Lake District weekend - day five - homeward bound

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/

I awoke to the sound of Dave's car crunching along the gravel drive at 5:50 am. Ian and I had breakfast at 7:45 am and, having been thoroughly confused by the local bus services timetables, we had booked a taxi to take us to Keswick at 8:15 am, to ensure we caught the 8:55 am bus to Penrith.

8:25 am came and went, and it was pretty obvious that the booked taxi wasn't going to show, so we got the hotel to phone another one. The only problem is that the nearest taxi services are in Keswick, some 6 or 7 miles along a twisting lakeside road. However, it was with us by 8:35 am and you should have seen the driver's face when we told him we had to catch the 8:55 am bus - he couldn't have been more excited - we had made his day. It was as if we'd said "follow that car".

We got there in good time - in fact, the bus was slightly late anyway. That gave me time to check the bus timetables again:

Yes - it definitely says there is a bus at 8:19 am from Rosthwaite to Keswick - as we had planned - but the hotel staff all insisted the first bus isn't until 10 am. Still don't understand.

The rest of the journey home was uneventful - that is, until we got back to Stonehaven. Ian picked up his car from one side of the station, and I went to mine on the other side, where I came across this scene:

Fortunately, there was an apology note on the windscreen from a woman who lives in Burnett Road, Banchory. Apparently it happened on Friday afternoon when it was raining - that was her excuse!

That was the only thing that ever so slightly took the gloss off a great weekend. Mucho thanks to Ken for organising it all - and for his map-reading skills - we'd have been lost without him. Thanks also to Dave for again acting as cashier for the weekend - that saved us a lot of hassle.

Lake District weekend - day four - final walk

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/

The forecast for today was better and it was certainly very pleasant when we headed off from Rosthwaite back to Keswick. The first bit of the walk was straight upwards, which meant there were plenty of "photo opportunities". We climbed above various cloud layers and reached the first valley top of the day, where we posed for yet another team photo:

We were advised that there was a coffee shop at the foot of the hill, so, in keeping with the casual spirit of the weekend, we stopped off for scones with gooseberry jam - lovely - and we weren't the only ones to think so. Soon there were birds swooping everywhere, looking for a nibble - you could feed them by hand. We finished our scones and put the trays on an adjacent table to allow the birds to finish off the remaining crumbs:

Chaffinch, I'm told

We moved on and eventually came across Derwent Water:

Our tour guide's confidence in his map-reading skills had obviously been dented, and he was regularly spotted checking and re-checking directions:

There was a pretty little bridge and much-photographed viewpoint, at which there was an art class, but it was so busy, that I couldn't get the correct angle for a photograph:

Having come back down to lake level, the next bit of the walk was fairly steeply upwards, with some scrambling involved - especially from me. The skies were darkening:

The showers came in as we got nearer Keswick and the route got busier. We got a little wet, but it wasn't bad, and the sun came out again for the last bit of the walk in to the town, where we headed for Dave's car and dumped our bags, then went for a coffee and the Sunday papers prior to finding a suitable pub to watch the Man U - Chelsea match.

Dave drove us back to Rosthwaite after the match - we couldn't get a hotel in Keswick - and we changed and headed back to the Riverside Bar for dinner again.

Here's the stats and the map from our walk:

After dinner, we again retired to the hotel bar for an end of tour dram:

Dave and Ken were heading off at the crack of dawn - Dave was driving back to his office in Reading and he was dropping Ken off so he could catch an early train back to the North East. Ian and I were in so such rush - but that's another story.

Lake District weekend - day three - second walk

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/

It had poured down all night and it was still lashing as we had breakfast. The forecast indicated that there was a possibility of it relenting a bit later on, so it was a fairly simple - and unanimous - decision to postpone our departure. Fortunately, the Australia - Ireland World Cup match was just about to start, so we settled down to watch it - great game it was too - and when it was over, the rain had eased off, so off we trotted along the valley floor.

After 4 or 5 miles, the stroll ended abruptly - the only way was up, to get out of one dale and over to the next one. As we climbed up a path adjacent to a mighty waterfall, the sky started to lighten and there were even glimpses of the sun. We took a last look down the valley before going over the top:

Ian had been showing a slightly unnatural interest in sheep all weekend - he said it was his upbringing on a farm coming out - and insisted I photograph the rather pretty white faced ones on the hill:

By the time we got to the high point between the two valleys, the sun had worked its magic:

Between the valleys was a pretty hilltop walk:

Soon we were looking down the next valley:

Going back down was tricky in places - Ken was seen trying to avoid the slalom shaped path, sliding down on his rear, and Dave had a couple of tumbles, one of which drew blood. When he did get to the bottom, he washed his hands in the stream as a rainbow formed in the distance:

The rest of the walk was on the level and, unsurprisingly, given the amount of rain that had fallen overnight and early morning, underfoot conditions were exceptionally wet - there were streams tumbling down from the hills everywhere - some of them tricky to cross, as I found out the hard way.

It was certainly a longer walk overall than we had initially thought - 14 miles in all - but, just before the end, we turned a corner and - lo and behold - a lovely little pub - the Langstrath Country Inn. There was no debate - we were stopping for a beer:

We had a bit of a job persuading Mr. Sharp not to have a second round - our hotel was only 15 minutes away - but we soon strode off for hot baths and a change of clothes - and to put our wet boots in to the drying room at the Scafell Hotel.

The pub at the rear of the hotel was another former pub of the year. The Riverside Bar was exceptionally busy but Ian sportingly formed the advance guard and grabbed a table for us. On the menu was Steak Pudding - enormous it was - so we were well filled before dessert. We retired to the hotel's quiet front bar for nightcaps - Ken and Ian were soon deep in conversation:

We almost got involved in a quiz, run by a group of 28 members of a tennis club from London, but, with CK missing, there was a chance that our virtually unblemished record could be spoiled, so we desisted.

I'm afraid the stats for the day suffered an upload error and have disappeared in to the ether. Ken will never believe now that today's walk was almost twice as long as originally planned!

Lake District weekend - day two - first walk

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/

Thursday morning was a bit overcast with prospects of showers as we set off from our hotel:

We walked down to the bus station to await the 9:30 am bus that would take us down to Ambleside:

Like little kids, we all clambered upstairs in the double decker and fought for the front seat. This was the view as we hurtled through the narrow lakeside roads:

Well, that part of the journey was easy - there must be time for a coffee before we head for the hills. Ken took us to one of his favourite tea shops, the Apple Pie, where we all indulged ourselves. Eventually, it was time to leave the quiet surroundings of Ambleside and head for the hills - lead on, Ken! We hadn't got 100 yards before our leader was seen scurrying around trying to find the village's out door:

Yes - a map's a good idea, Ken!

The first bit of the climb out of Ambleside is relatively steep, but on decent track. We soon stopped for breath and for the first of many team photographs:

We climbed to the highest local point, where Dave snapped me as I rested at the cairn:

It was now past noon, so Ian could officially keep up his tradition of cracking open his hip flask at the top:

Team at cairn

Nice views from the top

Smart fence poles built in to the stone dykes

We soon discovered that one of the main differences between the Lake District and the West Highland Way that we did at the same time last year, was that there are plenty of watering holes at appropriate places on the many walks in the Lake District. When we got back down to valley level, we came across the Britannia Inn, a delightful little pub, with lots of real ale and good food. We found a cosy little corner and settled down with our boots and outerwear off - Ian showed off his new body-hugging top, and gave us a glimpse of his fine physique:

Lunch over, it was time to march on. There was a disused slate quarry, with dire warnings at the entrance to the adjacent mine:

The rain finally arrived in the afternoon and we got a good soaking on the last half hour of our trek over from Langdale to Borrowdale, and our hotel for the evening, the New Dungeon Ghyll, which was a very nice hotel, with good modern facilities, and an adjacent inn with a fine selection of ales. We were only staying there because we couldn't get in to the Old Dungeon Ghyll, which was a mile (or so) further along the road, and had been a place both Ken and Dave had fond memories of from their youth.

We put all our wet gear in the drying room at our hotel, showered, changed, and had dinner at the nearby inn, then headed off down the road to find out if there was still magic in the air at the Old Dungeon Ghyll. Ken and Dave couldn't wait and raced off ahead of Ian and I. It was a good place - the bar was very reminiscent of the Clachaig Inn near Lochinver where we'd spent a fun Saturday evening a year previously:

Old Dungeon Ghyll

It started to rain again just before we left - and this time it was serious. We only had waterproof jackets - no trousers, no boots - and the walk home along the darkened road was the fastest I've ever seen any of us move. It didn't really make any difference, however - we all got well and truly soaked. I dashed off to the shower and bed, but the others managed a quick nightcap.

Here's the map and stats for the day:

Lake District weekend - day one - arrival

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/

The best laid plans of mice and Vets gang aft a'gley. With Johanne having to go in to hospital for an op, Colin was a late cancellation from the trip, which, in turn, led me to to change my plans at the last minute and, rather than drive down alone, I decided to make use of my Senior Railcard and let the train take the strain.

Ian had taken the whole day off so he had gone down on the early morning train, with Ken having decided he would leave at lunchtime and travel down in Dave's car.

Ian and I were in touch by text and phone and I discovered that he'd got off the train at Penrith and gone in to the town centre there, but had been distinctly unimpressed by it - especially the pubs he visited. He'd then jumped on the bus to Keswick and checked in at our hotel and wandered round the town centre in his shorts, doing the touristy thing.

My train was a little late getting in to Penrith and I just missed the bus connection to Keswick so had another 45-50 minutes to wait till the next one. I asked a taxi driver how much it would cost to take me there - "£38" he said - "but it's only £5 on the bus!" No choice then - "where's the nearest decent pub?" - "just across the road - the Agricultural Hotel" - so off I trotted. Nice place it was too, so with the sun shining, I settled down to a table outside and enjoyed a pint of Jenning's Bitter, then texted Ken to find out how they were doing - "just 10 minutes from Penrith", he said - "we'll pick you up" - even better.

Sure enough, the BMW purred up just a little later, and Ken and Dave joined me for a beer, Dave resplendent in red "pants":

Then it was off to the Keswick Lodge, right in the heart of the pedestrianised town centre. We had an early dinner there, washed down with a couple of pints of Thwaite's, then headed off to the nearby Gun and Dog, a cracking little pub, with a good selection of ales and, as it's name implies, very dog-friendly.

After a couple there we wandered a hundred or so yards down the street to see what else was doing. There was music - of a sort - in one of them. One guy and a variety of styles, and lined up in rows along the walls were couples, side by side, listening in - well, it's better than having to talk to the missus, isn't it? Definitely a bit of a throwback.

First night and it was a 7-pinter - not the best of preparations for the exercise ahead of us. Back to our rooms - Ken and I lost the toss with Dave for the one remaining single room - Ian already had ensconsed himself in the other one.