22 and 23 May 2021 - Backpacking in the Lake District - in Pictures

Sue and I drove up to Patterdale on Saturday and spent a relaxing couple of hours chatting about routes, etc, before setting off on this backpacking trip. For us, this is an annual trip to check out gear etc that hasn't been used for a while - in this case mostly not used for two years. For Mike, it was a chance to check out the efficacy of certain items in preparation for the TGO Challenge - postponed this year until 18 June - Sue and I have bottled out of that due to midge and logistics issues that we are reluctant to face.

The view above is towards Place Fell, from Mike and Marian's garden. Are we not envious!?

Setting off around noon, after a bite of lunch, we took a path to the south of Grisedale Beck.

Soon we were heading over rough ground towards Trough Head, with good views back to Ullswater.

A high wall was spanned by a metal ladder that reminded me of via ferrata ladders that we haven't had a chance to experience for too long now.

Mike reminisced about this tree, which he fondly remembers when it was still alive. Now it still serves a purpose as a rubbing point and windbreak for sheep.

Looking ahead to the Fairfield summits, a sheep and its lamb on the top of a small rise watched studiously as we passed by below.

Looking to our left, the twin peaks of the Angletarn Pikes were prominent in the view across Brothers Water.

Looking ahead again, we continued to contour over rough ground, towards our target, Link Cove, hidden in a small dip above the steep slope that two becks cut through in the middle of the next two pictures.

Several waterfalls were encountered on the way up to the cove. A rare bout of sunshine dazzled us as we looked up to these falls.

Here's the view back, from near our objective, with Angletarn Pikes still prominent.

Later, after drizzly showers on the way up, we could enjoy sunnier views for a while - the next wave of bad weather arrived during the night.

 

Link Cove, reached at around 3.30pm, presented numerous good camping spots at about 500 metres heightwise.

I found a comfy rock on which to admire the view whilst I wrote and dispatched the day's blog posting.

We enjoyed our soup outside, with a view to Place Fell, before the sun left us to dip behind the Fairfield summits and we adjourned to the trusty Nallo tent for our main course of pasta and tuna, and a dessert of Angel Delight. Delicious.

Here's our route - 7km, with 550 metres ascent, taking a leisurely three and a half hours.

Sunday arrived in a stormy manner. Having forgotten to tighten the guys earlier, I was up at midnight to do that job and stop any flapping of the tent, so we slept well until our first brew at 7am.

The rain had turned to snow in the night. You can see the remains of it around the base of our tent, with Mike's tent just visible through the murk.

We got going soon after 8am, and could soon enjoy a view back into the cove.

It was a steep ascent to the ridge between Hart Crag and Dove Crag, past a Priest's Hole that is best viewed from this route (but there's no picture as it was raining hard and my fingers were too cold to take pictures, albeit I had my waterproof Lumix camera - not used for three years - on this trip).

After slogging our way up to Dove Crag, we enjoyed the gentle descent towards Ambleside, slowly warming up as we continued.

We were not alone - some hardy folk had started early from Ambleside to do the Fairfield round.

Lunch was taken in a pause from the rain, just outside Ambleside, while we watched the next pulse of wet weather approaching us over the Langdale Pikes. At this point a combination of the continuing bad weather forecast and an infection for which Sue needed to get medication, brought us to the decision to abandon the trip at Ambleside. The testing was sufficient, and the decision was justified to Sue and me as we drove home with the windscreen wipers on 'fast wipe', when we would otherwise have been continuing our walk in torrential rain.

We passed a bubbling brook and a smart grey tractor before reaching the fleshpots of Ambleside and catching a bus to Bowness, from where the Penrith service took us back to Patterdale.

Here's our route - 11km, with 350 metres ascent, taking aroround five hours.

An excellent little trip, and thanks to Mike for his company and route planning. He will use a different tent on the Challenge, pack some matches or a lighter, and make a few other minor adjustments. I will take better gloves next time, and a proper first aid kit (I had strips of plasters, but no scissors!).

23 May 2021 - Backpacking in the Lake District - Day 2

Link Cove to Ambleside

After the pleasures of last night the expected rain was due to start in the middle of the night. It didn't. However we couldn't ignore the fact that a mixture of snow and hail was gradually accumulating on the side of the tent.

We were brewing before 7am and ready to leave around 8am, after taking the tents down during a particularly violent flurry of hail. The prospect of unravelling the soggy bundles of tent later, when heavy rain was forecast, didn't appeal, though nobody raised the topic.

With inadequate summer gloves, and the temperature around freezing point, I found the ascent to the ridge between Hart Crag and Dove Crag rather uncomfortable. Cold hands persisted all morning for all three of us as we descended, much of the time in cloud, the long ridge down to Ambleside.

Three lads, one in shorts, passed us. They were doing a Fairfield round before heading to Manchester to support City in their final home game of the season. They had got up at 4.30! Several other people surprised us simply by being on the hill on such a miserable day.

Then Sue reported a medical condition. My emergency supplies of out of date antibiotics were raided and provided temporary relief. And the rain went into a brief 'pause' setting, enabling us to warm our hands and enjoy an alfresco lunch above Ambleside, with a backdrop of more rain sweeping in over the Langdale Pikes (pictured).

All this almost tempted us to continue along our planned four day route. But thankfully common sense prevailed and we strolled into rain drenched Ambleside and caught the first bus to Bowness. 

Luckily, we are now allowed indoors in cafés, so our hour and a half wait for a bus back to Patterdale was spent comfortably indoors. The time flew past. Then we enjoyed the bus ride over Kirkstone Pass - seemingly quite challenging for the driver, but he must be used to it.

Coffee at Mike's then a drive home with the wipers on the 'Fast' setting confirmed the wisdom of our decision to call it a day, as a fresh band of rain swept over the Lake District, with more forecast over the next couple of days.

Gear testing was effective, and Mike will now make a few adjustments in preparation for next month's TGO Challenge event.

We now have two days worth of made up backpacking supplies, so will try to get out again when winter finally calls it a day. I may take thicker gloves.

I'll post more pictures etc soon - one useful bit of kit was my waterproof camera!

22 May 2021 - Backpacking in the Lake District - Day 1

Patterdale to Link Cove.

An 8 am departure and 95 miles in 1 hour 50 minutes got us to Mike P's house in Patterdale, where we spent the rest of the morning chatting and deciding on a route, given a foul weather forecast.

At least it was dry when the three of us set off towards Hag Beck, with a view to skirting to the west of Deepdale to reach our planned destination.

The rain soon arrived, by way off a light shower. Waterproofs went on and off as we ascended to Trough Head, eventually remaining off (t-shirt weather!) for the final ascent into Link Cove, where there are many good places for an overnight camp. 

It was a short but pleasurable walk, our first backpacking for many months. Just 7 km, but enough to give Sue a blister, then a realisation that I'd forgotten to pack a proper first aid kit! Just medicine and plasters. Mike to the rescue!

Great views back to Ullswater for much of the walk, then across to the distinctive lumps of the Angletarn Pikes. Always with St Sunday Crag and summits of the Helvellyn range slowly getting closer ahead of us.

We had set up camp, mercifully in the dry, by 4 pm, so we have enjoyed a brew and have a leisurely evening with good food to look forward to.

It really is just great to be in the hills again, and as I write this a shaft of rare sunshine has just engulfed the tent.