Blogs from Lake District, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

The penultimate day of this particular trip dawned clear. The penultimate breakfast of this particular trip was enough to ensure enough energy to get me up the initial climb - 1300'! I can't believe that the time has gone so quickly. The weather must be joining in celebration as it dawned clear and hot. I set off from the Honister car park, climbing in the already hot sun towards the summit of Dale Head. This was my fifth attempt this week to have a clear summit of Dale Head and the windless morning was looking promising. Various stops for a sip of water en route were met with hot, humid, lifeless air. Before long (well, roughly 40 minutes), the summit came into view. Shortly after, the view came into view. In the mist, I'd not realised ... read more

Dawn was wonderful. After the last few days, the early morning light was amazing. A little mist but no more thick black cloud over the mountains. Today was also the day on which I was moving accommodation and so it was not going to be possible to walk great distances. So, after breakfast, I packed and transferred my bags to the car and set off to the new digs. Once my chores were done, it would be 12h30 before I was able to head off into the mountains. Parking at Newlands Hause, I decided to head up to Knott Rigg, a simple ascent of 700'. The warm sun was a delight as I climbed to the summit with its minuscule cairn made that tiny bit taller by my own addition. Once at the summit, it made ... read more

I love rain. I love wind. I just love being outside. Today was a little different though. The early morning light was lovely, with little clouds skimming Buttermere, although darker clouds were waiting in the wings. By the time breakfast was over, a little persistent rain was falling and the clouds were rolling in. The mountain forecast had certainly got this wrong! After waiting quarter of an hour, it looked as though the weather was clearing from the North West and so I decided to continue with my plan and climb Dale Head. The roads were empty as I drove up the Honister pass and parked in the summit car park. The rain had stopped, so I simply donned a fleece and set off up towards the summit. About twenty minutes into the climb, I reached ... read more

It was a beautiful sunny morning, although torrential rain and thunder was forecast for later in the day. Hence, it was necessary to do a shorter walk in order to get back down before the heavens opened. And so it came to pass that the thin ridge of Fleetwith Pike beckoned, the steep climb being broken by a visit at Fanny Mercer's memorial on the way up. The climb was broken into four distinct portions, with climbing certainly on the cards and the summit being hidden! After an hour, I made the summit and stopped for water before beginning the descent down to the bothy in the quarry. Part way down, a shower came in and I had to don full waterproofs. Although the shower only lasted a few minutes, it was enough to make the ... read more

Woke up around feeling a little chilled only to discover that, following last night's heavy rain, water was beginning to leak into the room. Made a note to book elsewhere! Rather apt though as today I'd be following in the steps of Moses, even to the point of walking through bulrushes! After breakfast, began the long drag up to Scarth Gap, rain resulting in me putting on and taking off waterproofs throughout the climb. An hour and twenty minutes later, the cairn was in sight ... and a quick drink of water and, more importantly, a mobile signal. Once new accommodation was confirmed, I headed for the summit of Haystacks. Some scrambling was required to reach the summit, but with the weather improving, it was proving to be lovely walk. Next came Innominate Tarn and Blackbeck ... read more