I found myself approaching the end of the year with 11 days of holiday to use up. My company runs a "use it or lose it" policy on holiday and after booking a few days for Christmas I was still left with over a week to kill. I had already had some fun trips this year, but always running to someone else's schedule, so the idea of being completely anti-social and taking a solo trip to somewhere with big (hopefully empty) open spaces was appealing. So, Saturday the 10th of October saw me setting out on the five hour drive from Hertfordshire to the Lake District.
I have been to or through the Lake District a number of times, but never at this time of year, and never without a schedule, or someone else to take account of in planning.
The weather was remarkably good for the time of year. I had been cursing that other commitments had kept me down south on the preceding weekend, I had wanted to go up on sooner than mid-October, but I learned that the previous weekend had brought torrential rain and gales, so the delay worked out rather well after all! The only problems with the nice weather were the number of geriatrics running around the mountains
if there is an "off-season" it is later in the year. Also that the lack of rain and mild temperatures didn't really stress the gear I had been hoping to trial.
Sunday was meant to be clear, but dawn came with the rain. I headed for Great Langdale, via the scenic route through Little Langdale and managed to still be in the car when the last torrential shower of the day swept through.
Rainbow in Great Langdale
I quickly found that I could do with being a bit fitter, and also that climbing hills is warm work...quickly was stripped to my t-shirt. Eventually got to the top of the first hill, only to have the wind put in a good effort to blow me off. Every so often I try wearing synthetic base layers, but the first climbe up Pike of Blisco once again put me off 'em
Cold and smelly
I carried on around the rim of Great Langdale, bypassing some of the more interesting bits of Crinckle Crags. I was happy to come down the boulder field,
...but reckon the guy descending this crag was a nutter.
Looking down The Band into Great Langdale (looking East)
The weather the following day, Monday, was fantastic, and I made use of it to climb Coniston's Old Man. I wanted something fairly easy and was happy to find a parking area near the foot of the hills. My route took me up passed Goats Water on the way up and Low Water on the way back, and I reckon that was much easier than the reverse.
Goats Water
Consiton from the top
The intrepid explorer
Please note the product placement... One BCUK Ventile in "Earth". Clearly ignoring Mountain Rescue advice to wear bright, visible, colours on the hills
On Tuesday I took a day off and went and
at kit in Keswick and after quite a while spent in the Norwegian Store, succumbed and joined the woolly pants club
I can recommend the shop, and the products. I wore wool as a base layer for the trip, apart from that first day, and it was great!
That was it for the good weather for a couple of days. I relocated to the bottom end of Borrowdale, having walked in the area before and wanting to try some different routes. Wednesday saw me heading down the Langstrath valley from Stonethwaite, its a very quiet place, most folk seem to walk the ridges and the valleys can give an even greater sense of solitude.
Everything was fine, and visibility looked pretty good...
...right up till the point at which I got to Angle Tarn and had to climb up to the 720m saddle near Allen Crags. Visibility down to sub-50m and everything getting damp
"Come to the Lake District and enjoy the scenery, take in the views"
I came down by Grains Gill to Seathwaite, not the route I had planned on but with visibility as it was there seemed little point in trying to take in further scenery.
Looking back at Grains Gill
The next day wasn't a lot better,
but I went for a drive up Derwent Water anyway, sometimes the low cloud can be very localised.
Catbells was heaving with people, lots of silver heads. It really takes the wind out of one's sails to meet (and be overtaken by) crinklies on the crags
Things were quieter on Maiden Moor, but the visibility started to worsen.
Until, at the top of High Spy...
Having had trouble in the past with one of the routes off High Spy, I doubled back (general direction of the car) and tried another path marked on the map, Nitting Haws...big mistake! Should you find yourself between Maiden Moor and High Spy I can't recommend it
Looking down the "path"...maybe
...hmmm maybe that wasn't the path
...
The crappy visibility, and the last slightly hairy descent, contributed to my decision that evening to head home the following day.
Which, as I should have known, was gorgeous
On the way to the M6 at Penrith I stopped at Ashness Bridge and the look out point over Derwent.
Oh well, just enough time for a bit more product placement...
I had a great time, the weather was good for the time of year and I got a reasonable amount of exercise The campsites I stayed in were nearly empty and there were no noisy kids anywhere.
I kept my eyes open for places where you might have practiced "bushcraft" as most people would know it, but there weren't all that many spots once out on the hills. There were some lovely woods in the valleys, but apart from the legalities, one would have to be fairly clever, if you had driven up, about where to leave your car. Pretty much anything that shows on an OS map as parking comes complete with an extortionate pay-and-display machine, and signs forbidding over-night parking.
Other photos:
http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll235/gps_deseng/Lakes_Oct09/
I have been to or through the Lake District a number of times, but never at this time of year, and never without a schedule, or someone else to take account of in planning.
The weather was remarkably good for the time of year. I had been cursing that other commitments had kept me down south on the preceding weekend, I had wanted to go up on sooner than mid-October, but I learned that the previous weekend had brought torrential rain and gales, so the delay worked out rather well after all! The only problems with the nice weather were the number of geriatrics running around the mountains
if there is an "off-season" it is later in the year. Also that the lack of rain and mild temperatures didn't really stress the gear I had been hoping to trial.Sunday was meant to be clear, but dawn came with the rain. I headed for Great Langdale, via the scenic route through Little Langdale and managed to still be in the car when the last torrential shower of the day swept through.
Rainbow in Great Langdale
I quickly found that I could do with being a bit fitter, and also that climbing hills is warm work...quickly was stripped to my t-shirt. Eventually got to the top of the first hill, only to have the wind put in a good effort to blow me off. Every so often I try wearing synthetic base layers, but the first climbe up Pike of Blisco once again put me off 'em
Cold and smelly
I carried on around the rim of Great Langdale, bypassing some of the more interesting bits of Crinckle Crags. I was happy to come down the boulder field,
...but reckon the guy descending this crag was a nutter.
Looking down The Band into Great Langdale (looking East)
The weather the following day, Monday, was fantastic, and I made use of it to climb Coniston's Old Man. I wanted something fairly easy and was happy to find a parking area near the foot of the hills. My route took me up passed Goats Water on the way up and Low Water on the way back, and I reckon that was much easier than the reverse.
Goats Water
Consiton from the top
The intrepid explorer
Please note the product placement...
One BCUK Ventile in "Earth". Clearly ignoring Mountain Rescue advice to wear bright, visible, colours on the hills On Tuesday I took a day off and went and
I can recommend the shop, and the products. I wore wool as a base layer for the trip, apart from that first day, and it was great!
That was it for the good weather for a couple of days. I relocated to the bottom end of Borrowdale, having walked in the area before and wanting to try some different routes. Wednesday saw me heading down the Langstrath valley from Stonethwaite, its a very quiet place, most folk seem to walk the ridges and the valleys can give an even greater sense of solitude.
Everything was fine, and visibility looked pretty good...
...right up till the point at which I got to Angle Tarn and had to climb up to the 720m saddle near Allen Crags. Visibility down to sub-50m and everything getting damp
"Come to the Lake District and enjoy the scenery, take in the views"
I came down by Grains Gill to Seathwaite, not the route I had planned on but with visibility as it was there seemed little point in trying to take in further scenery.
Looking back at Grains Gill
The next day wasn't a lot better,
but I went for a drive up Derwent Water anyway, sometimes the low cloud can be very localised.
Catbells was heaving with people, lots of silver heads. It really takes the wind out of one's sails to meet (and be overtaken by) crinklies on the crags
Things were quieter on Maiden Moor, but the visibility started to worsen.
Until, at the top of High Spy...
Having had trouble in the past with one of the routes off High Spy, I doubled back (general direction of the car) and tried another path marked on the map, Nitting Haws...big mistake! Should you find yourself between Maiden Moor and High Spy I can't recommend it
Looking down the "path"...maybe
...hmmm maybe that wasn't the path
...
The crappy visibility, and the last slightly hairy descent, contributed to my decision that evening to head home the following day.
Which, as I should have known, was gorgeous
On the way to the M6 at Penrith I stopped at Ashness Bridge and the look out point over Derwent.
Oh well, just enough time for a bit more product placement...
I had a great time, the weather was good for the time of year and I got a reasonable amount of exercise
The campsites I stayed in were nearly empty and there were no noisy kids anywhere. I kept my eyes open for places where you might have practiced "bushcraft" as most people would know it, but there weren't all that many spots once out on the hills. There were some lovely woods in the valleys, but apart from the legalities, one would have to be fairly clever, if you had driven up, about where to leave your car. Pretty much anything that shows on an OS map as parking comes complete with an extortionate pay-and-display machine, and signs forbidding over-night parking.
Other photos:
http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll235/gps_deseng/Lakes_Oct09/
