Eskdale

Once again the lure of a few nights away in our campervan proved too strong. This weekend we managed three nights at the National Trust campsite in Eskdale. In short, an absolutely amazing place to camp and visit.

We arrived in the rain on the Thursday and quickly filled up the water tank, set up the van, took Gordon for a short walk in the rain and settled down for the night. Everything appeared to be working as it should and we managed a great night’s sleep.

The following morning the rain had stopped so we headed out for a good walk up the two closest Wainwright’s; Harter Fell at 653m and Green Crag at 489m. We set off down the road towards the infamous Hardknott Pass. The website for the campsite had three different warnings about checking your Sat Nav to make sure that it didn’t send you over the Pass. I cycled it once almost 12 years ago, and that was enough.

We followed a pleasant little track past Penny Hill Farm before the uphill began. There’s no easy route up Harter Fell, and it was a long slog up a very steep path. We also only saw one other person, but the views from the top were worth it.

I’m not very good at knowing which fell is which, but I am fairly sure that behind Helen, my beautiful wife, it is the Old Man Coniston range of fells along with Seathwaite Tarn.

Back down a different route, which was equally as steep, we came to Hardknott Forest, which is being replanted with trees native to the area instead of conifers. The next section was boggy, and even in the height of summer it is boggy. Fortunately, we didn’t have too much to climb to reach the summit of Green Crag. Once again, the views were amazing as we could see all the way from Seascale nuclear power plant in one direction to Heysham nuclear power plant in the other.

Coming back down from Green Crag to Boot was tricky. There are probably dozens of different footpaths and none of them are easy to follow. Added to this, young Gordon had lost his mind with all of the birds. We bumped into a farmer building fences who seemed to think that Gordon was a character. He certainly is. And then before we knew it, we were back at the campsite. The sun was also out, so we swapped pitches so that we were completely on grass.

Gordon likes the sun.

The lack of cloud did mean that the temperature dropped significantly overnight, with frost on the front windscreen. We survived much better than we had a couple of months earlier. We then noticed a problem. The sink wasn’t draining away. Also, after a look under the van, we realised that the water tank also wouldn’t drain. A quick look online and the sink drain was a common problem and a flexible stick poked up the pipe would solve it, which it did, thank you Helen. We’ll probably have to have someone look at the water tank drain. Campervan forums suggest that you should fill up on arrival and then drain it when you leave, and never drink the water from the tank. Good advice.

The next morning we drove to Muncaster Castle for a fairly new parkrun, which I will write about separately. It was one of the friendliest and best parkuns that I’ve done.

That afternoon we went for a random walk towards Burnmoor Tarn in the sun. I had forgotten to bring my cap with me and had to buy one from the campsite shop. No hair equals a sunburnt head if I’m not careful.

We didn’t reach the Tarn as it was further than expected, but we spotted three people walking on the other side of a small stream on what looked like an easy to follow footpath. We crossed over the stream and decided to head back a slightly different route. Easy footpath soon disappeared. We headed towards a gate in a stone wall, figuring that we could follow the track through the farm. There was a sign on the gate saying no entry, but Helen spotted on her watch where the footpath was, which was only a couple of minutes walk away.

As we reached the campsite we came to Eskdale Mill, complete with waterwheel. It might have been nice to visit, except that Gordon probably wouldn’t behave himself. He’s never been to a museum.

The three nights away were the best so far with our campervan, and I think we’re just about getting the hang of it. It makes us realise just how little we actually knew about campervans on our first weekend away.

On the drive home we started to think about where our next mini-adventure should take us, and when.

Castlerigg

Another weekend and another adventure in our campervan. It was our longest weekend away as we stayed at Castlerigg Hall campsite Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. We also tried out our new posh inflatable tent awning, which amazingly stayed up through the winds of storm Kathleen.

Castlerigg Hall campsite was very friendly with immaculate toilets and showers. Definitely a popular spot, with views across Derwentwater and onto Catbells. The Catbells light festival was the main reason for our trip. Unfortunately, it was cancelled due to the storm, which was the right decision. It has been rescheduled for the summer and we’ve booked a spot at Castlerigg Farm campsite, as Castlerigg Hall campsite was already fully booked.

Anyway, Friday morning the weather was mostly rain free, so we walked into Keswick. Gordon wanted to make friends with some cows.

Keswick wasn’t too busy, but with a break in the weather we opted to walk up to the top of the nearest Wainwright, namely Latrigg, one of the smaller fells. Being an idiot, I mapped the shortest route to the top, which appeared to be almost vertical. The view from the top wasn’t too bad, as we were just below the clouds.

We took the easier route back down, sensibly, returning to the campsite to dry off. The campsite had a mobile pizza van on a Friday night, which was a good alternative to cooking. That evening was wild in the van, with the wind and rain howling. We survived, albeit with very little sleep. The people in the campervan nearest to us had decided to take down their awning, we probably should have done the same as we had to dry it out when we were home.

Saturday morning was dry and sunny. The forecast wasn’t great. However, it was pleasant enough for me to run into Keswick to join in with Keswick parkrun, which was celebrating their tenth anniversary. The run director also mentioned that the previous weekend, Easter Saturday, there had been over 500 runners and walkers. Hats off the volunteers. My advice would be to avoid the Lake District at Easter, if you can.

After a shower the three of us returned to Keswick, which was far busier. We bought some snacks for Gordon and had a coffee and cake in a very pleasant little dog friendly cafe. Gordon was too friendly and far too excited, so we sat outside, just as it started raining.

That evening, the weather was even wilder, if possible. The funny thing was that down in Keswick you wouldn’t have known that there was a storm at all it was so calm. After another restless night worrying if the whole van was going to blow away, we packed up and headed home.

This was our first three nighter and once again we learned a lot. We learned that we needed better tent pegs to hammer the awning into the hard standing pitch. We also learnt that the awning wasn’t too difficult to put up or take down, even in the wind, although we will probably won’t use it every time.

Here’s to our next weekend away, wherever it is.

Campervan Fun

My lovely wife, Helen, has always wanted a campervan. We’ve looked at various makes and models for a number of years, even taking an old Peugeot for a test drive. However, earlier this year I was left some money, which we decided to put towards a VW Campervan. A 2017 model with less than 45,000 miles. Bright yellow.

Friday 16/2/2024

We’ve named him Custard. Northern custard not southern custard. He’s amazing. We were supposed to pick him up at 1 pm, but phoned the dealer to see if we could pick him up early as we were so excited. There was a squeak in the engine that the dealer assured us they will sort out when the garage has time.

We drove home and found that the mirror on the driver’s side doesn’t push in. With Gordon in tow we returned to the dealer. After a lot of faff, and being ignored, the offending wing mirror was gaffer taped up and we were told that a replacement would be ordered and fitted the following week.

We drove to Morecambe, via a petrol station as the tank was almost empty. We parked up and went for a walk. Custard looked great.

Saturday 17/2/2024

I created three walking routes from the Great Langdales as Helen had booked us into a National Trust campsite. We all went to Lancaster parkrun, me to run and Helen walking around the park with Gordon. On the way back, Gordon was more than happy to sit on his own on the back seat. Also on the way home, Custard decided to mess about. The engine shut off when I was stopped at some lights, and I didn’t stall. Custard did it again when we arrived at the barrier for the campsite. Also, only half of the touch screen for the Sat Nav/radio worked. We’ll add them to the list.

At the campsite we raised the roof and set up the awning before heading off for a walk up Lingmoor Fell. Heavy rain stopped the walk early. Back in Custard, and there was a small leak at the back and the larger gas ring doesn’t work.

As we dried off, Helen cooked fried haloumi with fruity couscous. Delicious, washed down with a beer, or two. The fold out table had grass on it. Shoddy cleaning from the dealer, and the water tank hadn’t been filled up either.

Gordon needed a poo and Helen fell over hurting her back when she took him out. Not funny. I then bashed my head reaching behind the back seat. Helen suggested that I know looked like Mikhail Gorbachev.

Feeling a little annoyed at the dealer we headed to bed fairly early. Helen climbed into the top and I followed, but we weren’t sure if the roof was strong enough for our combined weight. Also, Gordon didn’t like that we’d left him. We returned to the main bed, which was fairly hard and Gordon decided to sleep in between our sleeping bags. Not a great night’s sleep. We’ll need a mattress.

Sunday 18/2/2024

Early coffee sat in the van enjoying the lack of rain. We then went for an eight mile walk up Rossett Pike and back.

Obligatory selfie with the beautiful Mrs B.

We were both feeling a little sad about Custard and his various problems, and we almost quit the walk. We were both very pleased that we hadn’t as the views from the top were stunning. It was also an easy route to follow with no scrambling. Gordon’s second Wainwright.

The sun had dried out the awning and the pop-up top, which we stowed away just before it started raining again. Gordon enjoyed looking out of the window from “his” seat.

The campsite was excellent and we will definitely be visiting it again in the summer. As for Custard, his list of ailments are:

• Squeaky engine
• Broken wing mirror
• Engine randomly stopping
• Only one key
• Sat Nav/radio touchscreen
• Small leak
• Gas ring

We will be visiting the dealer during the week to move forward with the various problems. I’ll keep you informed of how we get on.

Apart from the minor or major problems, we absolutely love having a campervan and we should have bought one years ago. We are incredibly excited about heading off on adventures at least every other week.

Troutbeck Tongue

Two weeks in a row that we’ve headed out for a walk in the Lake District, and when I say “we”, I mean me, my lovely wife, Helen, and our silly young Pointer, Gordon. With tired legs from yesterday’s parkrun, we decided to tick off an easy Wainwright, Troutbeck Tongue. Obligatory selfie before we set off as we waited for a shower to pass.

According to Wikipedia, Troutbeck Tongue is small fell three miles east-northeast of Ambleside. Its moderate height and proximity to a main road mean it is a pleasant half-day excursion that can be done when the higher fells are in cloud. Today, the higher fells of Ill Bell, Froswick and Red Screes were all hidden by cloud, as well as having a dusting on frost.

Even though we set off nice and early, the small carpark close to the church in Troutbeck was already full. Fortunately, we managed to squeeze into a small layby a little further up the road. When we returned, cars were parked everywhere, which I assume the locals hate.

When we set off, we clambered over two stiles and joined a small path running parallel to the main Kirkstone Road, which we crossed and joined Ing Lane. The walking was easy, even with a very excited pointer. He was a little unsure of the sheep when we crossed another field, but we soon found ourselves heading up the lower slope of the Tongue.

From the photo it is easy to see how the other fells dwarf the much smaller Troutbeck Tongue.

As with all Wainwright’s, there was some steep sections, but you don’t get the great views without a little effort. However, Gordon was slightly too excited and was bordering on being a pest, especially when he tried to eat frozen lumps of sheep poo.

When we reached the summit, we bumped into the first people we’d seen on our route. Two men, loaded down with huge rucksacks. We didn’t have chance to find out what they were doing, but it looked epic.

From the top, you can see why Wainwright added this fell to his collection, with views all the way down the valley to Windermere, even on a day like today when the weather wasn’t any where near as good as the previous week.

It was surprisingly windy at the top, even though we weren’t very high, and with the dusting of frost, Gordon decided it wasn’t for him. We took a few photos and then headed back down the way we had come up, which was a lot easier than climbing up.

You can see that little Gordon has a harness across his snout. He doesn’t like it, but he’s too strong to walk with if he’s not wearing it. He’s an intelligent lad, so we’re fairly sure that his little brain will link not pulling with not having to wear the lead he doesn’t like.

On the way down we passed a woman with a very lively dog, who didn’t like Gordon, before meeting a man wearing a kilt, and a fell runner running up hill faster than I would run downhill.

At the bottom of the Tongue, we took a different route back to Troutbeck, following the main bridleway which would take you to Thornthwaite Crag and High Street. Thornthwaite we’ve done, but High Street is a fell for another day. (Read about Thornthwaite here).

We followed the bridleway until we reached a fork. Our intended route was to the left, but the right fork would take us through Limefitt holiday park. It looked fairly pleasant, even if the lodges were very close to each other. It was a nice short cut which took us directly back to our car. We fed Gordon before heading on home.

Our route might have only been six miles, but it was great to be out. Plus, we ticked off one more Wainwright, although it will probably take us years to walk them all.

Gordon’s First Fell

Gordon is our nine-month old Pointer puppy. Today was the first time that we’ve taken him for a walk in the lakes. He loved it, which is just as well, as me and Helen still have 190 Wainwright’s to complete. The last time that we went walking in the Lake District was back in April last year. Now that Gordon is older, hopefully we’ll be heading out every couple of weeks.

Helen downloaded a six mile loop from Wikiloc, which started and finished in Ambleside. As there was plenty of ice around, we opted to park in Ambleside, rather than starting and finishing in Troutbeck, as on the drive out there it appeared that none of the roads had been gritted. One drawback, outrageous parking prices, and a payment machine that only worked via the App. Grumble, grumble, mumble.

The route took us past the Stock Ghyll Falls and onto the steepest section of the climb up Wansfell. It was cold and there was some ice, but it wasn’t too bad. My legs, on the other hand, were definitely not used to walking up steep fells. Gordon was also incredibly excited.

The views from the top were stunning, with the whole of Windermere Lake hidden under a blanket of cloud. My lovely wife, Helen, Googled it on the way home. There was a temperature inversion, where the temperature at ground level is lower than at higher ground. It is very rare for clouds to remain at ground level for more than a couple of hours in the early morning, so we were incredibly fortunate.

At the top, we did make a small mistake. Wansfell Pike isn’t a Wainwright. The next fell along, Baystones, is the Wainwright. It’s okay, we’ll simply have to come back another day.

Seconds after Helen took that photo of me and Gordon, I managed to drop his lead when he suddenly pulled. He was off like a shot, with me running and shouting after him. Fortunately, Helen’s loud whistle stopped him in his tracks and he ran back to us. I have never been so relieved. It isn’t uncommon for Pointer owners to have GPS collars on their dogs. They like to run, and our last Pointer would come back when she was ready.

From the top of Wansfell we dropped down the other side towards the small village of Troutbeck, where we bumped into an old friend from Lancaster who was out walking with his family in the opposite direction.

After a short section on the road we turned up Robin Lane. This was a fantastic track which we followed all the way back to Ambleside. Once again, Gordon was very excited, especially as he is now tall enough to be able to see over most stone walls. It was also the first time that he had seen sheep.

The track slowly made its way back down the hill, through a field full of more sheep and into a wood, before we reached Ambleside. We had a great view of Hayes Garden World from above the town, and we both agreed that it was a carbuncle and some of the cottages must have been annoyed when it was built, spoiling their views.

Anyway, back in the town we returned to the car, giving Gordon some food. Me and Helen both had tired feet and legs. We’d only walked seven miles, although we will soon find our fell legs.

I have to say that our route was one of the best shorter walks we have ever done in the Lake District, and one that we will repeat in the future.

Four More Wainwright’s

Another Sunday and another adventure with my lovely wife, Helen, although this particular adventure was back in February. I haven’t found the time to write about it, even though it was bordering on epic.

We drove over the top of Kirkstone Pass and parked in the small hamlet of Hartsop. Our walk headed almost directly up as we climbed towards the summit of Hartsop Dodd. We climbed 400m in the space of less than a mile. Even Nelly thought that the first climb went on a bit too long.

From the summit there was a small downhill section before a long gentle climb into the clouds to reach the top of Caudale Moor, which is also known as Stony Cove Pike, depending on which guide book or map you’re looking at.

From there we had a short steep scramble down before a short steep climb up to the top of Thornthwaite Crag. We bumped into three hikers who were doing exactly the same route as us, but in the other direction. (We all walked into the carpark at the end at the same time.)

By this time the clouds were really low, with visibility down to not very much, although it was easy to know when we’d reached the top.

It was an easy and gentle slope down as we walked towards our fourth and final Wainwright of the day, Gray Crag. As we descended we left the clouds behind, giving us a stunning view through the valley and across the southern tip of Ullswater.

The final descent was almost as steep as our first climb, but this time the wind had picked up, nearly blowing us over a couple of times. A little lower down the path became quite wet and I managed to slip onto my bum, sliding a few meters down the hill dragging Nelly with me, much to the amusement of Helen. With my back, bum and legs covered in mud we made our way back to the car with Helen chuckling most of the way. I even went into Tesco on the way home looking like that to buy a chicken and some roast potatoes.

The full route took us four hours, even though it was only a little bit over six miles. In better conditions it is probably one of the best walks in the Lakes, and one where there probably won’t be too many other people. The carpark isn’t very large so I would suggest getting there early.

Raven Crag, High Tove and Armboth Fell

Our adventuring has been lacking in the past few weeks. Both me and my lovely wife, Helen, needed a day out. Wainwright bagging it is then.

I looked at our Wainwright map while Helen opened Wikiloc. A suitable route was found starting from Thirlmere Reservoir. There is currently work being carried out on the dam, which means that it isn’t open to vehicular traffic. I ignored the warning sign and we parked in a small layby close to the dam.

It really is amazing that it was built so many years ago simply to supply water to Manchester.

The original water pipe passes close by Lancaster at the base of Clougha Pike.

We crossed over the dam and found the footpath that would take us up to our first of three Wainwrights. It was a steep path, twisting and turning, finishing at a deer fence. There followed a short out and back section to the top of Raven Crag. It is difficult to put into words how extraordinary the top of the crag was. A wooden platform had been built with views across Thirlmere and to the larger forbidding Helvellyn range of fells.

Early in the morning on a fairly bleak day there were still at least a dozen other walkers making their way either up or down the flight of steps to the summit. I expect that it is one of the more popular fells in the summer.

We made our way around the back of the fell along a forrestry track, before turning off towards High Seat, a Wainwright that we’d climbed back in December. With High Seat looking down on us we tramped across some very boggy fell to reach High Tove. It was a little disappointing, mostly because the clouds were blocking most of the view. I bet on a clear day it is amazing.

We dropped down and across more boggy fell towards our final Wainwright of the day, Armboth Fell. It was another fairly low lying fell.

From here the route, as expected, headed down, slowly dropping below the clouds.

The last mile of the route was along the banks of the reservoir, which allowed us to let Nelly off the lead for a scamper. We can’t risk letting her off on the fells as we don’t know where she might go. It is the way of the Pointer.

Back at the car and my feet were soaked. I definitely need to purchase a new pair of walking boots.

Another fantastic little adventure with my adventure family. Love my life,

Black Fell and Holme Fell

Sunday is adventure day, so my lovely wife, Helen, sorted out a route, which included two of the lowest Wainwrights, namely Black Fell and Holme Fell, located to the south west of Ambleside.

Amazingly, it took less than an hour to get to Tarn Hows car park from Lancaster. The car park is owned by the National Trust, and because I’m a life member, I can park for free all day. I like National Trust car parks. We pulled into the car park just after 8, and we were the only people there. I joked with Helen about how full it will be when we return.

Our route headed north around one side of the Tarn, which had a notice to say that swimming was prohibited so as not to damage the leeches. I’m guessing that would put off most people.

From the Tarn our route gently climbed, past a group of placid cows and onto a higher fell. We suddenly found ourselves at the top of Black Fell, which seemed very easy. Our starting point was quite high up. From Black Fell the plan was to follow a farm track onto the A593, which we would cross so that we could head up Holme Fell. Unfortunately, the farm track was for authorised access only, so we had to detour and walk along the A593 for a short while. It wasn’t too bad as most drivers were very courteous.

Off the main road we started to climb, summiting a number of smaller unnamed ridges all joined together, as we slowly made our way to Holme Fell. I have to say, that at only 315m high, it was proving to be quite a tough climb. When we did reach the top we stopped for a snack and some water, only to look across a small saddleback and realise that we were at the top of Ivy Crag.

Ten minutes later we were at the top of the correct fell.

We then dropped quite steeply down to Yew Tree Tarn and back across the A593. From here the route followed Tom Gill as we climbed up past the Tom Ghyll Waterfalls. It was quite a sting in the tail, and we were fairly worn out when we reached Tarn Hows again.

Back at the car park it was complete chaos. It was overflowing with people and cars, and was a little intimidating. We fed Nelly and as we did we were asked if we were leaving. Nelly doesn’t take long to eat and we were soon back on our way home, narrowly avoiding a complete tosser of a driver who overtook a number of cars at extreme speed as we drove past Ambleside. The vehicle must have been stolen, the driving was that dangerous.

Anyway, our route was 12.5km with 600m of climbing, and ticked off another two Wainwrights.

Sour Howes and Sallows

Friday morning the weather was icy cold but sunny. Me and my lovely wife decided to take our silly old pooch for a short walk in the lake district, ticking off two Wainrights, Sour Howes and Sallow.

Starting off from the village of Troutbeck we headed up an initially steep trail, which soon levelled out to a gentle slope up. We’d walked part of this route last year in the other direction. After a mile we turned off the track onto a very steep footpath, navigating a difficult ladder stile, difficult for Nelly, followed soon after by another tricky ladder stile. We were know up on the higher fells, enjoying great views over Windemere. We stopped for an obligatory selfie.

We continued up in the sun until we reached the summit of Sour Howe.

We then did a quick little detour to the summit of Cappel Howe, which isn’t a Wainright but it seemed a shame not to add in an extra mile.

We followed our trail back to the top of Sour Howe and continued in a circular route up the gentle slope of Sallows. At the top we again admired the views and had a snack. We then followed a steep path back down to a wider but very icy track.

We hadn’t seen another person all morning, until suddenly we were inundated. Two runners, chatting as they ran uphill, followed by a mountain biker and then loads more walkers.

We followed the track back into the village. Our six mile walk had taken exactly 3 hours with 500m of climbing. An excellent little walk where we were back home before 1pm, and two more Wainrights ticked off, only another 190 to go.

Helm Crag, Gibson Knott and Calf Crag

Wainwright bagging has begun. As I wrote last week, my lovely wife gave me a Wainwright Bagging book and map (read about it here), so we set off towards Grasmere to tick off three more fells.

Once again we were blessed with amazing weather. It was cold, but there was very little wind and no rain. Setting off early we parked in the main carpark in Grasmere and started walking in the same direction as when we’d walked to Easedale Tarn (read about it here). However this time we turned off our previous route and began climbing.

The next mile was a very steep climb with amazing views as we eventually reached the summit of Helm Crag, famous for an outcropping of rock at the top called The Lion and the Lamb.

There were a number of other walkers and runners enjoying a rare day without rain as we continued over the top and across a saddleback towards our second Wainwright, Gibson Knott. Before we reached it we past a second outcropping of rock called The Howitzer, as it vaguely resembles a large shell stuck in the ground. There was a man who had climbed up to the top. We waved and declined to join him.

There’s not a great deal to say about Gibson Knott, except that we stopped to eat a ham sandwich before making our way towards our final Wainwright, Calf Crag.

At the summit of Calf Crag we patiently waited for another pair of walkers to vacate it so that we could take our turn taking photos. Looking back we could see both of the previous summits and the valley for our return route.

Off the top we turned sharply and steeply down into the valley. If we’d continued we would have eventually reached a number of other Wainwrights, including High Raise, Ullscarf and Sergeant Man. We were now out of the sun and it was colder as we continued down, picking our way over icy sections until we reached the valley floor for the last few miles back into Grasmere.

Grasmere was busy, and despite wanted to find a cafe for a brew and cake, none of them felt particularly welcoming. A number of cafes had signs saying No Dogs, so we continued back to our car. The car park was chaos as it was overflowing with visitors, so we quickly headed on home.

Our walk had taken a few hours even though it was only 9 miles, mostly because of how steep the main ascent and descent had been. However, we ticked off another three Wainwrights, leaving only 196 remaining. It might take a while.