LAKE DISTRICT - SEPTEMBER 2013
DAY 1: BLEN CATHRA VIA SHERP EDGE - 2,848ft
5 & HALF HOURS TREKING/CLIMBING/SCRAMBLING
We started our day at 5am in London, ready to be on the road for 5:30 for the long 4&half hour drive to our favourite place....The Lake District.
This time we were joined by our friends from church, Mr & Mrs S who were already at the B&B from the night before. Once again, we stayed at our very trusty and enjoyable Hawksmoor where the welcome and facilities were awesome as always.
Once we got to the B&B, we had a little rest up before heading off together to our first challenge to get the legs going for Ska Fell the next day.
The drive from Windermere to Scales was a fair old drive, taking us 1 hour to the start of our trek. We parked up by the main road and started off on our mission.....Blen Cathra via Sharp Edge!
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| Mr F & Mrs S on the very start of our mission by the main road |
Wonderful green views on the way up.....
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....Mr S checking his coordinates on his trusty GPS to make sure we were on the right track
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| Scales Tarn in the cloudy mist |
Still the steep road kept on coming until we caught our first glimpse of Sharp Edge....
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| Just a random picture off the web to give you an idea of Sharp Edge on a clear day |
Very carefully we all made our climb up and over, making sure to have 3 points of contact at all times. Since Mrs S is quite afraid of heights, it was probably best that we had the cloud around us so we couldn't see the huge drop that was either side of us! There was one part that we came across just over a ridge that looked particularly scary, but Mrs S was very brave and climbed on!
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| Our clear path ahead with all the cloud surrounding us |
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| Mr F in his oversized top since losing lots of weight! |
The scary looking drop just over the ridge.......
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| Mrs F giving it a thumbs up....loving all the scrambling and climbing! |
Mrs F had spotted more lady birds on Sharp Edge than in her lifetime and made a point of announcing them to the group every time she spotted one!
We finally made it safely over Sharp Edge and on our way to the top of Blen Cathra. We had climbed our way through and above the clouds and was greeted by a beautiful shinning sun that we were heading straight for. The views were just amazing to say the least - it looked like we were in an airplane looking out of the window. The clouds were constantly changing in an instant, so we managed to get some awesome photos before they did
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| Heading straight for the sunshine.... |
More mountains peaking through the clouds....
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| Mr & Mrs F and Mr & Mrs S standing victorious at the top of Blen Cathra....Mission accomplished! |
Mrs f got a bit carried away taking pictures of what looked like a sky full of snow....it was way too beautiful not to take so many pictures....
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| Mrs S tucking into a well deserved sandwich whilst admiring the views |
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| A view of the peak of Blen Cathra just through the misty cloud, which very shortly disappeared |
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| Mr F covering himself up from the hot sun and looking like a terrorist! |
We had a short pit stop of lunch and battled with hundreds of flies that insisted on landing on everything - including Mrs F's banana! After our lunch, photos and admiring the view, we made our descent which seemed a much longer way than going up! |
| Mr S pointing the way....we think! |
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| Mrs S also had a well earned blister! |
Mrs F coming down the mountain with niggling knees but still a smile....just! :-)
The boys had then lead us through what seemed like a jungle!!
Mrs F isn't very keen in crossing rivers....especially with dodgy knees.....
....But gives it a good go with her trusty walking pole at hand.....
Our last look back on our day before we get ready for our next mountain.....bring on Scafell &Scafell Pike!!
DAY 2: SCAFELL PIKE VIA FOXES TARN - 3,210ft
SCAFELL VIA LORDS RAKE- 3,162
11 & HALF HOURS TREKING/CLIMBING/SCRAMBLING
So...we started our unknowingly long day with breakfast at 7:30am. Breakfast at the B&B doesn't usually start until 8:15am, but Trevor very kindly made us an early breakie since he knew we had an early and long day ahead of us.
The start of our trek was an hours drive from the B&B, parking up by Seathwaite Farm, which had a fair few sheep loitering nearby!
We headed off along side the stream which was quite a pleasant walk. Then after we had crossed the bridge, it very quickly turned into a stepping stone route up!
All the sheep by the farm not too camera shy....
Setting off along the stream.....
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| Mrs S on the bridge..... |
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| Mrs F & Mrs S together on the bridge :-) |
A little look back on our trodden path so far....and of a happy dog swimming in the cold water!
...Mrs F getting ready foe the inclining steps |
| Mr S back onto his trusty GPS to ensure we're on the right track |
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| Mrs S making her way up |
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| Mr S now onto his other trusty bit of equipment - his compass :-) |
Mr F taking some action shots of the upness....
Having a little pit stop to catch our breath and gather energy....
We shortly came across another bridge that we had to cross....
Across the bridge and a pleasant walk along the stream on the other side...
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| Mr F preparing for our first mild bit of scrambling for the day |
The track quickly turned into an incline with the ground also turning into a red colour...
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| The sun just peaking through the clouds |
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Another little pit stop and a couple of self timer pictures....  |
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| The sun continuing to burn off the clouds |
Photo session over and back to the inclining road...
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| Mr F waiting for Mrs F to catch up |
At last a few moments of somewhat level land...
We got to a point in the climb where we came across a clear path up and over some rocks, the way that other trekkers were going and where we too were heading. However, we planned to get the summit of Scafell via Lords Rake - a more challenging grade 2 scramble way to the summit with a fallen chock stone just being propped up at the top. So after Mr S checked his GPS at a crucial moment, we realised that we needed to go off track, into the clouds and what seemed like into the unknown, navigating our way over boulders and spongy grass which took well over an hour to find the path that we finally needed to be on.
After the agonising detour, the clouds parted briefly and we were able to see exactly what it was that we were walking around to get to our path....
We started making our way up the path when Mr S just so happened to turn around and spot our true path that we needed to head for...Lords Rake.
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| Our view of Lords Rake - you can see the fallen choke stone at the top |
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| Mr & Mrs S making their way towards Lords Rake |
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| Mrs S getting ready to climb |
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| Halfway up looking back |
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| A picture of Scafell Pike in the far distance |
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| Mr S making good progress |
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| Another look back at our progress |
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| Mr F making his way through the leaning choke stone |
Once we got the top and at the end of Lords Rake, we had 2 more equally steep challenges ahead of us. We first had to make our way down to level ground which Mrs F & Mrs S grouched and slid down the loose gravel and their feet, which seemed easier and bit more fun! :-)
Then we had to make our way back up another steep path which looked like you could quite easily fall off and over the edge and off the mountain! We went up slightly off track (Not the mountain edge side) but a grassy route that had big earthed stones for you to hold onto and pull yourself up. Once we got to the top, it was all worth while....we made it to the summit of Scafell!
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| Our final glance back through the rake |
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| Mr S, Mrs S, Mrs F & Mr F at the summit of Scafell |
Some views from the top....
We met an elderly couple on the summit who had just completed their final Wainwright and felt honoured that we were the first people who they shared their news with :-)
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| Mr F looking out towards Scafell Pike |
By this time we had been on the go for 5 hours and still had to climb Scafell Pike and get back to the car....before sundown! We started to make our way down and off of Scafell via Foxes Tarn - a extremely challenging route that was wet, slippery and required lots of concentration and steady footholds. Halfway down, Mrs F got a boot full of water that was running down the Tarn which was very cold and soaked through to her foot! :-(
However, we all made it down safely and had a quick stop for a fuel refill and got back on the road and headed to the top of England! In order for us to get to Scafell Pike, we had to come all the way back down off of Scafell and walk over and up to Scafell Pike via Mickledore.
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| The boys enjoying themselves by The Rescue Post.....not planning on rescuing anyone! |
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| Mrs F & Mr S puffing their way up the tiring Mickledore route |
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| Scafell in the distance showing how far we had come |
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| The last and final climb to the summit.... |
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| A view from Scafell Pike -The highest point in England |
When we finally made it to the summit, we had a magnificent view, including one of a flock of birds below us flying by.... |
| Mr F in mid munch |
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| Mr & Mrs F on top of England with their 2 boys, Muggles & Buggles :-) |
We made our final descent via Esk Hause, which is a steady route to take since we were losing light and was a simple stepping stone and rocky way to level ground. By this time Mrs F's knee's were officially on strike and causing pain with every step which unfortunately added time onto our journey :-( Mr F being the supportive Hubby was there to hold her hand and help her down off the mountain, which was eventually in the dark and we had to get our head torches out. But thanks be to God, we finally made it back to the car -a wet foot, destroyed knee's, aching limbs and generally knackered (That's just Mrs F!) 11 & half hours......2 mountains conquered!
We headed straight for a Chinese restaurant that Mrs S spotted once we made it back into Windermere. Mrs F fell asleep whilst everyone else loaded up on top notch grub! :-)
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| Mrs F struggling to come down with her poorly knee |
Mr F taking some last pictures....
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| Mrs F suggested that Mr F gets into more pictures.....so he did! :-) |
The next morning, we decided at breakfast that a day in the Spa would be splendid and much needed after our mammoth day. The Spa is at MacDonalds Hotel just down the road from our B&B and is complimentary for staying at Hawksmoor and we made full use of it....
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| Mr F reading up on our next hike from the Wainwright book |
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| Out on the terrace where Mr & Mrs S liked to sit and watch the boats since it was a nice mild day....even in our swimming cosy's! |
There were three treatment rooms to chose from - the steam room, sauna and ice room!
The ice room had a section where you could take and use the ice (Not for throwing it at each other!) Mrs F used it top put on her injured knee. There was also an ice cold shower that took a lot of guts and gearing up to stand under, but it was so refreshing and quite nice.
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| Mrs F finally finishing her book that only took over a year! |
The different types of rooms to chose from....
....This was a walk in shower with 3 different settings - fragrance, drench or cold.....Mrs F & Mrs S liked the drench setting as it was lovely and hot :-)
After our relaxing afternoon in the spa, we went for a little stroll in the lower end of Windermere where we sat by the lake and had lunch. Unfortunately, Mr & Mrs S then had to leave us and head back to London, whilst Mr & Mrs F stayed for another night. We said our goodbyes to Mr & Mrs S and headed back to lower Windermere for an light evening stroll and went to a Himalayan Bizarre, which was really nice to go and see. We met a Sherpa who travels between his little shop in the Lake District to being a Sherpa and guide to Everest Base Camp and Everest itself! :-)
5 & HALF HOURS TREKING
Our last day in the lakes before heading back to London ourselves. Previous times that we have visited The Lake District we have always headed back home first thing....not this time! We wanted to get another trek in before heading home and really making the most of our trip.
Looking at our Wainwright book given to us by Mr S, we decided that Crinkle Craggs would be a nice steady trek before the long drive home. We drove to Old Dungeon Ghyll where we parked up and walked through a farm to the start of our trek...
 ...Mrs F pointing the way through the farm and on the road to Crinkle Craggs |
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| Crinkle Craggs in the far distance |
According to the Wainwright book we could open the gate up to the field that this horse was in and walk across to the track.....we decided that the field must have belonged to a mate of Wainwrights so was OK for him but maybe not for us, so we stuck to the main public road!
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| The start of our inclining track up towards the Craggs |
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| Another quick glance at our aim and goal |
Mrs F looking pleased with progress so far with her damaged knee.....
....Mr F stops to consult his book 
Some scenic pictures along the way... |
| A glance at our route ahead |
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| A closer view of the Craggs |
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| The boys loving their trip on a cairn |
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| Mr F with his Usain Bolt pose pointing to the start of the Craggs |
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| Our first Cragg out of 5 |
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| Mr F in front of the 2nd Cragg |
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| The Bad Step..... |
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| ....The easier option |
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| Mr F working out logistic over the bad step |
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| Mr F with Bowfell in the background |
Once we had made it over all 5 Craggs, we were at Three Tarns where Mrs F found her most favourite place to be in all the places we have been to so far in our Farnsie Nomads adventures. There was a big rock where we could cop'a'squat and look out over what look slikes an infinity pool with Scafell & Scafell Pike in the distance...pure bliss with some awesome photos (If Mrs F does say so herself!)
We had the choice weather to carry on over Bowfell which is at 2,960 ft and head back to the car via that way, but unfortunately we were short on time since we were driving back to London the same day, so we took the route that headed straight down via a rocky stepping stone track
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| Mr & Mrs F & the boys by Three Tarns |
Mrs F favourite Three Tarns......
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| Mrs F awesome photo - Scafell on the left & Scafell Pike on the right |
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| Red Tarn in the distance |
Our final farewell to Crinkle Craggs....
A look back at our path down the to car....
A view across the valley at our route up towards the start of the Craggs....
....Back at the farm and nearly back to the car
A final look back at an absolutely awesome day. It was a challenging but not too strenuous trek with stunning scenery all around. 
VERDICT OF THE LAKE DISTRICT IN SEPTEMBER 2013
Mr F: My favourite place....that is all
Mrs F: What can I say that I haven't already done so in previous blogs about The Lake District. This place holds a very special place in our hearts and are now on a mission to complete all 214 Wainwright walks - so far we have done 10! :-) We travelled all over the world to various and different places and failed to see what our own England had to offer us. The stunning beauty that is The Lake District, an almost untouched view at Gods artwork and we are so very blessed that we have been able to experience it and look forward to many more adventures here. Until our next adventure.....
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