Windermere – Pooley Bridge: 11th – 12th March

 

Day One: Windermere – Orrest Head – Garburn Road – Yoke – Ill Bell – Froswick – Thornthwaite Crag – Pasture Bottom – Hartsop – Patterdale: 23km

The train from Manchester worked smoothly but I was out of sorts when I arrived at Windermere all the same, noise and busyness getting too much for me somehow.  This soon faded away as I made my way out of town and through Common Wood.  I must have taken the quiet path because I saw no one until suddenly there were masses at Orrest Head, somewhere that has an uncommon number of benches for them all.  The views were a little hazy and the Coniston Fells were capped with cloud.

I didn’t hang around and, after a little bit of field and road walking, I was on the Garburn Road.  It’s a good surface and a gentle ascent so I felt I was tripping along and was also getting surprisingly warm.  Yoke was my first top and seemed to arrive without too much pain, despite my heavy bag (I don’t seem to be able to pack lightly, what with full waterproofs and microspikes – more of which later).  The head of Kentdale comes into view here and the land dropped away beneath my feet like the earth opening up before me.  It’s always a thrilling place.

Each top was another ramp up, each putting a little more fatigue in my legs, and each one taken a little more slowly, until finally I reached Thornthwaite Crag and could admire the views, knowing there was no more ascent.  The ridge stretched greyly behind me and Windermere glowed between dark fellsides like a spillage of mercury.  It was 3pm but already it felt like the day was closing down.

The descent to Threshthwaite Mouth was fairly awful.  There had been very little snow around – despite the Fell Top Assessors saying it was a good idea to bring microspikes – but there were a few very soft patches here, meaning I had to skirt around a little, being careful on the very badly eroded rock at the same time.  The drop into Pasture Bottom was a easier with the steps just being wet.  I had chosen that way down, as opposed to Hartsop Dodd or Grey Crag, as I had never been that way before.  It proved to be a pleasant route but it didn’t half go on.

From Hartstop village I simply followed valley paths before crossing into Patterdale.  The pint in the hotel didn’t taste that fresh (the cask was probably tapped at the start of the weekend) and I moved on to the hostel, passing the closed (hopefully reopening) White Lion.

At check-in the warden told me they weren’t officially doing meals but as I and a Coast to Coast walker had arrived on foot, she could prepare lasagne for us.  That did for me.  The bar was a fridge behind reception but the lounge was huge and comfortable to sit and read.  I had been put on my own in a four bunk room (it only cost £35 on special offer) as I hadn’t been able to book anything smaller.  I only saw perhaps half a dozen other people in the hostel, so I didn’t feel I was being greedy.  The closure of the Kirkstone Pass is perhaps affecting their business too.

 

Day Two: Patterdale – Sandwick – Howtown – Heughscar Hill – Dunmallard Hill – Pooley Bridge: 21km

The forecast was terrible – low cloud, strong winds, lots of rain – so I switched from Plan A, over the tops from Angle Tarn to Rampsgill Head to Loadpot Hill, to Plan B, along the lake shore.  Place Fell was covered in cloud, as were the higher hills west, and there was a light smirr of drizzle.  It seemed I had probably made the right call.

There were dramatic views across Ullswater to Sheffield Pike and lots of lovely views of the lake between trees and crags.  The path was quite undulating and rocky, not a fast route, but one full of late winter colour – grey of the sky, blue of the water, orange bracken, green moss, red branches of the newest growth of silver birch.  I took it easy but seemed to be making good progress.  There was one else out, indeed I had hardly seen anyone the day before, until I approached Sandwick when there were suddenly hordes.  I guessed that had got off the steamer there.

The rain had stopped and it felt warm.  I could look south down towards Ramps Gill and the tops looked fairly clear.  Perhaps I should have taken the chance and gone high after all.  Over on the other side of the lake Gowbarrow Fell was flirting with cloud and a blanket of it looked to be creeping down from Helvellyn to the lower hills east.

Beyond Howtown the path climbed gently up the side of Barton Fell.  The land flattened out as I ascended and gave wonderful views down Ullswater, twisting gorgeously away between grey and orange hills.  Up ahead I could see fell ponies and was surprised when a couple came over to see me at the Cockpit stone circle, even coming close enough for a pat and a stroke.  The group then led the way right up to Heughscar Hill, my planned destination (so that I could at least claim one summit, albeit an Outlying Fell).  Neither I nor the horse are very good at selfies.

From there it was an easy walk into Pooley Bridge but, with it being a shorter and easier day than I might have had, I was early, so I added an ascent of Dunmallard Hill (another Outlying Fell) to pass some time.  All that was left was a pint or two in the Sun Inn (bit pricey for Wainwright, I thought), the 508 bus to Penrith (bumping into a bloke from the hostel who had walked the north side of the lake, battling his way through the fallen trees), a couple of pints in the Fell Bar, a curry at the Raj, and a train back to Manchester.