16-18th March 2013- Lake District, Langdales and Forests

Saturday morning train from Lichfield Trent Valley 06:35 with changes at Crewe and Oxenholme I arrived in Oxenholme at 10:25, where after some toast and a coffee in Booths I took the bus to Grasmere to where I would start my walk. I put my gaiters and waterproof trousers on in the bus as it was drizzly and I expected it to be wet all day and all weekend. I set up Helm Crag and soon gained height but it was still clear from snow on the top even with a small flurry of light snow which didn’t settle.

Helm Crag from Grasmere

It wasn’t clear so there we’re no great views and I wasn’t expecting much all day. I carried on along the Ridge to Gibsons Knott and then Calf Crag where there we’re little patches of snow but nothing much. I started the ascent to Sergeant Man and the ground soon turned to thick snow which made it an effort going up hill. I struggled up the hill following the markers until the gradient started to ease of and I came to the cairn to mark the top of Sergeant Man. From here I checked a compass bearing and headed off to High Raise and reached the trig point after trudging through the thick snow. I stopped to grab a quick something to eat, but didn’t want to stop too long as I soon got cold.

Trig at High Raise

I checked my next compass bearing and headed off towards the Langdales. After a bit of down there was a little up as I came to Thunacar Knott and then changed direction to Pavey Ark. It was a little tricky trying to find what you would call the top of Pavey Ark but after walking around the rocky summit I noticed the cairn where two people had stopped. At this point is when I had the first clearing in the clag and I could see Stickle Tarn below and Langdale further on, so I rushed to get my camera out for what I thought would be a rare clearing in the clag. 

Harrison Stickle (Lake Windermere in the distance)

Having taken photos I walked from the summit and went to check a compass bearing for Harrison Stickle and I realized I hadn’t got my compass, so I rushed back to where I stopped and luckily after ten minutes of looking for my compass I found it sticking out in the snow. Panic over I continued and made it to Harrison Stickle for more good views as the weather had suddenly changed to beautiful sunshine. I went on to the other Langdale Pikes, Pike of Stickle and Loft Crag before descending. 

Harrison Stickle (left) and Loft Crag (right) from Pike of Stickle

It wasn’t too bad as the snow hadn’t seemed to cling to the south side of the fell so it was an easy downhill as I aimed to make it to the Sticklebarn Tavern in Langdale to watch the rugby. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and it was a shame to sit inside watching a game, where the result didn’t turn out the way I wanted. But at least the beer was good (Black Sail, nice stout). After the game I went to the National Trust campsite and pitched my tent and cooked cous cous and mackerel before going to sleep.

Langdale

I was warm in the tent and when I woke on Sunday morning I noticed my outer was touching the inner and panicked thinking the pegs had come loose causing the tent to partially collapse, but after opening the door I realized it had snowed and it was the weight of the snow causing the issue with the tent. After having flapjack breakfast and coffee I packed up and packed away the tent in the cold which froze my hands making them almost useless. 

Sunday morning

After paying the campsite I set off walking. I made the decision not to go up into the fells as previously planned and decided for safety sake to stay lower and walk through the valleys and head to Grizedale Forest. I followed the paths to Elterwater and then to Little Langdale and then over towards Coniston and after a short sit down at the head of Consiton Water I walked into Grizedale Forest.

Coniston Water 

I started to gain height and loved walking throught the Forest with the occasional view with Consiton Water to the west. I passed the mast at High Man and followed a path which came to a dead end, so I had to trudge through a marshy bit of ground between the trees before finally coming back to one of the forest tracks, where I could navigate to Carron Crag. I walked upto the trig at Carron Crag which sits on a rocky peak which has 360 views all around. After working out how to take panaroma photos I took plenty of photos as it had turned out relatively clear despite the snowy start to the day. 

View of Coniston from Grizedale Forest

I walked down to Grizedale and then up the hill the other side of the forest to Hawkshead. After being turned down by two campsites for it being a week too early for tents I walked a mile down the road to the hostel where I was able to camp. I was the only tent in the campsite as the normal people had decided on beds in the hostel or the camping pods, but I love my tent too much for that. After cous cous again for dinner, I had a beer in the hostel before turning in to my tent for the night.

View from Carron Crag

Monday. I woke to find it hadn’t snowed this time, but it was still cold packing the tent which was rather wet as it had rained a lot in the night. I started with a small hill called Latterbarrow which had great 360 views from the top, and the sight of the mountains with the snow on the tops made it even better. I carried on into the forest on the banks of Lake Windermere and over to the highest part called High Blind How. 

View from Latterbarrow

I made it to the trig point at High Blind How and sat by the trig to eat but soon got cold so carried on along the edge of the Heald alongside Lake Windermere on a path I thought would be good for trail running. The path then went down to the banks of the lake along to Wray. My feet we’re starting to hurt due to the blisters that had developed over the last two days but I was still able to walk okay. The rest of the walk to Ambleside wasn’t great as it was through lanes and paths alongside the main roads into town.

The Heald

Up ahead past Ambleside the hill called Wansfell looked too good to not walk up, so after a quick something to eat in Ambleside I started up Wansfell on my sore feet. As I got closer to the top, the snow got thicker and there we’re some hairy bits as it was icy in places. I made it to the top and decided not to come down the way I had gone up. So I followed the top of the hill north to Braystones, walking in some very deep snow at times making it that little bit harder. 

Top of Wansfell

I then left the wall that followed the top of the hill and walked across the open access land to the footpath which I followed back into Ambleside. My feet we’re very sore now and in Ambleside I walked around quite slowly. I caught the bus to Windermere and had fish and chips as a reward before catching the train to Oxenholme. Despite all the delays to the trains I got home thanks to my connection trains also being delayed about 40 minutes. 

Me from Loft Crag

Trip Stats
Day 1- 10.2 miles (3120ft ascent)
Day 2- 18 miles (2820ft ascent)
Day 3- 17.5 miles (2940ft ascent)