Saturday, 25th September 2021
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| My favourite pic of the day |
All I’ll say is nothing went as planned..
Due to getting to the M62 Leeds/Manchester corridor bang on rush hour, then roadworks, the 4 hour drive took me 6, resulting in an interesting drive over Hard Knott Pass in the dark and fog – not for the faint-hearted
Which meant I got to my accommodation after they’d stopped serving food – but luckily I had contingency plans so didn’t go hungry. The room was lovely, clean, warm, comfy bed, en-suite, free parking and wifi. All my tick boxes ticked.
After seeing a comment about a shuttle bus running to Wasdale Head I enquired about it, my plan being to bus up to the end of the lake and walk back either down the Miterdale valley or over Illgill Head and Whin Rigg, depending on the weather/visibility. Yes, they knew about it but no they didn’t know where it was running from, or the times.
I went on an exploratory mission to see if I could find anything out or flag the bus down if it passed me. It didn’t.
At the start of the walk the tops were cloud free:
The hills this side of the lake are cloud free too:
I reach the junction:
Still no bus.
So I decide to walk down the road (hoping the bus would pass me and I could mebby flag it down). I got a good look at Greathall Gill and the path down the side of it:
Impressive. It looks steeper in real life.
I cross the cattle grid:
The sheep clearly have no respect for the “no camping or overnight parking” signs. Defiant little cuties
Still no bus.
A lovely view down the lake and of the cloud now capping Illgill Head:
I decide to get off the road and wander over the lumps and bumps along the edge of the lake, and find a nice little stream:
Lots of parking spaces along this road. Mostly used by canoerists (new word) and paddle-boarders by the looks of things. I made a mental note.
I also made a note of the cloud getting lower and lower and further and further along my return route
:
I find a nice little rocky perch near Netherbeck Bridge for Snack Stop Number 1 and ponder my options:
The first option being; put my waterproofs on
The second option being; change my return route to the flanks of the fells behind me (Middle Fell and Buckbarrow) as they were cloud free:
Personally, I see little point of heading into the clouds and being robbed of the views.
Decision made, I wander a little further up to Overbeck Bridge then retrace my steps back to my snack stop rock. I head up by the side of Nether Beck in search of the waterfall:
This isn’t the waterfall marked on the map – that’s a little further up. I didn’t go to find that. I probably should have done but I was now eying up the cloud wafting over my new return route.
I stayed lower than intended, following sheep trods and bashing my way through shoulder-high bracken. Whenever it got too difficult I returned to the road and explored the lumps on the lake side:
Visibility at lake-level was now a bit iffy but at least I had some views still.
Back on the Buckbarrow side of the road and I spotted this curious looking cairn thing:
Random. And note the cloud is just above head-height now.
The other side of it reveals:
Ahh, not so random. And when you look, there are quite a few little rocky lumps with these memorial stones adorning them.
I reach the Gosforth road junction:
The pic is looking towards Middle Fell which, as you can see is now wearing a beautiful cloudy overcoat.
Back on the road again and this little shelter reminds me of the one on Helvellyn with its 4 quarters:
Except there’s wooden benches and a roof. So nothing like the Helvellyn shelter really
A quick snap of the bouldery screes path before it gets gobbled up in cloud:
And another looking south:
I’m glad I stayed low. At least I got some interesting views
Back at the cattle grid again and I take the shoreline path through the woodland:
I find a little “beach” and decide it is Snack Stop Number 2 time:
This family were hitching a ride on the Wast Water Hippo. I found a comfy boulder and had a paddle. I sat for a while with my feet in the water and some little fish came swimming around me. They even had a nudge (or nibble) at my feet. It tickled! Quite mesmerising and fascinating to watch them
Back into the woodland:
What a lovely walk. Mossy, green, broadleaf woodland with that lovely damp, earthy smell. This would be a great short autumnal walk.
Arty-farty pic:
And wouldn’t you guess? The cloud’s nearly off the tops now
This path gives a great full length view of Wast Water though:
Plenty of benches to sit on (the first one being immediately after I’d stopped for my second snack!)
I head back up to the road on a steep field full of sheep. I pause to get my breath at the top and turn round:
OoooOOoooOOOoooooh, lovely
All that remains now is a road-plod back to The Strands. I was in no rush as I’d not managed to get an evening meal booked at breakfast (fully booked already).
And wouldn’t you guess? The sun came out and by late evening the tops were completely cloud free. Anyone wild-camping up there would have been gifted with an absolutely smashing sunset.
I’m guessing I wasn’t meant to walk “up there” today. Funny really, as I woke up with an odd feeling. At the time I put it down to that nervous excitement of the day ahead feeling (don’t know if anyone else feels this). But maybe it wasn’t.
Whilst I was getting my shower I found a tick on my thigh. A flat, dead tick. Firmly embedded into me. With evidence that I’d been scratting at it through my trousers. Its removal wasn’t 100% successful and I was left with its gob still stuck in me, feeling a little like a splinter does. I hope it wasn’t carrying Lyme Disease. I didn’t have my proper tweezers with me so after I’d poked and prodded in vain, I slathered it in hand sanitiser and hoped for the best until I got home and could remove it properly. For good measure I sanitised my insides with a glass of wine. All of it has now been removed and I’m left with nothing more than a little bump at the bite site, so fingers crossed.
After another lovely night’s sleep and yummy breakfast my original intention was to go and scamper up Latterbarrow on my way home. But, it was absolutely lashing down with rain so I sacked that idea off and instead enjoyed my return drive over Hard Knott Pass in the fog. I did stop at the top momentarily to look at the views but got blasted with sideways rain and got no views so continued my journey home…. Where the M6 was closed due to a spillage or something and we were at a standstill for over an hour. A proper engines off standstill. I got out of my car for a leg stretch and made a brew and had a natter with a few other drivers doing the same. Make the best of a situation you can’t change, I say
Given that nothing went to plan, I had a smashing time. Free-range walking. Make it up as you go along. Fantastic atmospheric views. Lots of lumps and bumps to explore. Woodland. Waterfalls. A lake. Curious things to investigate. Babbling brooks. Disobedient Herdies. Happy people.
The Strands is looking for staff if anyone needs a job.
Thanks for reading