Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Lake District

  • Lake District – Helvellyn (the Climb Down)

    So seven of us climbed up Helvellyn and three decided to go the easy (well, relatively easy) route down and four decided to go via Striding Edge and Swirral’s Edge. I thought they were mad, but off they went anyway. Above is the photo from the top of the mountain of Striding Edge.

    Dave and Gordon stopped briefly to let me take the photo, before they continued darting down the mountain.

    Gordon, Maggie and Dave, with Striding Edge behind them. There is another photo in this series when Gordon and Dave went in for a little kiss (with Maggie, not each other), but I think Maggie would prefer the above image.

    And there is Striding Edge again. And I think it’s harder than it looks. Liam would have liked it, as would anyone else who isn’t terrified of heights and has the balance of a mountain goat.

    One advantage of the walk we did back down was the excellent views we had over the surrounding countryside. We were very fortunate with the weather, and it was possible to see out to the sea.

    Some photos from our descent down.

    Maggie in front of the Thirlmere Lake.

    A waterfall at the base of the mountain.

    I’m not quite sure how this tree managed to successfully grow here….

    Maggie and Dave.

    Gordon rejected the idea that those doing Striding Edge were braver than him, and he posed in a godlike manner to show his general prowess. Maggie wasn’t impressed with him.

    Maggie taking a photo of Gordon.

    How cute! I named this Dylan.

    And this one I called Leon, which the sheep seemed to like.

    We reached the bottom of Helvellyn a little before the others who did Striding Edge, as we dithered and enjoyed our walk down, whilst the others came down the route they had gone up. I ate a feast of blackberries and then Maggie spotted an ice cream van, so Gordon and I thought that we’d buy everyone an ice cream. By everyone, Gordon bought me and him one, although he then changed his mind and we ended up with three ice creams for two of us. So, he kindly gave one to Steve for his bravery.

    My ice cream. Very delicious.

  • Lake District – Helvellyn (the Climb Up)

    Gordon doing his morning exercises before our big Wednesday walk, which was to climb Helvellyn.

    We parked at Thirl’s Car Park by Lake Thirlmere and were pleased to note that there are currently no car parking charges. We had selected this route as it is one of the easiest for those of us who don’t like heights, and it turned out to be a good decision in that regard.

    The toilets weren’t in perfect condition, and Gordon had to sit in the dark, but at least they were open when we visited.

    The little bridge at the start of the walk.

    A stream at the base of the mountain.

    Gordon had some hurty legs on the way up, so Sarah helped him with some more exercises. This slightly displeased Maggie as Gordon ignored her when she wanted to do exercises with him….

    Marching up the mountain. I must admit that there was a section where it was particularly windy and I thought about going back down. Gordon was entirely up for that, and I really liked his negativity, which kept me going. Sarah on the other hand was just being positive and supportive, which really irritated me.

    Steve M just climbed the mountain with his arms folded….

    The group having a little rest.

    I’ve done it! So ruddy brave. It took just under two hours, which was a pretty decent time as far as I was concerned.

    A group photo of our collective success at the top of the mountain. Helvellyn is 950 metres high and is the third highest mountain in England, with the highest being Scafell Pike.

    Some views from the top. And this is where the story really began for some of us, as Steve, Steve and Sarah decided to go and do Striding Edge and Swirral’s Edge. They were very brave, especially as Sarah was really unsure whether she could do it. However, she battled on and was successful. I shall take the photos from those three who did it and put them on a different post.

    Whilst we were having lunch (I had a delicious roll from Greggs) we also met a husband and wife at the top of Helvellyn and he mentioned that his wife would love to do Striding Edge, but that he wasn’t confident enough to do it with her. We said that she could do it with the two Steves and Sarah, and she took them up on the opportunity.

    Anyway, so at this stage, after feeling very pleased with ourselves, the remaining walkers, which was myself, Gordon, Maggie and Dave decided to climb down the mountain using a different and longer route, with the intention to meet the others later.

  • Lake District Week – The Awards

    I’m pleased to announce that the following awards have been made:

    BEST DRIVER OF THE WEEK

    Steve B (for smooth and faultless driving and going to Greggs)

    ORGANISER OF THE WEEK

    Julian

    QUOTE OF THE WEEK

    Dave (Here’s one for you, I’ve got a question)

    BEST WALKER OF THE WEEK

    Steve M (for completing walks with his arms still folded)

    DRINKER OF THE WEEK

    Dave (shots Dave)

    INTELLECTUAL OF THE WEEK

    Gordon (for his general intellectual ability)

    LOSING THE MOST THINGS IN THE WEEK

    Dave

    YOUNGEST PERSON OF THE WEEK

    Julian

    DISASTER OF THE WEEK

    Dave (failing to connect with his landlady)

    COVER-UP OF THE WEEK

    Gordon (Sandwichgate)

    BEST CAR OF THE WEEK

    Steve B (Skoda excellence)

    DRUNKEN DISASTER OF THE WEEK

    Maggie (losing her camper van)

    NICEST PERSON OF THE WEEK

    Maggie (for helping to drive, buying Dave a meal and always willing to help)

    WORST ACCOMMODATION OF THE WEEK

    Gordon (TV problems, bed problems, heat problems, staff problems)

    MOST PHOTOGENIC PERSON OF THE WEEK

    Steve B (always looking smooth in photos)

    WEIRDEST STORY OF THE WEEK

    Gordon

    MOST EXPENSIVE CLOTHING OF THE WEEK

    Gordon (£320 coat)

    IDIOT PURCHASE OF THE WEEK

    Gordon (£320 coat)

    SHORTEST TAXI RIDE OF THE WEEK

    Gordon

     

    And the most fought after award of them all….

    BRAVEST WALKER OF THE WEEK

    Sarah (for completing Striding Edge)

  • Lake District Week – Nomination for Awards

    This has caused a lot of debate, but I can announce the nominees for the various awards from this Lake District week. I have accepted bribes in the way of food and drinks, and this has helped considerably.

    The results will be announced on Friday’s short walk.

    So the nominations are:

    BRAVEST WALKER OF THE WEEK

    Sarah (for completing Striding Edge)

    Gordon (for continuing despite tendon difficulties)

    Julian (for being positive and courageous)

    BEST DRIVER OF THE WEEK

    Steve B (for smooth and faultless driving and going to Greggs)

    Sarah (for getting parallel parking sorted)

    Maggie (for using her camper van at the last minute to get people to Scafell Pike)

    ORGANISER OF THE WEEK

    Julian

    No other nominations were received

    QUOTE OF THE WEEK

    Dave (Buy someone a meal? Gordon could buy the entire restaurant)

    Maggie (Are we really climbing that hill?)

    Dave (Here’s one for you, I’ve got a question)

    BEST WALKER OF THE WEEK

    Steve M (for completing walks with his arms still folded)

    Dave (battling on with a damaged arm)

    Julian (for general bravery)

    DRINKER OF THE WEEK

    Dave (shots Dave)

    Julian (shots Julian)

    Sarah (it’s not a hangover, it’s a migraine)

    NICEST PERSON OF THE WEEK

    Maggie (for helping to drive, buying Dave a meal and always willing to help)

    Steve M (for being a gentleman and general kindness)

    Dave (for buying drinks)

    INTELLECTUAL OF THE WEEK

    Gordon (for his general intellectual ability)

    Julian (for his political debate)

    No other nominations were received

    LOSING THE MOST THINGS IN THE WEEK

    Dave

    No other nominations were received

    YOUNGEST PERSON OF THE WEEK

    Julian (automatic award)

    DISASTER OF THE WEEK

    Dave (failing to connect with his landlady)

    Dave (losing his wallet)

    Dave (breaking his phone)

    COVER-UP OF THE WEEK

    Gordon (Sandwichgate)

    Maggie (Hay-on-Wye)

    Gordon (Hay-on-Wye)

    BEST CAR OF THE WEEK

    Steve B (Skoda excellence)

    No other nominations were received

    DRUNKEN MESS OF THE WEEK

    Maggie (losing her camper van)

    Sarah (getting a ‘migraine’)

    Gordon (I’ve got such a hangover)

    WORST ACCOMMODATION OF THE WEEK

    Gordon (TV problems, bed problems, heat problems, staff problems)

    Steve M (hotel in different country)

  • Lake District Week – Quotes of the Day

    My usual little “quotes of the day” feature hasn’t really been running this week, so I thought I’d add a few to the mix now I’ve got more time. Some you really had to be here to understand, but they’ll remain relevant to at least one or two people on this trip.

    “I’m the best looking of my siblings” – Gordon

    “I just can’t afford all of these trips” – Dave, followed by “I can” – Gordon.

    “I’m going to get the award for losing the most things this week” – Dave

    “Buy someone a meal? Gordon could buy the entire restaurant” – Dave

    “All this climbing, you know what’ll happen now, you’ll need to keep getting that buzz. You’ll become a danger monkey” – Gordon to Steve

    “I’m not interest in Striding Edge, I’m content with Plodding Edge” – Gordon

    “She spends so long with her hair, she’s such a vain creature” – Gordon

    “I’m a lot younger than you though” – Dave to Gordon

    “I’m Dave” – Dave

    “Here’s one for you, I’ve got a question” – Dave

    “Gordon, when I paid with your card, it was heavy, so heavy” – Dave

    “I’ll tell you three reasons why women don’t put their photos up. They’re a bit of a moose*, because of their work and I’ve forgotten the third reason” – Dave

    *I don’t approve of sexism or the portrayal of women in this way.

  • Lake District – Cathedral Quarry Walk (Part One)

    On the Tuesday, as we wanted a little rest from the exertions of Scafell Pike, we decided to do a walk around the Cathedral Quarry complex and also Slater’s Bridge. I’ve split this into two posts, one about the walk itself and the other about the Cathedral Quarry caves.

    Above is the start point for the walk and for a change, I decided to throw the .gpx file to the wind (not literally, as I love my phone too much) and lead the group on a little bit of an adventure. There was a little bit at the beginning of the walk where we ended up doing a rather unnecessarily long loop, but it all worked out well. And the group likes adventure  🙂

    Gordon showed us the moves which he has learned from Heather, who teaches yoga (and is excellent for anyone who wants to learn!). I’m not sure how good a student Gordon is, but it looked rather energetic. Gordon is very supple though, it’s a surprise that he doesn’t teach yoga as well.

    The river at the start of the walk, where there has been some stone stacking going on.

    And a photo from the other side of the bridge.

    The path into the woods.

    Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club.

    A rather lovely looking sheep. I called it Dylan.

    More on the slate quarry in another post, but this is the exterior that we walked round. They’ve dumped the slate that they didn’t need around the outside, so it’s quite a stark reminder of the industry that was here until relatively recently.

    A group photo by the river. I thought that the tree would add some depth to the photo, but it hasn’t really, it has just blocked part of Sarah’s head.

    Gordon, who is one of the cleverest people I know, told us that these were saddleback cows.

    Steve with a sign (rather obviously). This was a lovely little walk, just six miles or so, which took in a peaceful part of the countryside. As it was a short walk it also meant that we had time to go to Ambleside, more of which on another post   🙂