Hi all, me and my pal Adey just got back from a trip to Mosedale Cottage bothy in the lakes. We just stayed for the night and most of the next day. It was a longer slog to get there than we thought. We parked in the car par at Wet Sleddale reservoir and cut across bridalway south of the reservoir. There is a path to the north that goes to the bothy but Adey wanted to test his orienteering so we made our own way instead it was i 4 and a half walk over boggy ground crossing a lot of streams and beck, we had to cross a pretty high peek and we both had very heavy backpacks on with a tent and 6 litres of water each. When crossed todcrags we got our first site of the bothy. Dripping sweat and with aching shoulders and necks it was a welcome sight, we were still miles away but at least we had found the place. The last leg of the journey was the hardest, we were ankle deep most of the time and by the time we got there we were soaked to the knee, despite the fact that I had gators in my pack but had not worn them like an idiot. The bothy was empty and in good condition. The plan was to pitch the tents up nearby but as there was no firewood around we couldn't dry out gear so we stayed in the bothy for the night. The cottage is in an amazing spot, we were lucky enough to have a clear night and the stars you could see were unbelievable, a few shooting stars to boot, living in Leeds I didn't realis how little of the night sky we see due to light pollution. We were up until about 1am after a meal of bacon beans and cheese all thrown in a pan and cooked together (highly recommended) and then managing to see off a full bottle of Jack Daniels between us we slept on the wooden sleeping platform inside. It was an uncomfortable nights sleep and i was craving my tent and the mossy ground outside. The next day i was up around 7:30 while Adey slept on i sat is the sun by the stream and carved up a walking stick from a nice fallen branch Adey had found on the way there. The place is like something out of a dream, i was completely at peace. Not a sound to be heard for miles apart from the odd sheep and the stream.
We set off back about 3:30pm and took the path this time, it's pretty hard to see a lot of the time so a compass and map is still needed but the walk is a lot easier then the direst route we took there. It took us about the same time to get back to the car as the path is a longer route but it takes in some amazing views. You pass Sleddale Hall going this way which is the cottage from Withnail and I according to Adey.
The original plan was to go for 2 nights moving on to a different spot on the second night, but the Jack Daniels had made us eat too much of our food and our boots were still wet so we came home. We don't view the trip as a failure though more of a trial run. We will go again and be better prepared. Things we would do differently next time:
Won't carry a ridiculous amount of water, there is a drinkable stream right next to the bothy and i'm going to invest in one of those Steripens I think.
Get there earlier, there is a wooded area just over Brunt Tongue to the south east, i would consider getting to the bothy and then hiking over to the wood for firewood, i think it's about a 2 mile hike over boggy terrain so it will not be easy but should be worth it.
We are both just getting back into this sort of thing after many years not doing much and this trip definitely highlighted how out of shape i am.
Took a few pics:
We set off back about 3:30pm and took the path this time, it's pretty hard to see a lot of the time so a compass and map is still needed but the walk is a lot easier then the direst route we took there. It took us about the same time to get back to the car as the path is a longer route but it takes in some amazing views. You pass Sleddale Hall going this way which is the cottage from Withnail and I according to Adey.
The original plan was to go for 2 nights moving on to a different spot on the second night, but the Jack Daniels had made us eat too much of our food and our boots were still wet so we came home. We don't view the trip as a failure though more of a trial run. We will go again and be better prepared. Things we would do differently next time:
Won't carry a ridiculous amount of water, there is a drinkable stream right next to the bothy and i'm going to invest in one of those Steripens I think.
Get there earlier, there is a wooded area just over Brunt Tongue to the south east, i would consider getting to the bothy and then hiking over to the wood for firewood, i think it's about a 2 mile hike over boggy terrain so it will not be easy but should be worth it.
We are both just getting back into this sort of thing after many years not doing much and this trip definitely highlighted how out of shape i am.
Took a few pics:
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