hike | camp | paint
A Quick (?) Leg Stretch Today I arrived in the Lake District for 11 days of walking, on a mission to mop-up some odds and ends of fells and also to knock off most of the western fells. Travelling up today, meant a short walk in the afternoon, with the only sensible choice being Dodd, … Continue reading A Lakeland Round (2011): Day 1 – Monday 4 July
Now just one day until I go, and it feels like a long time since I had a walk. I've not been out on "terrain" for just over a month, and despite best intentions, haven't done the amount of flat walking I'd hoped to do in preparation for this trip. But I've done a couple … Continue reading A Lakeland Round (2011): Preparation
A week after the end of the trip, I can now look at what went well and what didn't..... The route Overall, I did all of the key elements that I had planned except Black Fell and Blencathra & co, both of which were abandoned due to conditions. Although at the time I wrote that … Continue reading Cumbria Way – afterthoughts
So that's it. As I limp away from Carlisle Castle through the urban ugliness of the city centre, I'm not feeling any sense of achievement. That came about 4 miles out from Carlisle, when I knew I'd make it (somehow), but completely evaporated on the slog over the tarmac. If the Cumbria Way finished in … Continue reading Cumbria Way – The End of the Walk
Today's mission is simple - get to Carlisle. I'm ditching Fauld's Brow. It looks rubbish. I reckon this might save me up to 3 miles. It's still going to be bloody hard going though. If need be it'll be on with the MP3 player for the duration. And so it proved. Day 10 turned out … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 10
The wind was howling around the bunkhouse throughout the night and was still doing so at breakfast time. Meanwhile a mist had descended. Marie summarised the weather forecast as "not much respite". That did imply some level of respite though! All my wet kit had dried, and just as importantly, warmed up by the stove … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 9
Last night the warden told me that the forecast was for two days of rain, which probably meant loads of wind as well. But I woke to clear weather with a good view towards Carrock Fell from my bedroom window. Having steeled myself for a day kicking around the hostel, it now looked like it … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 8
Skiddaw House is the highest youth hostel in England, and I took advantage of a 1,550 feet head start today. Today I'm not strictly doing the Cumbria Way. Today and tomorrow I am doing some side walks to take advantage of the location, and I will continue the trek itself on Tuesday. A similar start … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 7
I woke to the news that we'd had hail in the night and it was still raining solidly throughout breakfast. The forecast was for it to clear by 10 so I took my time. But strong wind up high was also forecast so I may need to miss out the top of Skiddaw if it … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 6
A big dose of inertia, justified as "giving the weather a chance to calm down", meant I didn't leave the barn until 10. I set off along the Cumbria Way across the fields towards Castle Crag, gradually rising up the fell, as the wind picked up. I didn't linger there and carried on down towards … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 5
Breakfast by a log fire was a good start to the day and in contrast to the roaring wind and driving rain outside. Also congenial company around the common table meant that it was an hour and a half later that I rose. I can recommend Millbeck Farm - at £30, with tea and cake … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 4
Today was an ordeal. Woken by the patter of rain on the window, and having seen the forecast last night I knew it was going to be damp. In the event it rained pretty much all day and I couldn't see anything above 200m for most of the day. Having been first down for breakfast, … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 3
When I booked Fell End camping barn, I didn't have any other options given the route I wanted to take. Nevertheless it was an ok choice as it had all the basics (shelter, something to sleep on, a toilet and drinking water) and was only £8.50. Also my knee seems to have recovered overnight but … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 2
I arrived in Ulverston afer a smooth journey and set off for the start point. I then promptly fell over in the main street almost in front of Stan and Ollie (who I'm sure were pointing and laughing at me) and had to be helped up by two old ladies (that's the wrong way round … Continue reading Cumbria Way Day 1
This is something I've flirted with doing for a couple of years now, but with very limited holiday allowance, I didn't really feel it was worth using my (likely) one Lake District trip a year for something so low level. I always said to myself that if I did it, it would be a modified … Continue reading Planning the Cumbria Way