Walking in the Lake District

Lake District Easter 2009

Why don’t I live closer to this beautiful place? I always have to battle through the M25, M6 (the M40 isn’t usually too bad) event at midnight. It’s ridiculous - we live in a country full of people wanting to go places. Hmmm…. I was one of them. Shouldn’t complain really.

We are staying at Ennerdale YHA Barn, basic, rustic, but lovely. I sometimes wish I could live with such simple pleasures. Why do I need a plasma TV? Paved driveway? Ensuite bathroom and fitted kitchen? Lots of questions, but that it what beautiful places do to you. Get you thinking about life.

Today’s walk was wet. It was bound to be it’s the Lake District. Wettest part of the country. Out the barn down the track and up, up, up. So steep, past the lowing black cattle that looked like labradoodles and were subsequently named cowadoodles. Hard work up the steep hill and out onto the ridge along to Haycock. The wind was howling around us as the clouds closed in, bringing the cold and rain in as we followed the undulating ridge across Scoat Fell towards the high point of Pillar at 892m.

Summit was gained and we split into two teams one fitter than the other who went on to tackle Kirk Fell, skirt around the Gables and up to Haystacks. Me being a rather unfit walker who suffers with knee ache decided to drop down with the old folk to the Ennerdale Plantations, past Black Sail Hut for the long slow slog on the metalled track back to the barn for a much needed cup of tea and seaweed crackers. Seaweed crackers? Don’t ask.

The next day saw the sun breaking in through the windows, past the cracks in the towels that were masquerading as curtains. Porridge and tea down us we were ready to head out for a glorious day in the hills. Rucksack packed and off we went, back up the metalled track, only to come back down it again later. Not a great start to the day.

Off to the east of the track and straight up, up , up to the ridge line. Now this was a way to get the lungs working first thing in the morning and stretch out the un-exercised legs after yesterdays six hours. A 600 meter climb to the top of Red Pike. Then a rest. Well deserved and well needed to allow my heart rate to return to normal. The views, as ever, in the Lake District on a sunny day, were tremendous, one way down into Buttermere, (which I think is the most beautiful view in the Lake District), the other way the view was showing us the wet and windy ridge of yesterdays walk.

Our ridge was to the South, towards the towering cliff face of Great Gable, the summit glowing in the sunshine, waiting for us to tread it’s flanks and peak. The route to the summit was up and down much more than we anticipated, across High Stile to High Crag and down to rugged tops of Haystacks, past Innominate Tarn, the final resting place of Alfred Wainwright, perhaps the most famous of the Lake District writers and fell walkers.

With the sun still beaming down on us, we skirted under the peaks of Brandreth and Green Gable and took the path up to Windy Gap on the eastern flank of Great Gable. Another fifteen minutes and we topped out on goal of the walk, as the sun was slowly dipping toward the west. Dropping off the North West flank, back down into the valley, following the streams that lead into the River Liza, we took a very leisurely stroll under the watchful eye of the two ridge lines we just walked. Back past the Black Sail Hut, back down the metalled track, back to the single shower on the barn at Ennerdale, closely followed by a well deserved curry in Cockermouth.

The Lakes in the rain, the Lakes in the sun, the Lakes at Easter. Where is there a more beautiful place in England?