near neighbours. Then we were off up the track before 9am heading towards Sprinkling Tarn and Seathwaite Fell located just above it.
Leave no trace – all packed up and after a week of illness, finally ready to make it to town!
It was a lovely day again with clear views of Great End, Lingmell, the Corridor route and Scafell Pike – very different to a week ago when we had summitted England’s highest mountain for the second time and the high fells were covered in clag. Hence why the trail was already busy this morning with day walkers coming up from Wasdale and Borrowdale all eager to bag the peak for themselves.
Leaving our wild camp spot with the intention of making it all the way to Borrowdale, with an onward bus journey then to Keswick.
Looking back onto a serene Styhead Tarn.
Looking across the valley back towards Aaron Slack – our route down to the tarn between Great Gable and Green Gable that we had descended on yesterday – the track of loose red rock looked mighty steep from afar and quite intimidating. Had we have seen it prior to our descent, I don’t think we’d have been too keen to descend via that particular route – but we have learnt now that the closer you get to a trail, the less daunting it can seem compared with the perspective from further away. And in this case it did get us down quickly from 800 metres to just over 400, whilst feeling fairly steady underfoot.
On reaching Sprinkling Tarn, it looked like a picturesque wild camp spot – so it was a shame we hadn’t pushed on to discover such a beauty. Yet, we agreed that if we had done so, then we would most definitely have been caught in the storm and soaked through trying to pitch the tent, so it was a good thing we’d chosen to set up camp when we did.
Hiking up to Sprinkling Tarn en route to Seathwaite Fell, our first summit of the day and peak number 34 of the trip.
It looked like we wouldn’t be short on supplies of water today, especially after last night’s storm filling up the gills.
Skirting the western edge of the tarn and heading over a series of giant slabs, it was an easy climb to the summit of Seathwaite Fell at 632 metres, but then we had to walk further as the actual cairn is located on the northern point of the fell at 602 metres. Wainwright indicated that this wasn’t the highest point, but that it afforded beautiful views of Seatoller looking towards Borrowdale, so to ‘bag’ the Wainwright we had to walk out to that particular spot.
Wayne was certainly feeling a lot better today and had a renewed spring in his step!
Heading over to the summit cairn at 632 metres.
Another peak in the bag! On the summit of Seathwaite Fell with Great Gable and Green Gable dominating the skyline.
Then making our way to Wainwright’s cairn located on the northern point of the fell top at 602 metres. Today, it did indeed afford beautiful views of Seatoller looking towards Borrowdale.
From Seathwaite Fell we walked back the way we had come then headed to the 4-way trail junction turning off towards Allen Crags. It was not a new summit for us, but the track then led directly northeast to the summit of Glaramara at 783 metres. On paper it looked like a steady ridge walk, but there were several undulations over a distance of around 3 kilometres so it took us much longer to reach the summit than we had anticipated.
Spying some Herdwick sheep, a breed which is synonymous with the Lakes landscape.
After passing the 4-way junction, it was our second time bagging the Allen Crags summit as it was en route to Glaramara, a new peak for us to tackle.
From this perspective the walk to Glaramara looked fairly straightforward. Little did we realise how long it would actually take…
The beautiful views and easy looking path hoodwinked us. After descending Glaramara, there was simply no chance of us avoiding getting wet feet as we were forced to traverse across several boggy sections of ground to reach Rosthwaite Fell.
Heading towards the summit of Glaramara at last! It felt like the longest 3 kilometres.
Reaching the rugged and rocky top of Glaramara at 783 metres.
It looked to be the same distance again from Glaramara to Rosthwaite Fell and with the summit being lower at 612 metres we thought we’d make up some time with it being downhill. But in fact we had to descend to just over 500 metres first and skirt around the fell because of several crags preventing there being a direct route to the summit. As we were traversing such boggy ground, the path was difficult to see, and with all the will in the world we could not stop our feet from getting wet despite every effort to dodge, skirt around, jump over and make use of any stone, rock or twig that could possibly help us avoid the worst of it!
From afar it then looked like we were hiking straight up to the summit, but when we got there it was just a marker indicating the point on the fell known as Dove’s Nest. Trudging on, the highest point is a collection of giant stone slabs at 612 metres, over the other side of which is a cairn located at the spot known as Bessy Boot. Again, at 551 metres, this isn’t the highest part of the fell so we’re not actually sure if we bagged Rosthwaite Fell or not, despite tramping across the entire fell top from south to north. We spied a few a grassy areas that had the potential of being good wild camp spots around the Tarn at Leaves, located at 499 metres, but based on the bogginess of the fell as a whole – we weren’t sure how dry the ground would actually be.
Descending from Galramara, we were afforded extensive views looking out towards the Borrowdale valley. Beyond is Derwent Water with the summit of Skiddaw on the distant skyline.
Reaching Doves Nest crag on the bumpy, broad ridge running northeast from Glaramara.
More beautiful reflections to break up the long ridge that stretches for over six kilometres from Glaramara to Stonethwaite in Borrowdale.
As there are several cairns, we were debating did we bag Rosthwaite Fell or not!
The summit cairn on Bessy Boot at the northern end of Rosthwaite Fell.
Time for a rest stop before we pushed on for Borrowdale to get to the bus stop!
We weren’t going to camp at Tarn at Leaves anyway as we were out of gas and needed a fresh resupply of food, so our plan was to hike down into Borrowdale and catch the bus to Keswick where we could then shop in Booths before hiking out again.
As we began our descent from Rosthwaite Fell, we could see the bus snaking up the road in the distance. We just hoped the buses were more frequent than every two hours or we would have a long wait!
We had a fairly steep descent into the Borrowdale valley from the northwestern flank of Rosthwaite Fell.
Reaching the road around 3pm, we hiked into Borrowdale and caught the open top bus at 3:45pm, getting us into Keswick around half an hour later.
Yay, we made it to the bus stop! Town food here we come!
We were hoping to dine in Booths and have an early dinner but they had stopped serving main meals in the café and were only open for hot drinks and cakes. Not to be defeated, we nipped across the road to the gear shop to purchase gas, then went back to Booths to shop for a 4-day resupply of food. We said to ourselves whenever we shop hungry we make excessive purchases so we needed to stick to 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, snacks and 3 evening meals – and NOT go overboard carrying excessive grams. As we couldn’t get dinner in Booths, our plan was to now try and get a table at Wetherspoons before hiking out.
Shopping was successful and we were in and out within the hour. ‘Spoons’ was also a success! We had to queue outside, fill in a ‘Track & Trace’ form and wait for a table to become available, but fortunately we had arrived at a good time and were near the front so quickly got a table in the outdoor seating area. We could order using the App and all the tables were spread out so we didn’t have any particular Covid concerns. Wayne’s appetite was back with vengeance, so we ordered pizzas as well as cheesy garlic bread! After another hard slog today, we then decided to make new plans yet again.
We had toyed with the idea of circling the Blencathra range over the next 4 days, but then agreed we wanted to have some enjoyable wild camps and nice sections of trail – Mungrisdale Common with its reputation as a giant bog fest just didn’t appeal. So we decided to put together a route that would take us back towards Windermere, whilst allowing us to fill in some gaps and bag a few more Wainwrights that we had missed on previous trips for being a little way off the main route. Hence we wanted to bag a few summits around Glenridding as well as Grasmere and a new alternative plan was born.
With having a decent phone signal, we also made the decision to change our return train reservation and call it a day at the end of the next section. There was no point just dragging it out when we’d already had so many setbacks and the weather was forecast to change for the worse again come Monday. So with new train tickets booked, we were going to make the most of the next few days, enjoy the weather and the wild camps and put peak bagging secondary to the experience of being in the outdoors, which is what we should have done anyway instead of giving ourselves such a crazy challenge! We always live and learn…
It was late by the time we left town – like 8pm late, and now we had to hike on and get as far as High Rigg to be able to find a wild camp spot above the intake wall. We had tried to get a spot at both Castlerigg Farm Campsite and Castlerigg Hall, but to no avail because of the Covid restrictions. Castlerigg Farm were only open to self-contained caravans and campervans as toilet and shower facilities were closed and Castlerigg Hall were only running at 15% capacity for tents. Their new policy was a minimum 5-night stay to minimise changeover of guests and they were prioritising ‘regulars’. So it was a long, uphill hike out of town to cross the A591 taking the track past Sykes Farm towards High Rigg where we knew there were some grassy spots in and around the crags where we could conceal ourselves for the night.
Cat Bells is bathed in an orange hazy glow. Leaving Keswick and heading up towards Castle Rigg and the A591 with fresh supplies.
Enjoying gorgeous sunset skies after deciding to cut our plans short and leave the Lakes in less than a week’s time.
With hiking so late we got to enjoy a gorgeous sunset over Keswick and watch the sun dip behind Catbells looking west of Derwent Water. We also had a renewed energy having eaten a massive meal right beforehand! What we hadn’t expected as we got towards High Rigg was the amount of ferns covering the fell, so finding a camp spot large enough to fit in our tent proved more difficult than we had anticipated. I was wary of being spotted by the farm so urged Wayne to keep hiking and go a little higher up, despite the fact we were losing the light and he wanted to get set up on the first decent clearing we found. In the end, we pitched next to what looked like some old water works. It wasn’t the best of spots, but I was more concerned about being out of view.
It was almost dark by the time we had pitched and had sorted the sleep pads out, so as long as we were up and away before 8am we were satisfied that we’d be OK. It had been another long and tiring day… It was no wonder we were so willing to call it a day and go home.
Friday 14th August 2020, Wild Camp below High Rigg to Wild Camp next to Ruthwaite Lodge, Grisedale, 29.3km
Peaks bagged: 38. Clough Head (726m), 39. Great Dodd (858m), 40. Hart Side (758m), 41. Sheffield Pike (675m), 42. Glenridding Dodd (442m)
Last night’s wild camp spot just below High Rigg had proven to be not so bad after all. It might not have been the most picturesque of places next to some old waterworks, but it put us in a good position to start the day with a climb up to Clough Head. Having already walked the entire Helvellyn range last year, we would not be bagging any new peaks until reaching Hart Side (758m) where we would head off towards Glenridding.
Last night’s wild camp spot near some old waterworks below High Rigg. We just managed to squeeze in our Big Agnes Hotel!
After yesterday being such hard work just to bag Rosthwaite Fell, we had decided that we would now be prioritising wild camp locations over peaks, so we had only given ourselves 3 new summits to tackle today. Incidentally, we revisited Clough Head and Great Dodd just because the route took us directly to those summits, but we didn’t see any point in expending more energy going up to Watson’s Dodd and Stybarrow Dodd when a separate path veered off towards Hart Side following a similar contour saving us any unnecessary climb.
Before we got started however, we first made use of the picnic bench conveniently situated across from St. John’s in the Vale Church to boil some water and sit and have breakfast.
Life’s little pleasures always include utilising a picnic bench when on trail!
From around 150 metres, it was going to be a steep climb – first up through the disused Hill Top Quarries, and then up the northwestern side of the fell known as Red Screes to the top of Clough Head at 726 metres. At least this time around we found the stile and didn’t have to carefully manoeuvre ourselves over a barbed wire fence! As it was first thing in the morning, we were feeling fresh so the climb wasn’t too taxing. We maintained a steady pace and really enjoyed walking across the open expanses of the Dodds towards Hart Side.
The beautiful St John’s Beck in St John’s in the Vale.
Beginning our ascent to Clough Head. From this vantage point there are extensive views looking back to the Northern Fells.
A patchwork of farms surrounded by rugged Lakeland fells.
Ascending via Clough Head’s northwestern face known as Red Screes.
Reaching the trig point at Clough Head summit and taking a quick snack break. In spite of the blue skies and sunshine, it was quite chilly at the top.
Enjoying the lovely, long ridge walk across the Dodds.
Passing Watson’s Dodd and stopping for a quick photo at the summit.
Looking towards the lush Deepdale valley.
Heading up and over Green Side at 796 metres (not a Wainwright) en route to Hart Side.
After the long traverse across the Dodds, the trail to Hart Side seemed never ending!
On the summit of Hart Side, peak number 40 of this trip!
Following the trail off Hart Side towards the stone wall perimeter, where we then contoured around the fell to the south to gain access to Sheffield Pike. This long and testing route via a steep-sided slope was not the best route choice.
Hart Side with its rocky summit afforded us more nice views out to Ullswater, but it was a boggy descent as we made our way east before then contouring around the southern face of the mountain along a track taking us to Sheffield Pike. In hindsight, after reaching the summit of Sheffield Pike, we agreed it would have been better to hike back up to Green Side from Hart Side and come over the top as it looked to be a much more direct route that would have saved us both time and effort. Descending Sheffield Pike via Heron Pike, our final ascent of the day was up to the summit of Glenridding Dodd.
Contouring around Soot Crag on the southern face of Hart Side and looking across Glencoynedale to Sheffield Pike.
It still seemed a very long way considering we thought we’d given ourselves an ‘easier’ day.
Finally on the summit of Sheffield Pike with magnificent views out to Ullswater.
With minimal time to linger, we pushed on for our final summit of the day – Glenridding Dodd. At 442 metres, this fell top was covered in swathes of purple heather and had picturesque views of Glenridding to the southeast as well as the Helvellyn range to the southwest. We had been hoping to get a spot for the night at the campsite at Glenridding as we were desperate for a shower, but we could also see that there wasn’t a single tent down in the valley, so just as in Patterdale, it appeared that the campsite remained closed because of the potential spread of Coronavirus.
With the village in our sights, we hot-footed it down the hillside eager to make it to Glenridding Dodd, our final summit of the day.
From the summit of Glenridding Dodd we had fine views of Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District.
With another peak in the bag, we would be stopping for well-earned refreshments in Glenridding.
As there was no option to camp, after hiking down to the village we would have to make do with a rest stop and refreshments from the local shop, before then moving on to find a wild camp somewhere along Grisedale. The village was still bustling with tourists, so Covid-19 hadn’t stopped people coming to the Lakes – it just meant accommodation was at a premium, and with all the various campsites in the different valleys closed to tents – availability was scarce.
Leaving just after 6pm, we followed the road towards Patterdale then took the Coast to Coast path along the valley following Grisedale Beck. We didn’t want to camp at Grisedale Tarn as with it being a Friday night, we knew it would be extremely busy with wild campers as the tarn is only a couple of miles from the road making it a popular overnight spot. So instead we had earmarked Ruthwaite Lodge – a mountaineering hut along the route – as a potential camp spot that had running water close by.
Leaving Glenridding, we hiked through Patterdale to reach the Grisedale valley, having earmarked Ruthwaite Lodge Mountaineering Hut as a potential wild camp spot.
Heading up the Grisedale valley alongside the beck following the Coast to Coast path.
Enjoying the scenery in the early evening light. On previous walks, we have always come from the opposite direction heading towards Patterdale.
It was a pleasant walk up to the lodge, which was made even nicer when we found there was no one already camped there, so we quickly got set up on a flattish patch of grass to the side of the lodge. As it was already nearing 8pm by the time we had pitched and got settled, dinner was a quick bowl of rice and curried lentil sauce that we’d picked up from Booths yesterday evening when we’d resupplied in Keswick. It was certainly filling enough and didn’t make much mess, so it was a winner on all counts.
Bagging the most idyllic spot looking down the Grisedale valley, which we had all to ourselves.
Even though we’d only bagged 5 fells today, we had walked just short of 30 kilometres so it had still seemed like hard work. Changing our itinerary for what felt like the 12th time, it was apparent we’d have never been able to manage all 214 summits in 28 days – these long 12 hour walking days were really taking it out of us, so it was wonderful to actually lay down and stretch out on our sleep pads. As is so often the case, it didn’t take us long to fall asleep.
Saturday 15th August 2020, Wild Camp next to Ruthwaite Lodge, Grisedale, to Wild Camp next to Sour Milk Gill above Grasmere, 20.2km
Peaks bagged: 43. Steel Fell (553m), 44. Calf Crag (537m), 45. Gibson Knott (422m), 46. Helm Crag (The Lion & The Lamb) (405m)
Today we awoke to a spectacular cloud inversion in the Grisedale valley. The sun was just cresting above Birks and St. Sunday Crag and was casting a thin sliver of light across the top of the sea of clouds, which looked ethereal from our wild camp spot next to the mountaineers hut. The history behind the lodge is that it was once owned by Sheffield University Mountaineering Club who purchased its lease in the early 1950s and restored it from the dilapidated state it was in. After several years it fell out of use again and once more required repairs. It was eventually restored by the Ullswater Outward Bound School in 1993 and is still used by organised walking groups today.
What a view to wake up to! Wayne sets up his camera to capture a time lapse sequence of the mesmerising cloud inversion.
We didn’t rush to pack away, instead we got out our chairs and watched the beautiful scene unfold in front of us as the cloud layer waxed and waned in the valley below. Having carried his tripod up and down 42 fells without a single use so far other than to hang up wet laundry in the tent vestibule, it was to Wayne’s sheer joy that he got his first opportunity of the entire trip to record a time lapse sequence, so he eagerly set his camera to work capturing the scene.
Savouring the moment…
It seemed to last for the best part of an hour so after brewing a cup of tea, we thought it best to get packed away and get the tent down before people started descending from Hard Tarn or began hiking up from Grisedale Tarn.
Finally setting off just before 10am, we had planned on heading over to Grasmere and hiking up some fells that would be new to us north of the town. Continuing along the Coast to Coast path up the Grisedale valley, we knew the route would be busy, especially as it was now a Saturday, and even more so when we discovered that there was a fell race also taking place. There was a Marshall stationed under a tarp just before the tarn at the trail junction where the path heads off to Dollywaggon Pike and as we sat by the lake taking our first break, numerous fell runners turned off heading straight for the Helvellyn range.
Looking back across the beautiful Grisedale valley. It was the perfect day for fell running.
Grisedale Tarn had been one of our favourite wild camp spots on our Coast to Coast walk back in 2014 so we had fond memories of it as we returned.
A panoramic shot of Grisedale Tarn in all her glory.
It was already hot so it wasn’t surprising to see a couple of people already taking a dip in the tarn – but sadly not us as we had given ourselves another 20 kilometres to hike and some more peaks to bag. We were planning on getting to Easedale Tarn by around 4pm, so we thought we could laze around the lake later that afternoon. We should have realised after yesterday however, that going up and down these fells really does take much longer than we intend and we can’t rely on our usual timings.
Following Tongue Gill as we continued on the Coast to Coast path to the left of Great Tongue.
Signage along the busy A591 making us feel slightly guilty that we had travelled here for a holiday.
Taking another rest stop at Mill Bridge after crossing the busy A591, we ate some jelly sweets to give us an energy boost and psyched ourselves up for the climb going straight up the front of Steel Fell. We were only climbing around 400 metres on a well-worn path, but it was hot and tiresome with the sun fierce overhead.
Looking straight up the nose of Steel Fell. There was a clear, grassy path to the summit.
Looking back towards Grasmere.
From Steel Fell, looking across the valley to Seat Sandal.
We didn’t reach the summit until after 1pm, so we stopped and had a picnic lunch as well as a nap as the remainder of the walk across the saddle to Calf Crag (537m), then on to Gibson Knott (422m) and Helm Crag (405m) was mostly downhill.
After a long, hot morning, at last reaching the summit cairn on Steel Fell.
Pointing out the series of peaks in the distance before enjoying a picnic at the summit.
On the summit of Steel Fell at 553 metres looking towards Langdale and the Southern Fells.
From afar, the ridge of fell tops we were walking across looked positively rolling in comparison to the big ranges dwarfing them to the northeast and west, but they still had lots of ups and downs and crags and saddles to traverse, so they weren’t as easy as they appeared. A case in point was a guy sat at the side of the trail with his boots off looking all hot and bothered. When we asked if he was OK, his reply was ‘no’ because he was out of water. He had been walking with a camel-back and hadn’t realised how much he had drank until he was completely out. We too had hiked without nearly enough water so were being sparing with our supplies. We said this to him but he said because of Covid he wouldn’t have taken water from us anyway. We directed him to the quickest route down where there was a flowing stream near to the trail and hoped that he would make it.
Pressing on for our next fell top, which was to be Calf Crag high above Greenburn Bottom.
The less imposing summit of Calf Crag at 537 metres, flanked by the southern fells.
Looking along the ridge towards Gibson Knott and Helm Crag.
We continued along the ridge all the way to Helm Crag where the eastern face is known as ‘The Lion and The Lamb’. Indeed, from across the valley when we were hiking up to Steel Fell, we had commented that the mountain does resemble a lion sitting in a sphinx like position. Descending from Helm Crag and picking up the Coast to Coast route once again, we had originally intended on pushing on to bag Tarn Crag at 551 metres, with the possibility of then wild camping at Codale Tarn, but seeing as we hadn’t even made it off Helm Crag until 5pm, we quickly revised (yet again) what we were going to do.
Reaching the stony summit of Gibson Knott, we pushed straight on for the ‘Lion and the Lamb’.
A little scramble up Helm Crag made for a summit shot with a difference.
Instead of camping at Codale Tarn, we had decided to follow the path along Sour Milk Gill and head up to Easedale Tarn to look for a camp spot. Setting off up the trail however, we spied a beautiful grassy spot beside the gill, which looked as good a place as any to camp. It was too early to pitch however and there were still lots of day walkers hiking down from Easedale Tarn that passed us. As we’d not had a shower in several days and I was desperate to wash my hair, we decided to stop and at least wash beside the gill, then make the decision whether to pitch or not when the trail quietened.
It was heaven sitting on the rocks and soaking my feet in the flowing water, which was even luke-warm. It had been something we had been wanting to do all day – but as ever with a demanding schedule we just hadn’t had the chance to do so. So now it was sheer luxury, especially when I filled up the collapsible wash bowl and managed to wash my hair (away from the water of course). Wayne took it upon himself to dismantle a fire-pit that someone had built, putting the rocks back in the gill, removing the coals, and planting some grass seedlings in the scar that was left. He was really pleased with his efforts, quoting to me “Always leave a camp spot better than you found it!”
Crossing the gill by a gentle rock hop to find a more secluded spot in the cover of some bushes.
Soaking my feet was simply heaven after a hot day’s walk.
Discovering a further use for the tripod – it had now become part of our home made gravity filter system!
It was too early to pitch the tent, so we made use of our camp chairs for once. We had carried them all this way after all!
So it was settled – we would cook dinner and then set the tent up after 9pm when we were sure there wouldn’t be anyone around. As long as we were up and away early, we hoped it wouldn’t be a problem. We were still above the intake wall but hadn’t made it to the tarn. As several hikers with big packs had gone past the last couple of hours, we doubted they’d be any spots left anyway.
Dinner tonight was an omelette special with chopped onion and tomatoes complete with a packet of Heinz curried lentils heated through and poured on top – which we filmed for a ‘Trail Kitchen’. It was good to be camped close to running water as it was one of the messier dinners that needed a proper pot wash.
Wayne seems to be back on top form and even filmed a trail kitchen for the vlog.
What a lovely evening to set up camp by flowing water. It was instant relaxation.
By the time cooking, eating and washing up was done, it was nearing 9pm, which we thought was now a perfectly acceptable time to get the tent out and set up. The sky was turning a subtle shade of pink and no further walkers had passed by in at least half an hour, so we felt more comfortable having not hiked up further to the tarn. As long as we were up early and had the tent packed away before people started hiking down, there shouldn’t be a problem. We would then decide tomorrow what we would do for our final day…
We felt lucky on our final wild camp as we were presented with pretty pink skies to end our Lake District Adventure, 2020.
Sunday 16th August 2020, Wild Camp next to Sour Milk Gill to Grasmere, 3km, then bus to The Gables Guesthouse, Ambleside
It had been forecast rain between 5am and 6am, so we set the alarm for six with a view to getting packed away before 7am. We had then intended on sitting in our camp chairs by the stream once again, making a brew and generally having a lazy morning before hiking down into Grasmere. Unfortunately, as with everything in the Lakes on this particular trip, that didn’t happen as it didn’t stop raining until 9am, so we were all packed and ready to go but decided to stay put in the tent to wait it out.
We had decided that we’d had enough of peak bagging for now, so Tarn Crag, Blea Rigg, Silver Howe and Stone Arthur would all have to wait until another trip. As the fell tops were all obscured by low cloud there would be little chance of seeing anything anyway… So for our final day in the fells we decided to hike down to Grasmere and when we had a decent phone signal we would try and book a hotel for the night. A shower was long overdue, as was wine and a proper bed for the night.
All packed up and ready to hike down into Grasmere. Our camping days were done for this year…
Below the cloud layer, we enjoyed a lovely walk downhill into the Grasmere valley.
As our train the following day was from Windermere, we were looking for accommodation either there or in Ambleside, just a short bus journey away. Fortunately, we found a room right across the road from where we had stayed earlier in the trip when we’d been forced off the fells due to extreme wind and heavy rain.
So after a wander around Grasmere and a spot of window shopping to kill some time before check-in, we then caught the bus to Ambleside and off-loaded our packs.
Sheltering from the rain whilst waiting for the local bus to Ambleside.
All smiles behind the face masks as we’d bagged ourselves a bed and breakfast for the night.
Then ensued a socially distanced afternoon having a couple of beers in The Golden Rule and The Unicorn pubs, whilst trying to see if we could book a table anywhere for dinner that night. Unfortunately, everywhere we tried was fully booked – the joys of places operating under a reduced capacity following Covid guidelines, so the option we were left with was to get a Chinese takeaway and take it back to the room. Having not had proper ‘Chinese’ food since before Lockdown it was heaven on a plate!
Passing the iconic Stock Ghyll flowing through the heart of Ambleside.
Rain doesn’t spoil play – treating ourselves to an ice-cream now all the hard work is one!
Catching up with the local news, we were alarmed to discover that our hometown had seen a significant rise in the number of Covid cases since we had been away and that the Newark & Sherwood area had been put on the Government’s watch list. Heading home tomorrow may not turn out to be the best decision after all…
But it was a decision well-made in terms of us ending our crazy peak-bagging challenge. It’s not very often we give up on an endeavour, but with all the obstacles that had been thrown at us, it just felt like the right thing to do. After 17 days backpacking in the Lakes, it was time to go home.
Hand on heart, it had been way tougher than we had ever anticipated. After knowing our walking pace precisely on the PCT, with the continuous ups and downs of the Lake District – our timings were totally off and it was a challenge like no other. We have full respect for all the fell runner athletes who accomplish all 214 summits in less than 7 days. We had managed 46 and were beat!
That’s not to say our walking adventures are over – we will just choose them more wisely to suit our capabilities next time!
Happy hiking to all of you who manage to get some walking in somewhere in the world post-lockdown. It’s not about the peaks you bag – just spending time in the outdoors is what feeds your soul.
9 Comments
Well done on a magnificent effort. You set yourself one heck of a challenge and despite the difficulties In sure you will have some wonderful memories of your journey through one of the loveliest areas of England. I look forward to reading about those future adventures.
Thanks David. I can’t believe it was exactly a year ago. It really doesn’t seem that long!
Yes lots of great memories and the Lakes is still one of our go-to places.
Heading up tomorrow for a week in Keswick with some walking planned. Hoping to get the Wythop & Lorton fells bagged as we’ve never been to Bassenthwaite Lake and it’s a comfortable 11 mile circular.
Got a few odd balls in terms of outlying fells we want to do too.
Making the most of the last week of the school holidays!
Hope you’re well. I’ve not been on social media much this year and have not kept up with anything with us being busy moving house.
Best regards,
Danielle
Many thanks again for sharing your adventures with us, it was certainly worth the wait for this third instalment.
Thanks so much Kevin.
It’s taken a long time to get round to editing and posting but the bulk of the writing is always done on trail, so reading back through it feels like it was only yesterday!
Hopefully, we’ll have a beautiful new trail to write about next year as we’re planning on hiking the GR54 around Ecrins National Park in the French Alps. From what we’ve seen online it looks stunning and will be completely new territory for us!
Hope all is well with you,
Danielle
Hey you two! Thanks for sharing your engaging trekking tales and lovely photographs from the Lakes District. How heavy are your backpacks including cameras? All the best from the shores of Lake Michigan.
Thanks Garry! We don’t actually weigh our packs now – but we estimate between 12 and 15 kilograms with food & camera gear. We carry camp chairs & other luxuries like the frying pan but our packs are comfortable. I think it’s just what you get used to!
I enjoy seeing your pics on Instagram. 😊 All the best, Danielle
Great to see the end of the story! Hope all is well with you both and look forward to your reports from your next adventure 🙂
Thanks Andy – it was certainly a long time coming, but I’m glad I finally finished it!
Hope all is well with you too.
Danielle😊
Hi Guys
Your site is my go to site for most of my info on the Pennine way, which I am planning next year. I am really enjoying your photos and 1st class reports on all of your hikes as well.
Anyway on these latest hikes what make is the orange tent you have , (is it any good) and what has been your tent best over the previous years. I am in the market for an upgrade.
Regards.😎
Sam.