Glenridding
July 2004
A trip to the Ullswater fells
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  Day
1: Howtown and the lakeside path
6¾ miles Leaving the car in Glenridding (it wouldn't be used
again until our departure four days later) we walked the short
lane to the pier, and caught the 1.45pm sailing to Howtown.
Howtown, about half-way along the lake on the eastern side,
must be one of the quietest corners of the district - the Howtown
Hotel (lunch!) had a lovely old-fashioned feel to it.
 The path back to Glenridding is generally reckoned to be one
the finest
 low-level routes in the whole Lake District - I
wouldn't argue with that. The red squirrel, who seemed quite
accustomed to walkers, was an added bonus. A few minutes of sunshine near the end of the walk
lit the hills opposite - a good omen for the rest of the trip?
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  Day
2: Fairfield
11½ miles A couple of days before departure, Shropshire had
seen heavy rain and the coldest July day on record. We had
travelled through some very heavy rain the previous day, shortly
before arriving at Glenridding, although the weather had stayed
dry for our walk. The skies remained
resolutely grey the next day, and we ensured our waterproofs were
packed. We needn't have worried
- a couple of light showers were all we had (the sort which stop
as soon as you've put the waterproofs on...)
 Sadly, there wasn't
any sunshine either - neither today nor the next day.
 We
walked up Grisedale to the tarn, there taking the steep path
(pausing for lunch half-way up) to the summit of Fairfield, which
at 2863' is one of the higher summits. We then debated the route
back - St Sunday Crag, or the longer, but lower, route via Hartsop
Above How. We took the latter - a very enjoyable ridge walk -
before descending to valley level and taking the path along the
eastern side (away from the road) via Beckstones and (ice creams!)
Side Farm.
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  Day
3: High Street (well, almost...) 11½ miles We left
Glenridding by the path to Side Farm, then headed for the hills
via Boredale Hause. The path onwards is an interesting upland
route, passing the unusually-shaped Angle Tarn, then crossing the
heads of Bannerdale and Rampsgill as it gradually climbs to the
High Street ridge.
  Our
initial objective was High Raise; however, lunchtime got the
better of us, and we found a little shelter from the strengthening
and bitterly cold northerly wind in rocks just to the north of Rampsgill Head...
 ...and
by the time we'd finished, we were so cold we headed back down
from the ridge. An ominous-looking shower to the east of
Blencathra (and heading our way?) contributed to the decision. High Raise could wait for
a better day! So, taking in the summit of Rampsgill Head en route,
we dropped down to the dam at the foot of Hayeswater, before
continuing downwards to Hartsop. Once again, the path on the
eastern side of the valley provided us with our return route -
though, sadly, the shop at Side Farm was closed - no ice creams
today.
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 Day
4: Striding Edge and Helvellyn
8½ miles At last, a fine, sunny day! What better objective
than the rocky ridge route to the highest peak in the vicinity,
3118' Helvellyn?
We followed the usual route via Grisedale and the path to the
"Hole-in-the-Wall" (no, not a cash dispenser), then up onto the
rocky arête of Striding Edge. We had climbed this way many years
ago - a fine day at the start had turned wet later, the mist
jetting between the pinnacles of the edge. No such problems today!
As ever, the summit was well populated - nevertheless, we had no
difficulty getting seats in the shelter (lunchtime!), in the lee
of (again) a cold wind, but this time with warm sunshine, and the
clearest air I've ever experienced on a Lakeland summit. The whole of
the Lake District was clearly visible, as was the coast of
South-West Scotland, and the Pennines to the east. With
binoculars, Blackpool tower was in sight (if you really wanted to
see it...), and beyond, the Ribble estuary and the flat lands
around Southport. More significantly, a darker smudge over the sea
might have been the Clwydian range of hills south of Prestatyn.
And, between the Scafells and Gable, a distant flat shore - surely
not the coast of Ireland? (I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Isle of
Man - too flat!) Can anyone out there confirm or deny our view
please?
It was a shame to leave the exceptional views; sadly, we couldn't
stay indefinitely, and began our descent, via Helvellyn Lower Man,
White Side, and the long zig-zags which took us down, past the old
lead mine, back to Glenridding.
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 Day
5: Waterfalls Walk 4½ miles
 Here's
a walk that needs little explanation - and the only walk in these
pages for which an admission fee is charged! The previous day's fine
sunshine had become hazy late in the afternoon, and rain was falling as we
walked back from our evening meal to the B&B. Our last day, which
would end with the drive home, dawned damp and drizzly. We decided
to drive out of the Lake District, to Ingleton, on the edge of the
Yorkshire Dales,
 to
do the waterfalls walk. If it rained on us, we would at least be at
a relatively low level, and the trees would provide some sort of
shelter.
 In
fact the rain held off, and we had a very pleasant couple of hours
exploring the valleys of the Twiss and the Doe. Much as I would
normally object to paying for a walk in the country, I can
appreciate that the heavy use means heavy maintenance and repair,
and the path constructed to follow the Doe downstream makes accessible a gorge that would otherwise be impassable.
 In the best
traditions of these things, the falls all bear names (hover over the
thumbnails...). Please excuse me if I've got any wrong! And that was it -
back to Ingleton in time for lunch, before heading south for the
delights of the M6 - and home.
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The Ingleton waterfalls walk is
described by Wainwright in his "Walks in Limestone Country" (an
excellent buy, if you haven't got it), and clearly shown on the OS
1:25,000 "Yorkshire Dales - Southern and Western Areas".
But you really don't need either - just park in the main car park in
Ingleton, down in the valley, then pay up and follow everyone else! |
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; "Heading for Howtown")
; "Howtown Hotel")
; "Ullswater - the path near Howtown")
; "Red squirrel (no, he's not stuffed!)")
; "Ullswater shore")
; "The ubiquitous Foxglove beside Ullswater")
; "Above the lake")
; "A quiet mooring")
; "The sun's coming out! Glenridding")
; "More sunshine at the foot of Grisedale")
; "Mossy roof and Place Fell")
; "Grisedale")
; "Top of the pass - view to Tongue Gill")
; "Grisedale Tarn...")
; "...and the northern fells")
; "Sheep and Windermere")
; "Hartsop Above How")
; "On Hartsop Above How")
; "Hartsop - an aerial view")
; "Ullswater - boats and Place Fell")
; "Just starting to climb - view to Brothers Water")
; "Looking back - Patterdale and Glenridding")
; "Angle Tarn")
; "Trees on the island, Angle Tarn")
; "Bannerdale")
; "Almost onto the ridge")
; "View north from Rampsgill Head")
; "Getting out of the wind...")
; "Hayeswater")
; "Passing Shower above Hartsop")
; "Farm buildings, Pasture Bottom")
; "The paths to the fells, Hartsop")
; "Side Farm's Cockerel")
; "Boat, Ullswater")
; "Not so grey today - Grisedale")
; "Aerial view of Grisedale")
; "The path to the \"Hole-in-the-Wall\"")
; "Ready for Striding Edge")
; "At the end of the ridge")
; "Looking back to Striding Edge")
; "Looking down on Red Tarn")
; "Helvellyn and Skiddaw")
; "Lone snapper - and the view to the west")
; "Thirlmere and Skiddaw, and the Solway Firth beyond")
; "Glenridding lead mine remains")
; "Looking down on Ullswater - the steamer arrives")
; "Pecca Falls")
; "Pecca Twin Falls")
; "Hollybush Spout")
; "Thornton Force")
; "Baxenghyll Gorge")
; "Beezley Falls")
; "Snow Falls")