LAKE DISTRICT - SEPTEMBER 2019


Plainly put, we were in desperate need of some ‘mountain therapy’. We always normally book the week off of our wedding anniversary, but Mrs F wasn’t granted that week due to a work away day, so we had to book the week before. Turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise as we had glorious weather every day the week we were there and the week we would normally be was raining every day…thank you Lord! 😇 Mr F had searched around for a while to look for a cottage for just the two of us to stay, as Mr & Mrs S had booked themselves a few days in Prague for their 10 year wedding anniversary. He eventually found one just off the A66 where we have stayed in a couple of other cottages previously. Mrs F hadn’t seen any photos as Mr F wanted it to be a surprise when we got there.

We left London around 10am as we couldn’t get into the cottage until 4pm and arrived just after 3pm, but was able to get into the cottage which was good. We met with who we presumed was either the owner or keeper of the cottages as he was outside cutting the field grass. He let us in and spent quite a while letting us know what’s what in the cottage as places to go in the area etc. Mrs F done her usual look around and photo taking of all the rooms and it was such a lovely cottage, a great little find by Mr F. The only downside was being so close to the A66 which we could hear when sitting outside. Mrs F spent a bit of time sitting outside on the bench with her cup of tea and spent some time with God in prayer, which was really nice. Another great thing about this cottage was the chickens that roamed just outside the front and by the door. At first there was only one who the boys names Colin, but then over time there were loads and some even came into the kitchen. This was largely to do with the fact that Mrs F was giving them bread and porridge oats!

We had our usual Tesco shop coming at 5pm with our food for the week so we spent the time until then unpacking and enjoying our welcome tea, coffee & biscuits. Mrs F found a gorgeous tea pot which was part of a set available to use, which she enjoyed utilising the entire week 😊

Once the shopping had arrived, we went for a drink just up the road (drivable distance to The Sportsman for a drink was a nice little establishment. When we got back to the cottage we had pretty chilled evening with a dinner of fish, chips & salad for dinner…a nice first evening in our lovely home-like cottage 😊

Our Bedroom

Bathroom

Upstairs Landing

Third Single Bedroom

Second Double Bedroom

The Living Room

Big Spacious Kitchen

Have You Ever Seen Such A Tiny Whisk!!

Mrs F's New Found Love!

View Outside

Colin Outside The Kitchen/Front Door

DAY 1: CATBELLS
             MAIDEN MOOR
3 HOURS, 4.9 MILES

The bed was really comfortable so both had a comfy sleep – although Mr F has an ongoing sleep problem and never sleeps well the first night in a strange bed, but slept well nonetheless.
We decided to climb Catbells today as we have only done it once before and was due to climb it with family in August the same year, but the holiday had to get cancelled ☹️ Our 3 little nieces love Star Wars and want to climb it because it’s where The Force Awakens was filmed. The day was a very moody overcast one with a strong potential to rain, but as always, the weather never stops us from doing what we love, being out on the fells…we’re not fair weather walkers! 😀

Backpacks locked n loaded we drove over to Catbells and it was already really busy with lots of cars already parked up. We drove up to the base of Catbells hoping to get parked to avoid a long walk up to the start, but alas, no joy. We ended up parking a little further down the road with not too much of a walk, thankfully. We made our way up the very popular well-trodden path along with all the masses of people who were also making their way up. It’s a very popular family walk so being a Sunday, it shouldn’t have been such a surprise at how many people were out. Mrs F had been struggling with her hypermobility recently, needing some treatment on her legs so was a bit anxious at how they would hold out on the trip. Quite often on the first day of climbing she gets the first day leg wobbles, which she certainly got today! We overtook a group of people on a scrambly section a bit too fast and it really caught Mrs F out. She had to stop to really breathe hard to catch her breath and felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest! We spend the summer walking most Saturdays in the Chiltern Hills for miles each time so assumed she was fit…but apparently not!

There's a Path Somewhere in There Leading To The Summit!

Mr F Pointing The Way

The Summit 'Hump' Ahead

Mr F Acquired a Friend Along The Way! 🐶

Lots of People Dotted Behind Us, Also Making Their Way Up

Slowing the pace down, we carried on gently to the top with a sweat on. Although it was a cloudy day it was muggy with high humidity. Most people stop at this point and turn around, but we decided to carry on going. The last time we came to Catbells we done the horseshoe, but this time we didn’t really have a plan as to how far we would go. Today was definitely weather dependent, looking like it could chuck down at any moment, so once we made it to Maiden Moor for a quick sit-sat and munch, we evaluated the potential downpour and decided to turn back. Mrs F was a little keener to carry on to help get some life in her legs, however Mr F made the final call looking at the closing in weather, so we headed back from there...

The Final Push To The Top

View of Derwentwater Below

Mrs F Looking a Little Rosy From The Burn of The Slog!

Mr F Posing With Lunch!

Muggles & Buggles Enjoying Their Day Out

Although it was proper moody and grim looking, it didn’t actually rain, it tried to but never did. We took a slightly different route on the way back, turning left just before you would head up towards the summit of Catbells and coming around a lower route along the side, which seemed to skirt right around but it was a route we hadn’t taken before and good to go via different routes. There were a few scrambly sections and some of the rocks were still wet a slippery from having been rained on during the night and Mrs F slipped and fell, pulling her wrist as she went down 😧 Nothing too drastic, just a quick shake off and we carried on going. Just a little way over the small valley, we saw a group of people walking along a path with animals on leads. Mr F looked over and said “Corr, look at the size of those dogs!” Mrs F looked over and said “They’re lamas!” We both started really laughing and agreed that Mr F’s eyesight is getting worse!! 😃

The Big Dogs on The Other Side!!!

We eventually joined up with the path that runs along the bottom of Catbells. When we were searching for a parking space, we drove along this path to the end where a few cars were parked, which is where we re-joined to walk back. Once back at the car, we sat on the edge of the open boot and had our lunch. There was a guy who had parked in front of us who came back the same time as we did with his very muddy bike. He lives and works not too far, so the Lakes is his biking playground and works in a bike shop…very fortunate guy! We drove to Morrisons to pick up a few bits that was missing from the shopping and Mrs F bought some much needed ibuprofen gel for her legs, which she pretty much moisturised with!

When we got back to the cottage, we were shortly joined by a couple of chicken who we called Colin! Throughout the week, Colin bought Clive and then they both bought their other mates, so at one point, we had 6 chickens at the door…which is largely to do with the fact that Mrs F was feeding them biscuits, bread and porridge oats! After we both had nice relaxing baths, we tag teamed with making dinner; jacket potatoes, chicken (we hid it from Colin and the others!) and veg. It really wasn’t the best oven in the world and quite slow to cook. The owner gave us a key to the facility room outside next to the cottage, which also had a shelf of DVD’s, so we brought a few inside ready to watch throughout the week. Tonight, was Miss Potter which we both really enjoyed. A good first day…

DAY 2: BLENCATHRA VIA:
             HALLS FELL RIDGE 
             SHARP EDGE 
             CASTLE CRAG (ATTEMPTED)

5 & HALF HOURS, 4 MILES

So we talked about what fells to climb for our week and agreed that we wanted to get some good scrambling in and to do some of the ones that we done in bad weather and didn’t get much of a view on top. Climbing the same mountain in different weather conditions really does seem like you’re climbing a different mountain; you get to see what you’re climbing and where you’re going for a start and you see the route in a new and fresh way, so it’s like you’re climbing something for the first time.

We both really enjoyed climbing Blencathra via Halls Fell Ridge, which was a really good scramble but we done it in the fog and couldn’t see beyond 2 foot in front of us so we decided to go back and do it again. The weather today was glorious as was the entire week, so it was a great day to go back and do the ridge again. In fact, the whole week made for perfect climbing conditions 😊 We drove up our faithful parking spot by Scales at The White Horse Inn and walked along towards Blencathra. The beginning part was all very familiar; rivers to cross, big rock face to climb up, walking along the wall at the bottom. We remember when we were here before, we starting to make our way onto the wrong mountain until some guy pointed us in the right direction…we put it down to the Satmap’s wrong navigation, not ours!

Mrs F Was Having a Bit of Leg Trouble!

Ready To Start The Day!

A Short Walk Through The Fern

Heading Across The River

Climbing Up The Familiar Short Rock 

Mr F's Turn To Go First On The Second Section

Making Our Way Through The Sheep Masses!

Love This, Being Starred At!

Once we had navigated ourselves through a load of sheep and established the right mountain, we started to make our way up the well-trodden gravel path. The views were stunning and could see as far as our eyes would allow. There were a couple of people up ahead who we quickly caught up with, but strangely when we made it to the start of the scramble they were nowhere to be seen after that! Mrs F didn’t remember the hike up to the scramble being so far whereas Mr F could. It was great to just stand and look upon a very welcoming scramble that we wasn’t able to see before and every section of it was so enjoyable…definitely one of our favourite routes!

Looking Back On A Glorious Day

The Hike In To The Start Of The Scramble

The Start Of One Of The Best Scrambles Ever!

Great Self Timer Photo Of Us Both

Looking Back On Our Achievement

Mrs F Loving It!

Mr F Leading The Way & Loving It Too!

Final Push To The Top...

As before, the top just came out of nowhere and it was the first time we’d been able to have a perfectly clear view from Blencathra, having climbed it three time before! The first time we climbed it we had the most incredible cloud inversion, so that was granted a great view (see 2013, November entry) As we planned to make our way down to Scales Tarn and back up via Sharp Edge, we didn’t hang around on top, since we’ll be back there in a little while! The last time we took this route down was in January the same year and was packed full of snow. Mr F kept falling over and eventually just sat and folded his arms in a grump, which Mrs F got a photo of! (See 2019, September entry) This was a much nicer walk in the sunshine and we quickly – without falling over – made our way down and over towards the bottom of Striding Edge. We sat on the same big rock from the first time we climbed Sharp Edge with Mr & Mrs S to have a little snack before making our way on. Mr F was on a diet which meant his did not eat anything until lunchtime,, but with all the extra curriculum activity of climbing, this was proving to be quite difficult. As we sat there, his legs were shaking so he gave in and had some Ryvita and cheese, which was soggy from being wrapped in cling film but done the job! Locked n loaded, we started to make our way onto the knife edge route…

The Top!

Sharp Edge Over To Our Left As We Made Our Way Towards It

Scales Tarn Below

How Awesome Does That Look!

Big Drop Below!

Once we made it safely to the top, we sat on a grass verge on a path that lead to the summit of Blencathra and had lunch, looking out at what we had just managed to achieve, feeling very proud of our ability :-) We made our way onto the top as from there, we planned to make our way down via Doddick Fell. At first we couldn’t quite figure out the best way down from the top as it all looked quite steep and dangerous, almost not do-able. Mr F went ahead down one section and Mrs F followed once we knew it was ok. The route initially wasn’t a well-trodden one that we could see, so a lot of it was just as case of pick your own best way and go for it! 

Our Grass Verge Pit Stop

The Start Of The Way Down Via Doddick Fell

Another Lovely Self Timer Photo Of Us ❤️

Mrs F Further Down Than Mr F...Can You Spot Him??

We eventually got down onto more level ground but the path was still very faint. We could see a clear route ahead but wasn’t a well-used one by the looks of it. Towards the end, the little path was hidden in amongst the heather and fern which had some beautiful little yellow flowers. Eventually we were back down by the long wall that we walked along at the beginning of the walk. We followed it all the way back to the main road which lead us back to the car. We met a lady at the big rock by the river crossing who was making her way up with her black Springer Spaniel as we were going down; the dog made it look way too easy going up, but he does have the added advantage of four legs!

The Ridge Path Laid Out Before Us

Almost Down...

A Final Look Back At What We Just Walked Through

We saw a butterfly in the middle of the path by the main road and didn't budge when we got near. So Mrs F picked him up and put him by the bushes out of the way of accidental death by boot!

The Beautiful Rescued Butterfly

As it was still quite early – around 3pm – we weren’t keen to just go back to the cottage for the rest of the day and just sit around, we wanted to be out enjoying ourselves…we came to climb and climb we shall! We decided to go and climb Castle Crag, which we both really enjoyed the first time around but was done in a rush to beat the daylight, so wanted to do again and fully take in the surroundings. We parked up in Grange and left the rucksacks behind as it wasn’t too far to go….or so we thought! We went the exact same way as we did last time and most what we were walking through looked familiar. We came across a crossroad with a signpost and although Mr F had his Satmap, we chose the left hand fork and carried on walking…and walking…and walking. We eventually came to a section that neither of us recognised and both agreed we should have at least come to the section with the big rock face to the left of us by now. We should have known at that point that if we take the left hand fork then Castle Crag would be on our right and we needed it to be on our left! We carried on going thinking we could just walk around to the beginning of the climb from this side, but alas, we couldn’t! We did however come across the same cave that Bear Grylls and Warwick Davis slept in…according to Mr F, Mrs F was not so convinced! We decided at that point to just turn around and try again a different day. It was however a nice stroll through the woods and never a waste of time when we’re out just enjoying being out...

Unusual Looking Mushroom Patch

Mr F Checking His Satmap En Route To Castle Crag

Mr F Convinced This Is The Right Way...

...Mrs F Not So Convinced!

The Cave That Bear Grylls & Warwick Davis Stayed In

Mr F Re-evaluating The Route

On our way back we saw the path we should have taken and made a mental note for when we returned. We headed back to the cottage where Colin and Clive were waiting for us for more bread and porridge oats 😊🐔 We had a well-earned jacket potato with salmon and veg and watched our TV drama Confession before heading to bed for an equally well-earned sleep, ready for another great day…

DAY 3: LANGSTRATH VALLEY:
             BORROWDALE 
             CAM CRAG
             CASTLE CRAG
6.5 MILES, 4 AND HALF HOURS / 3.2 MILES, 1 AND HALF HOURS

Mrs F had the pick of the day…for once! She decided it would be nice to go and do the same scramble we did with Mr & Mrs S on Cam Crag along the Langstrath Valley, which is the valley used during the end credits of Countryfile. It was another glorious day and was a stunning walk along the valley. We walked through fields, a camp site and a beautiful little waterfall towards the valley. We headed towards the right-hand side of the Valley up towards Black Moss Pot, walking across the Valley to go and see it once again. The water looked very clear and almost inviting if it weren’t for the big drop! We admired it from safety above before making our way back over the Valley towards the start of our hike up the side towards the start of our scramble.  Mrs F found an unopened bottle of orange Lucozade which she made good use of a couple days later! 😜

The Way Through The Camp Site

The Small Waterfalls Just Before The Valley

Heading Into The Valley

Looking Down The Beautiful Valley

Black Moss Pot

A Sheep Chilling Out In The Sunshine 😎

Looking Towards Cam Crag

From memory, we had trouble finding the path that lead us up before and today was no different. As per usual, we decided to hack up the side through fern, which is never our best but wasn’t too bad, apart from it being quite hot and arduous. Mr F really wanted to see if he could find a secret cave called Woof cave where people go to camp out for the night, but it is proper top secret and really hard to find. Mr F spend a good 10 minutes trying to find the entrance from wondering around the rocks but with no joy. Defeated, we continued on to our scramble. The weather conditions were somewhat different o the last time we climbed this; the last time we had full gayle winds. We honestly have no idea how we managed to climb it in those conditions because the climb was a lot harder and challenging than we both remembered it!

Making Our Way Through The Fern...Never Our Favourite!

The Valley Floor Below

Mr F Looking For His Cave

Mrs F Waiting In The Sunshine 🌞

It was steep with no real handholds and Mrs F even got a bit Cragfast at one point and Mr F had to help her! There was a variation of smoother surfaces, almost like mini slabs and rugged rocks that required a high step, hand pull from above and bum nudge from below. It was really enjoyable, but definitely approached with more caution on there than we did with any other scramble, purely due to the technical difficulty of the climb and lack of footholds in the right places. We carried on until there was nothing left to climb...the top! 

Mr F Taking The Lead With The Scramble

Mrs F Just Before She Became Cragfast!

We headed over the back towards our way down and stopped in a little dip out of the wind where we had lunch. There is no greater feeling that being somewhere on top of a mountain, being completely remote with nothing but the stunning views of fells every angle you look out…pure blissful moments make it all worthwhile 😊 Mr F was still having trouble with his soggy Ryvita! :-D The sandwich bag that he put them in unfortunately got away from him and ended up going quite far up in the air and hovered over us for a while before flying off into the far distance…oops!

Mrs F Proud Of Her Accomplishment After a Couple of Ropey Moments! 

Our Lovely Lunchtime Spot

Mr F spent a bit of time looking at the map and working out the best way down. We did have the option of heading further up and over or just heading straight down following a fence that would lead us right back down almost where we started from the Valley floor. We chose the latter. Although it was a steep walk down, it wasn’t too bad at all. At one point we had to step over the fence to be on the other side as the side we were on ended up heading into a maze of fern, whereas the other side had a small sheep trail which made it easier to come down on. We decided it would be really lovely just to sit by the stream, finish our nibbles and drinks and just take it all in. Mrs F was really in her element and really didn’t want to leave. She did try to ‘not hear’ Mr F when he suggested to get going! 😀

Making Our Way Back Down To The Valley Floor

Looking Back At Cam Crag

Mr F Making His Way To Our Pit Stop By The Stream

Muggles & Chuggles Enjoying Themselves 😃

Reluctantly, Mrs F got up from her chilled out spot and joined Mr F and carried on walking back to the car, which was parked up in a little village. There is a camp site that doesn’t seem too popular and although camping really isn’t our bag, it is a great location to pitch up.

Beautifully Clear Crisp Water

A Very Impressive Tent On Top Of a Car At The Campsite

The Beautiful Cottage Where We Parked The Car

As it was still early enough, we decided to go back to Castle Crag and actually get there this time! We left the car by the church in Grange, left our rucksacks behind and made our way along the familiar path. We eventually made it to the sign post and this time, took the right-hand turn so the big rock face was now on our left as it should be 😃 We don’t remember it being so far, but the first time we climbed Castle Crag, we were running out of daylight and rushed the whole thing, so probably didn’t take half of it in, including how far or long it was...

The 'Right' Path Leading To Castle Crag

The Very Recognisable Slate Field Leading To The Top

We made it to the familiar iconic slate pile that lead up to the top, which was quite challenging as it was steep and unstable, so every step you took you ended up sliding back slightly so was quite arduous. We made it to what we thought was the top but still had a little way to go before making into flat ground towards the other iconic scene of the memorial summit. The view was a beautiful as we remembered it and really clear. Much like Hallin Fell, although Castle Crag is a low level one, the views from the top are stunning. It just goes to show that you don’t need to climb high to get great views…

The Commemorative Stone On The Summit

Gorgeous Views From The Top

Mr F Coping A Squat

We enjoyed the views for a little while and sat and said a prayer together for our poorly niece, Eloise before making our way down. We saw a different trig where we placed a stone on top for Eloise too 😇

Our Well Earned Boot Tags

The Other Trig Where We Placed A Stone For Eloise

When we got back to Grange, we saw an expensive Leki walking pole propped up on the wall so took it into the church, where we had a little look around. We also wrote down on the list where we saw a grey squirrel so they can manage them out breeding the native reds, so we added that we’d seen a grey on the road leading up to the campsite. The person who left their pole behind then came back and asked if we’d seen it and funny enough, we had :-)

We stopped at a garage on the way back to get a couple of bottles of Cider and Ale before heading back for homemade bolognaise…delish! It was a great day in all and we were really starting to find our mountain legs again, especially Mrs F’s legs that were really painful at the beginning of the week due to having stretched badly!

Back At The Cottage, Mr F Looking At Our Next Days Plan

DAY 4: LANGSTRATH VALLEY
              KESWICK STROLL
6.65 MILES, 3 HOURS & 20 MINUTES

Having liked Langstrath Valley so much, we decided to walk the length of it…at least attempt! There were a couple of options to take depending on how we were feeling, whether etc and walked on the other side of where we were 2 days previous. Mr F studied the map and saw there is a bridge that we can walk to coming along the left side of the Valley and see if we wanted to carry on or cross the bridge and come back along the right side. We parked up in the same spot and headed down the same route we did when we climbed Eagle Crag with Mr & Mrs S when we had to make several river crossings over rapids! (See Eagle Crag entry)

It was another beautiful sunny day and the legs were out! It was such a lovely stroll up along the stream and nice to see things from a different angle from the day before. As we made our way along the path, we came across the most amount of sheep we’ve ever seen in one place and strangely, most of them were laying down too! We made our way through a gate and into Sheepsville, just before a group of sheep came running up behind us to try and make it through the opened gate. We didn’t know if they should have been on the other side so we closed it up quickly and didn’t let them through! We once again passed Black Moss Pot which we once again went over to explore…nothing much had changed from the day before! We eventually came across a big mound where we sat for a while and had some snacks whilst we studied the map to see if we wanted to carry on down the valley or cut across the bridge that was right by where we were and head back down the other side. We pondered for a while and made the decision to head back and go for a stroll around Keswick, as is out customary thing when we come to the lakes 😊

Massive Random Rock!

Revisiting Black Moss Pot

Mr F Was Almost Tempted To Jump In...But Not Quite Enough!

Coming Up To Sheepsville!

Mr F Up On The Big Mound With His Map Out

Carefully Contemplating Which Way To Go From Here

A Great Place To Stop & Look At Map

We saw a woman with what we assumed was her Mum walk up towards the little waterfall just up ahead of us. The woman was wearing what looked like brand new chunky heeled boots and jeans and walking a dog on a lead that she couldn’t control! She took a couple of photos of her Mum by the waterfall and they went on their way. No wonder mountain rescue get called out sometimes!

We spent quite a while by the waterfall just enjoying the moment and not in any hurry to move on. Although Mr F cannot stay in the same spot or still for too long! We headed straight for Keswick for a mooch and then headed back for chorizo and pasta. It wasn’t the most challenging day we’ve had by far, but it’s really nice to have the luxury of deciding whether to just simply enjoy a stroll instead of killing ourselves to tick off our Wainwrights 😊

Our Lovely Little Stop By The Waterfall...Trying To Get a Good Photo!

Take 2...

Take 3...

Take 4...

Take 5...

Take 6...That'll Do!

DAY 5: CATSYCAM
             SWIRREL EDGE
             HELVELLYN
9.75 MILES, 5 HOURS & 15 MINUTES

So as we wanted this trip to be about redoing some of the Wainwrights we had done before with zero visibility, today Mrs F got to decide again where to go and she picked Catsycam. The first and only time we climbed it was in the absolute pouring rain and fog. The rain was so fat and heavy that it actually hurt and stung our faces as it hit us! Today however was going to be very different with the weather being so glorious and we couldn’t wait to get going!

The walk in to the start is a fairly long one. We parked up by in a residential road for free, literally right next to the car park at Glenridding that charge a fortune! It made no sense not to have this little road as residential parking only, but we weren’t complaining! We walked up along a path that was also access to a few cottages on the right of the path and stream to the left. We walked past what seemed like a youth group who were all asked to step aside to allow us room to get past. Towards the end of the path, there was a holiday home being built that will be able to host 18 people! (from memory) At this point, we had a crossroad ahead of us, one that takes you straight to Red Tarn and Helvellyn – we took the right hand path that lead us directly to Catstycam. The last time we came, there was a dam that was damaged that lead from one side of the stream to the other, which is where we needed to be. We were almost tempted to ignore the warning side to keep off but decided to be sensible and head down beside it towards the stream to cross where it was at a low level. Last time, the water levels were up further so we carried on walking further up before we crossed, which was a lot more difficult because we had bogged grass to make our way through once we had crossed.

The Boys Ready For Their Day!

The Youth Group Just Up Ahead

Not This Way...

...This Way!

Looking Back On A Beautiful Day

The Path Leading To The Dam We Needed To Cross By

As we walked beside the dam we could see the extent of the damage to the dam, no doubt caused by the gushing high levels of water. Once we were across safely, we made our way up the grassy bank towards the start of the climb. As we made our way further upwards, we looked back down and could see the faint path that we should have taken which lead straight off the dam. We eventually came to the start of the rugged scramble up the North ridge. It was such a completely different experience to when we climbed it before; we could actually see where we were going for a start! It had great variation of footholds and steepness in our steps and lots of different ways up you could take. Mrs F stumbled and as she put her hand out to stop her fall, she grazed it on a rock which caused her eyes to water a little…ouch! She used a sterile wipe and carried on. We enjoyed the scramble so much it didn’t seem to last very long! Before we knew it, we were at the top 😀

The Steady Incline

Mrs F Feeling The Heat Of The Day!

The Dam

Down Alongside The Bottom Of The Dam

Looking Through The Damaged Section At The Bottom

Capturing Our Shadows As We Made Our Way Onto The Ridge

The Short Grass Verge Leading To The Scramble Further Up

The Scramble begins...

Nearing The Top

Swirral Edge In Plain Sight

Mr F Claiming His Summit!

As Does Mrs F!

Views From The Top...Stunning!

Mr F Always Takes Two Different Photos Of Mrs F - Landscape...

...And Portrait. Always!

The view was incredible, again, nothing like before so it was actually brand new to us. We enjoyed the glory of a couple of summit photos before having a well-earned cop-a-squat on the grassy bank by the path leading up towards Swirrel Edge. It was such a lovely moment just sitting at a great height with the sun shining and clear views for miles…we don’t get many moments like this in the Lakes, so we savoured it!

Sit-sat and munch over, we carried on our merry way towards the next exciting and technically more difficult scramble that is Swirral Edge. The entire climb was amazing!! It has got to be one of our favourite scrambles to date. It was a real strategic working out of where safely place one hand or foot and looking to your next move to get safely across and up. It’s a lot like playing a game of chess, working out your next move and where you can go after making that move and if it’s the best move to make etc.
We caught up with a family who we passed on the path by the cottages at the beginning, who looked a little lost all looking at the fully opened up OS map. Seems they found their way…or maybe they didn’t but had committed to the climb! 😄 They seemed to be enjoying it anyhow.

There was a finally steep push towards the end just before we pulled ourselves onto the level summit, proudly making our way over to the very recognisable trig of Helvellyn. The boys even came out and we had a great family photo before they had one on their own…

The Start Of Swirral Edge

Mr F Enjoying His View From Our Sit-Sat Spot 😊

Making Our Way To The Start Of Swirral Edge

Mr F Usual Selfie

A Great Family Photo 😊

Muggles & Buggles Loving Their Time Out

Looking Over To Our Way Back Down Sticks Pass

Mr F Claiming Helvellyn

Striding Edge 

We enjoyed the stunning views a while before heading away from the summit point of Helvellyn towards Sticks Pass, which was a fairly steep route down and off. Although Mrs F had her knees taped up to the max as always, she started to feel the burn of the steep descent towards the end of the path that was also quite windy. Nothing a little help from a walking pole couldn’t solve…

Looking Over At Striding Edge

Looking Back At Our way Down

A Great High Five Silhouette 

Not Sure What Bird Of Prey This Was

Mrs F Loving Her Day!

Thought This Was Funny! 😄

It was a welcome sight to see the end of the steep incline of Swirral Edge and onto the path, where we had a casual stroll back along the same path we connected up with at the beginning. Back at Glenridding, it was a relief to see the car wasn’t clamped or had a parking ticket; so we put the rucksacks in the boot and headed over to the shop for a couple pf ice creams. Mr F had a banana split lolly and Mrs F had a Mars ice Cream 😛

On The Path Heading Back

As it was a beautiful evening with lots of sunlight still, we stopped off at our trusty pub, The Sportsman along the A66. We sat outside and guzzled down our well-earned cold ones whilst enjoying the warm sun and great views…what a great day to head out on the mountains on a glorious day, have an awesome climb together and enjoy a drink at the end of it all.

We were inevitably greeted by Colin and Clive not long after we got back! There was a beautiful sunset which created a lovely bright yellow light just setting in the distance of the front of the cottage. That night, we decided to play Guess Who which was provided by the cottage, some we though why not! Mrs F seemed to have more of a strategic approach to winning most of the games, but it was a fun evening! 

The Sunset From The Cottage

Mrs F's Graze From Her Tumble On Catstycam

Mr F's Burn Head Through His Short Hair Cut!

Our Game Of Guess Who 😊

Colin & Clive 

The Boys Loving The Chickens!

At This Point It Was Getting Slightly Out Of Hand! 

DAY 6: SCAFELL PIKE

10.5 MILES, 6 HOURS & 30 MINUTES

Today was a big day for Mrs F. The last time we climbed Scafell Pike it turned into an absolute mammoth 11 & half hour day due to Mrs F having a bad knee injury (See 2013, November entry) Granted, when we climbed it back then we hadn’t been climbing very long so our legs hadn’t fully adjusted and built up good muscle memory they need. Also, we climbed Scafell and Scafell Pike on the same day via Lords’ Rake and Foxes Tarn. This time however, we were only climbing the one and the wasn’t going to be as long…we hoped!

Although Mrs F was now much stronger in her legs and knees, she still felt a slight anxiety, as this was the mountain that broke her, now it was her chance to go back and finally conquer it! We got up fairly early as it was going to be a long day regardless of injuries. Rucksacks packed the night before and lunch freshly prepared that morning, we drove over towards Seathwaite Farm with excitement. Although we got their in good time, the road leading up to the farm was already starting to get full. There was a section of the field that the farmer had arranged for people to park their cars for a charge of £5, but we decided to park a little further down the road as we weren’t shy of a having to walk a little further for not being parked closer to the start of our hike.

Although the day was going to once again be glorious, it was cold to start and Mrs F d her legs out! She put on her coat at the car and wanted to get going quickly. Mr F being a hardy Northerner was content with being in his t-shirt and shorts with the idea that he’ll soon warm up. Mrs F wasn’t taking any chances however! We would normally set off to the right hand side of the farm up Sour Milk Ghyll leading towards one of our favourite routes to Green & Great Gable via Gillercomb Valley. This time however, we took the left hand side of the farm that would normally be the way back for us had we gone to Green or Great Gable. It made a nice change to go different way, considering we’d been over this way so many tie before. It was a really enjoyable route that was an easy stroll along the path that lead us to a gradual stepping stone stairway towards higher ground…

Heading Off From Seathwaite Farm

More Sheep Trying To Escape Through The Gate!

We found ourselves on somewhat even ground again with Sour Milk Ghyll to our right. There was man who was standing out towards the Ghyll by a big rock and a camera. As we walked past, he asked if we wouldn’t mind taking a photo of him sitting on the big rock and showed us an old photo that he got out from under the hat he was wearing of himself and his brother sitting on the exact same rock. The photo must have been at least 40 years old. He wanted to try and replicate the photo, so Mrs F took the man’s camera and done her best to replicate it from the exact same angle as the man took up the exact same pose. She didn’t like to ask where his brother was but hoped it was a good photo for him. He was very grateful and Mrs F was grateful to be able to help him recreate it 😊

From there, we were now on rocky terrain with lots of ankle breaking potential! Chunky rocks with what looked like a little stream in itself underneath them all. We didn’t spend too long on these rocks as we headed away from the Ghyll and onto a path that took us to Mrs F’s favourite Sty Head Tarn with Great End standing proudly behind it…

Making Our Way Up The Steady Stepping Stones

Looking Across Sty Head Tarn Towards Great End

Instead of heading along the same path we would normally come back on, we took a left hand turn up towards Great End, walking past Custs Gully that we once scrambled up with Mr & Mrs S. It was by far one of the toughest scrambles we’d done and Mr S needed rope to help him out of a sticky patch he got himself in to! But it was a great day with lots of great memories about that climb. When walking past however, it looked very gloom in the shadows and not very inviting at all! We were now on the Corridor Route and on somewhat familiar territory. We passed a man coming the opposite way with his Son and two big dogs. They had been wild camping and had massive rucksacks that were rattling with all the pots and pans that were hooked on the outside. They were on the same route as we were to Scafell Pike, but had to turn around because there were too many difficult obstacles for the dogs. They planned to go around via the route we would eventually end up coming back on, which hopefully would be a lot easier on the dogs, who in all honesty looked knackered already!

Custs Gully In The Uninviting Shadows!

We however carried on the route marked out ahead of us, snacking on the go. It was a well-trodden path that was still rugged enough the blend in with its surroundings, almost like it had been roughly cut into the mountain side.  After we carried on the rugged path, we eventually came across one of the obstacles the dogs were faced with that caused the Dad and his Son to turn around, and understandably so! We had to climb down a steep drop and even Mrs F had to reply on Mr F to help her get down for a lot of it! Safely down, we walked along the curved path that took us over a gully and out into the open once again...

The Red Gravel Route

The Tricky Steep Rocks 

We still had a fair way to go, but the route offered a verity of views and terrain; from gentle and gradual stepping stones that were placed closely together for ease of walking to less kinder gradual inclines of a gravel path, but still really enjoyable. Mrs F was very pleased with her progress so far and loving it, as was Mr F. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day where we could see for miles and really appreciate the stunning views that made the walk even better…

Landscape...

..Portrait! 😆

 After we had a short scramble up a rocky area – which was a nice welcome and surprise - we could see the route ahead of us, turning left up a loose gravel route, no path, just a vast area up rocky terrain leading up to the very recognisable summit. There were people coming up from Wasdale who were joining us on the gravel route, in fact there were a lot of people! There was also a charity group who were clearly broken up into ‘fit’ and ‘not so fit!’ We passed the not so fit group a while back and caught up with the rest of their team just on the final ascent to Scafell Pike. There were also a lot of people with dogs too of all sizes, which we always think is quite an ask on the little legs of smaller dogs.

After a short hike up the gravel route, it wasn’t long before we were the two highest people in England! We had to wait our turn to walk up the short stairway to the trig point on the flat rounded summit. It was such a great view and the feeling of being back on top of England once again was even better!

Short Scramble Up

The Top Of England!

Magnificent Views From The Top

Mrs F Hugging Agnes 😄🐶

There was another dog who was quite excited and scurrying and scrounging for food. Mr F was eating an apple whilst being stared at by the dog. His owner said he likes apple cores, so when Mr F was finished he gave it to the dog, which didn’t touch it! 

Mrs F had a WhatsApp video call with her Mum and then her Dad to say we were at the top of England. Mrs F’s dad asked if there air was thin...bless him! We were ready to get moving as it was quite cold, so we packed up and set off for the long hike home. We had to walk down a very steep descent over what seemed like the moon on a very gravelly path and it wasn’t until we were able to look back on it to appreciate just how steep it is! It was at this point that we came across the man with his Son and two dogs, who by this point looked absolutely done in…the dogs and the Son! We stopped for a brief chat before being faced with the very familiar boulder field. It was about here that Mrs F’s knee started to really hurt the last time. Mr F went off ahead slightly, leaving Mrs F trailing behind who was a little more conscious of not falling down what looked like crevasses in-between the big rocks! Some of them were more stable than others and you don’t know which ones aren’t as grounded until you put your weight on them, so there is definitely no room for a lapse of concentration!

The Steep Decent Off Scafell Pike

The Start Of The Boulder Field

Mrs F at this point was so proud of herself for making it this far and across the boulders, which last time took forever as each step was excruciating…

We were now on a much welcomed flatter route with an actual path to follow! This path went on for quite some time, which eventually snaked around the back of Great End and past Sprinkling Tarn, leading back down to Sty Head Tarn. On our way down we came across a group of young people who were still heading up and asked how long it was to the top and didn’t have a map with them! In all honesty, without sounding like a mountain snob, they really didn’t look like they knew what they were doing or overly confident about where they were going! They thought that Great End was Scafell Pike! Their faces dropped when we told them they had quite a way to go yet. When Mr F showed them on his map where to go, it wasn’t too long before we were asked the same question by a man and woman who were also making their way up as we were heading down! They were told by someone further down that it was about half an hour and their faces also dropped when we told them they had over an hour still!

Mrs F Proud Of Making It Injury Free Across The Boulder Field...

And In Landscape Too! 😆

The Route Where We Destroyed A Few Souls!

Our Short Stop Where We Chatted To The Nice Man

Just as we passed Sprinkling Tarn, we decided to have a sit-sat for quite while just to really enjoy the views and take it all in without the constant looking down. A lot of the time you’re looking down to make sure you don’t trip up that you miss what’s around you. Plus, we deserved the break! As we tucked into our ginger cake and Ovaltine for Mrs F, there was an older man coming up the way we were heading down. He stopped and chatted to us for quite some time. He said that he and his wife live in Cornwall and have a holiday home in Keswick that they rent out and sometimes stay in themselves. He was a lovely man to talk to, he said he had finished all the Wainwrights but still enjoys getting out where he can to revisit them 😊

Chat over, we pulled ourselves up and started on the long windy path that eventually took us straight to Stockley Bridge, where we planned to sit and dunk our feet in, which we have done on a couple of occasions before when the weather has been good enough for us to do so. It took quite some time before we even had the bridge in sight and when we did, it gave us incentive to pick up the speed to get there and get our shoes and socks off! We would normally head down the bank into the stream to find a good dunking spot, but this time we decided to sit in a little pool just by the bridge and it was such a great moment and one that will last long in the memory. Even the boys got out but they decided not to put their feet in! Although the weather was hot, the water was still cold, so it took a bit of gearing up and bravery to fully dunk the feet, but it was so refreshing and putting the boots back on felt like brand new feet…

Finally, Stockley Bridge!

The Boys Were Quite Happy Not To Dunk Their Feet!

Once our feet were well and truly refreshed, we put our socks and boots back on (reluctantly!) and made our way on the very familiar path that we’ve walked along many a time before towards Seathwaite Farm. We stopped off at Morrisons to pick up some extra supplies en route  back to the cottage, where Colin, Clive and the rest of the gang were waiting, we needed to get dinner going fairy soon as it was lasagne and chips and the oven wasn’t the fastest oven in the world and didn’t want to eat late...plus we were hungry after a big long day!

It was a great way to spend our final day in the Lakes and as always, very sad to be leaving our happy place and back to the chaos of London life. This cottage was by far now our favourite cottage we’d stayed in just the two of us. It really had a homely feel about it and felt very cosy and comfortable in the evenings. The added addition of the chickens made it even more special of course and the boys loved the fact that we had chickens come every day, some into the kitchen! We were no doubt going to come back sooner rather than later to this wonderful ‘home from home’ cottage, although next time maybe not too sure we’ll have the amazing weather we’d had all week…but you never know!

Looking Back At Stockley Bridge

Another Beautiful Sunset...

...And An Equally Beautiful Sunrise The Next Morning 

Colin Waiting By The Door The Following Morning

VERDICT OF THE LAKE DISTRICT IN SEPTEMBER 2020

Mr F: Amazing week in every way. Fantastic cottage, some walks that will live long in the memory and brilliant weather. Great to be in the Lakes with all the 214 Wainwrights completed so we could pick and choose what to do. Every day was just great with the Blencathra day especially.good. The cottage was just great and Colin, Clive and the rest of the chickens adding to its charm. A great week arguably my favourite week we have spent in the Lakes. Made even more special by the fact we should have been there the following week when the weather was shocking....very thankful to Sherries boss for declining her holiday!!!

Mrs F: Well, what can I say. As mentioned in the blog, we weren’t supposed to be in the lakes thus week due to my work, but that turned in to be the most wonderful blessing in disguise with the amazing weather we had every day. Never before had we been so fortunate to have great weather with great views every day, which was a new way to be able to enjoy this incredible place. Due to the weather being so good – and the fact that we were no longer determined by what mountain to climb to complete our 214 Wainwrights – we were able to revisit some of the mountains we’d previously done in bad weather. Doing this made the second climb affectively a brand new experience, especially Catstycam which I absolutely loved! It was so amazing to go back and climb the mountain that completely broke me and actually conquer it! I felt so proud of not just being able to do it again in that day without any problems, but of how far I’ve come since that day and all we’ve done and achieved in our 6and half quest to complete the Wainwrights. The entire week was really enjoyable with lots of great scrambles and even better that we were able to see where we were going and have the reward of a clear view at the top. So many times we’ve slogged to the top of a mountain and not even see anything at the top due to bad weather. The cottage was a great find; it really did for both of us feel very homely and really enjoyed our stay here. We slept well in a comfy bed which enabled us to feel fresh and ready for the next day…and what an incredible day each day was! :-)