Had a great walk at weekend, from Patterdale village over Striding Edge where visibility wasn’t too good, and onto Helvellyn with clear skies !  Couldn’t believe my eyes on the peak………two entrepreneurs were selling hot drinks and bacon butties !!!  Whilst descending Swirrell Edge we saw the excellent work of the RAF and Patterdale Mountain rescue team responding to a walker who had fallen on Striding Edge.

Striding Edge from Catstycam

The Mountain Rescue Teams turned out to a 44-year-old male who had fallen about 50m from Striding Edge.  An RAF rescue helicopter which was training locally made its way to assist Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team. The helicopter appeared invaluable carrying kit and staff between Patterdale and the ridge, over several trips.

RAF Rescue at Striding Edge

Patterdale mountain rescue members  assisted the RAF staff in treating the casualty at the scene, before he was winched from the site and onto hospital for treatment.

RAF Rescue at Striding Edge

A sobering moment for all walkers and a reminder of the possible dangers present in the mountains.  The importance of ensuring you inform others of your route, and being in possession of the right kit cannot be over emphasized.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery to the casualty.

Just had an excellent weekend based at Borrowdale, staying in the Borrowdale youth Hostel.  The hostel is located by the river Derwent off the B5289, Longthwaite, Borrowdale, and is a short distance from Keswick, Seatoller, Honister & Buttermere.

Borrowdale Youth Hostel

There is ample on site parking and an area with benches outside by the river, perfect for relaxing after a long walk. The surroundings are very picturesque, there is a path through woodland alongside the river which leads from the entrance of the hostel, starting many walks. The hostel is surrounded by fells making this a cracking setting for your walking base.

The accommodation is a mix of small rooms and dormitories which are well presented and functional. There is a dining room offering great breakfasts & evening meal menus, alongside a self catering kitchen for use by visitors. The lounge area is well presented and provides a quiet place for an area to relax. Wines & beers are available at reception. In the unlikely event of rain, there is a drying room for your wet gear to be ready for the next day !

Borrowdale Fells

There are some great walks on the doorstep starting from the youth hostel, on previous visits I have walked Glaramara and Allen Crags via Coome Gill.  Dale Head, and High Spy leading to Cat Bells are also within easy reach.  For a more leisurely walk Watendlath fell is on the door step, this is a great late afternoon walk in summer. There is also a great bus service that runs through Borrowdale linking Keswick & Buttermere along the B5289 for tired legs in need of a lift back !

Riverside Bar

For post walk refreshment & entertainment Keswick is a few miles down the road where there are more than enough pubs, eateries & amenities for a lively evening. The George, Bank Tavern & Dog and Gun are well worth a visit.  Should you wish to enjoy the scenic tranquility of Borrowdale I can recommend the Riverside Bar at Rosthwaite, next to the Scafell Hotel, this is a proper walkers bar where there is a great choice of real ale and tasty pub grub at a reasonable price. The Borrowdale Fell race concludes here, in the bar there is a roll of honour board on the wall alongside a map of the route which leaves you tired just having looked at it !

Buttermere

The Langstrath Country Inn at Stonethwaite is also a short walk away, this is another top pub with great beers and food, which can be eaten in the bar or restaurant. The gammon steak is excellent and can be washed down with a pint of Black sheep. On my visits both of the pubs have provided great evenings with some good company. The Langstrath & Scafell Hotel offer alternative accommodation if you don’t fancy the youth hostel.

Langstrath Country Inn

On this trip I drove the short journey along the B5289 to Honister Slate Mine from where I walked to Haystacks, Ive added the walk into the walks section on this site, it is a cracking walk which is well recommended.  Another great walk from the same location is Great Gable via Brandreth & Green Gable. Borrowdale is one of my favourite locations to stay and holds all the qualities you wish to enjoy in the lakes.  Definitely recommended.

One of my favorite walks for the winter is Wansfell, from Ambleside. This walk can easily be done in under three hours during which you can enjoy a reasonably steep ascent, beautiful fells , woodland and some cracking views of Lake Windermere.

The walk starts from the centre of Ambleside, from Lake Road (A591) turn into Cheapside, near to the Old Market Place & Doi Intanon Thai restaurant. Follow Cheapside onto Stockghyll Lane, this lane commences a gradual ascent out of Ambleside. Stockghyll Force waterfalls are passed on the left, see my worth a visit page.

Looking back towards Ambleside from the ascent to Wansfell

Follow the road for just under a kilometre until the footpath on the right side  GR 386 046, OS Explorer OL7 map.  The ascent to Wansell starts here ! the gradient does get steep but the path is clearly marked and well laid with stone. It is about a kilometre to the peak where a height of 482 metres is reached, it can get quite windy but the views more than make up for any sprints you have to make to retrieve your map, hat or other kit blowing away  in the wind !

Lake Windermere from Robin Lane

From the peak follow the path to the east which again is clearly marked and leads onto a track called Nanny Lane which concludes at a T junction with a B road, at Troutbeck. Should you require refreshment turn left into Troutbeck and head towards the Mortal Man pub, an excellent stop off, don’t stay too long or a taxi may be required to get you back to Ambleside…..easily done!

View from Skelghyll woods towards the Langdales

To continue the walk, turn right at the T junction heading away from Troutbeck along the B road until you come to the Post Office on the right side, here turn right into a track called Robin Lane, this track continues descending back into Ambleside for about four kilometres. The views of Lake Windermere are excellent before the path enters the scenic Skelghyll wood and onto Waterhead near to the garden centre in Ambleside.

An alternative starting point towards Wansfell & Troutbeck is from the Low Wood Hotel on the A591 between Ambleside & Windermere. This is a great place to stay, we held our Christmas ‘do’ there this year……great food and excellent facilities. From the hotel car park at grid 386 021, a path takes you straight onto the hills, the path splits into a fork after a short while, take the left fork which leads to the Robin Lane track at High Skelghyll where you can turn left to continue through the woods to Ambleside or right into Troutbeck and onto Wansell via Nanny Lane.

Get those boots on !! ………………

Remembrance Sunday, a time to remember and appreciate those heroes who fought and died for the freedom we enjoy in life today. Many memorials and services can be found in the lakes.

After the first world war a climbing club based in the Lake District created a memorial for members who died in the war on the peak of Great Gable. Each year walkers & climbers ascend Great Gable for a Remembrance Sunday service, on the second Sunday in November. The picture below shows the memorial at Great Gable.

Having completed a days walk which concluded with a descent of Old Man of Coniston I came across another reminder of the brave servicemen and women. The picture below is one of the prop engines from a Handley Page Halifax aircraft that was was recovered from the reckage of a crash 50 feet below the summit of Great Carrs, Coniston, in October 1944.

The aircraft flew from Topcliffe on a cross country navigation flight on 22nd October 1944 at 1405 hrs. About 2020 hrs the aircraft crashed at Great Carrs between Coniston & Little Langdale, all of the Canadian crew sadly perished in the accident.

A search for survivors was mounted, which subsequently resulted in the formation of the Coniston mountain rescue team.

Whether you are a seasoned walker or visiting the Lakes for the first time to experience the outstanding natural beauty, this website shares my experience of time spent in my favourite place.

I have included sections on; a selection of the walks I have completed,  places of interest to visit, accommodation I have stayed in, walking books I have have found useful and more importantly post walk food & drink !

The website is still a work in process, I began the site in October 2011 and content is being added regularly.

Above, Scafell Pike & Scafell viewed from Bowfell.