Western Lakeland Getaway - Part 1: Grasmere

 It was the May Bank Holiday Weekend & I had booked the rest of the week off work, so that meant one thing: an extended trip up to the lakes.

Grasmere: Green Burn Valley Horseshoe

I parked up in the one remaining space in the lay-by north of Grasmere on the A591, just after lunch time on Sunday. I quickly booted up & picked up my day-pack as my first walk would be a round of the Green Burn valley, prior to me then heading to my camping spot for the night.

Heading north from the layby, my route turned off the busy A591 road into the quiet, secluded farmstead of Town Head. The footpath then went through some fields, over a small stone bridge then across another field before getting back on the road just before it ended and the paths began.

Heading through the wooden gate which marked the boundary of the Green Burn valley, the paths onwards forked almost immediately. A wide, well trodden path headed along the bottom of the valley parallel to the beck. A second, narrower path turned off right, following the dry stone wall & ascending up the fell side.....and that was the way I headed.

It was a steady climb straight up the 'nose' of Steel Fell. The lower slopes went through fields before eventually the highest stone wall was reached and the open fell lay ahead. There were a couple of rocky shoulders which the path winds around, but nothing too taxing and soon enough a cairn appeared up ahead on the skyline.

The cairn had an old rusted fence post sticking out of it, and old civil parish boundary marker, which can be found all over the lakeland fellsides. From this vantage point there were fantastic views north over Thirlmere reservoir to Skiddaw & Blencathra, with the Helvellyn massif dominating the eastern skyline.

Just west of this cairn though, about 200 meters away, and ever so slightly higher was the main summit cairn. (#104 - Steel Fell - 1,811 ft).

Moving on, the path followed the ridge line west before reaching a tarn. It had just gone 3 o'clock so I stopped for lunch - a ploughmans sandwich. It was a lovely spring day - the sun was out & there was just a gentle breeze on the tops.

After lunch I carried on along the ridge-line towards the head of the valley. At this point the ground became very boggy. Each footstep was accompanied by a squelch unfoot, and I had to keep an eye on how much water would appear & how far my foot would sink in when I touched the ground. The path was very intermittent so it was a matter of finding the driest (or should I say shallowest) path through the marsh. By sticking to the thick tufts of grass though, I used them as a sort of stepping stones until dry ground was reached.

At the head of the valley, I turned south and began to ascend up a pathless slope, and eventually found the path which runs west to east from High Riase to Helm Crag. This would be the path I would follow for the remainder of the walk. Shortly after joining the path, I reached the summit of my next Wainwright - #105 - Calf Crag - 1,762 ft. The view from here looked into the High Easedale Valley with the imposing with the imposing cliff face of Deer Bield Crags on the opposite side of the valley. Looking south, the valley widened, with Grasmere village in the distance.

Continuing on the path, the ground became quite peaty, and it wasn't long until peat hags blocked the way. It was a matter of finding an alternative route, dodging round the peat hags by heading onto higher ground. It was clear that water, probably from heavy rainfall had caused the peat hags to erode, collapse and slip over the ground.

I eventually picked up the path once again and it became a pleasant stone track to follow along the top of the undulating ridge. At one point along the ridge I stopped to watch a bird of prey as it hovered above the grassy slopes hunting for food. After a few minutes the bird then swooped down & over to a small crag of rocks, from where I heard some chirping. I presume it was a nest. Whether it was a buzzard or hawk of some kind, I'm not too sure.

The path then descended sharply and immediately rose again towards the next peak - and my final summit on this round - #106 - Gibson Knott - 1,379 ft.

Dropping down off the summit the path descended to a col named Bracken Hause. Straight on was the ascent to Helm Crag but my route would be turning left here, descending down off the slope back into the Green Burn valley.

The path zig-zagged down the steep slope before turning & crossing a field before reaching a wooden footbridge crossing Green Burn Beck. I picked up the path which followed along side the beck and eventually reached the wooden gate, and the road would take me back to my car.

(Route stats: 7 miles, 1722 feet of ascent, 3 hrs 43 mins)

Wild Camp: Grizedale Tarn

It was just before 5:30pm when I reached my car in the lay-by. It was time for a restock, and to swap over to my camping rucksack.

This time I headed south on the road side verge of the A591, passing Broadrayne Farm until I saw the bridleway sign pointing the way to Patterdale via Grisedale Tarn.

The bridleway followed a metalled road for a short while, past some farm buildings, before the road reached a wooden gate, after which it became a rough stone track.

The track ran between the stone wall of a field enclosure on the left, and Tongue gill in a wooded small ravine to the right.

It was a steady climb at this stage, but it was alot warmer down in the valley than it was up on the tops earlier on...and carrying the heavy rucksack didn't help!

The track eventually reached a crossing of the beck - it was either a matter of fording the shallow gill, or heading over muddy ground to the footbridge.

I decided to ford the river to the other side. From here the track split in to three distinct paths: I could turn right, over another footbridge & follow the path into the ravine following Tongue Gill. I could head straight on, along a grassy path steeply up the nose of Great Tongue. Or, I could turn left, and follow the gradulaly ascending path along side of Little Tongue Gill, and onto the grassy ridge of Little Tongue .

I went with the later option of Little Tongue. I was an easy-enough path to follow initially, a wide stony path. There were a few Herdwick sheep millling around, chewing on the grass. Whilst I was still close to the beck I decided to stop to filter some water from the gill to top up my supply, so dug my Sawyer Water filter out of my rucksack. It was lovely, cool and refreshing - just what was needed for my ascent in the late afternoon sun.

I continued on. The path began to ascend, a bit steeper this time, straight up the grassy ridge path of Little Tongue. Eventually it turned into a bit of a slog. There was no letting up as the path went higher, no flat shoulders to give any respite. This meant I stopped quite a few times for a breather & sip of fresh water, all the while the sun was beating down behind me.

At last! At around 500 feet, the path turned and contoured the side of Seat Sandal, beocming a narrow mountain track traversing below Gavel Crag. Over the to right I could see the upper falls and waterslides of Tongue Gill below the Fairfield & Great Rigg ridge line. I could also see the path which followed along side Tongue Gill, one of the route options from the ford earlier on.

The Tongue Gill path eventually met up with the path I was following, and became a stone pitched path as it skirted Hause Moss, which appeared to be a small hanging valley which the path climbed out of before reaching a gap in an old stone wall at Grizedale Hause. It was around 7:30pm. I checked the map for the route to Seat Sandal summit. All I could see in front of me was a scree slope. If that was the way up, it would have to wait until morning, as, with my heavy pack, and tired legs I didn't think I would be able to tackle a steep path like that this evening.

I decided to head down to the shore of Grizedale Tarn and find a pitch for the night. There were already a couple of wild campers pitched on opposite sides of the tarn, which was a larger body of water than I was actually expecting.

I found a flat pitch atop a small crag near the waters edge, although the spot was still 10-15 feet above the waterline. I set up camp, and fired up my Jetboil to cook my dinner - a Look What We Found Chicken Tikka Masala, with Uncle Bens Vegatable Pilau Rice - all boiled in the bag, and cracked open a can or two of beer.

A couple of people were still about - a handful walking, but a couple or two bringing their tents with them & finding a pitch on the shoreline. It was a clear sky & there was very little wind around the tarn. Unfortunately that meant there were quite a few midges around (which was the only downside to this location).

Grizedale Tarn was a cracking spot though - a much 'wilder' tarn than I was expecting, which felt cut-off from the outside. It is located in a hollow surrounded by four mighty lakeland fells which loom above the water. The tarn itself is 1,765 feet above sea level, and 108 feet deep. It is also apparently home to brown trout and perch. My pitch was on the southern shoreline, on the Fairfield side. To the south west was Seat Sandal. Dominating the northern skyline were the steep slopes of Dollywagon Pike, and to the north east was St Sunday Crag. From the shoreline, there were no views out over the rest of the lakeland fells. No wonder this place has a legend attached to it.

History goes that the last King of Cumberland, King Dunmail, was slain in battle in 945 AD by the combined English & Scottish forces, at what is now know as Dunmail Raise (the pass between Grasmere & Thirlmere). Upon defeat, a number of Dunmail's warriors took the king's crown and fled into the hills, eventually reaching Grizedale tarn where they through the crown into its deep waters, until such time when the king would return. The legend continues that every year, the ghosts of these warriors appear at the tarn to retrieve the crown, and carry it down to the large cairn on Dunmail Raise, the supposed resting place of their King.

I was hoping tonight would not be the night they return!

The sun dropped below the north-easterly ridge line, and it was time to settle down for the night.

(Route stats: 2.7 miles, 1782 feet of ascent, 2 hrs 28 mins)

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I woke up at 4:50 AM needing to visit the gents room. I shuffled out of my sleeping bag and unzipped the tent door. It was still relativity dark outside, but the 'blue hour' of dawn was underway. Thats when the view to the east caught my eye. Dawn's orange glow was lighting the sky over the col between Dollywagon Pike & St Sunday Crag. The tarn was quite still with only gentle ripples reflecting the sky's colours. I took a few shots from the waters edge before returning to my tent.

I woke again a few hours later. The sun had risen, and it looked like it was going to be another glorious day. I brewed a coffee, packed up, and was on my way again for 7:45 am. I got back to the path and headed back to the scree-like path heading up to Seat Sandal. I took it slow and steady, and was past the scree before I knew it, and onto a rocky section. Again, that was passed without issue and after the initial steep section the terrain levelled out somewhat to grassy slopes. I took the opportunity to head over to a crag which offered fantastic views over the tarn & into Grizedale valley.

Carrying onward & upwards, the path to the summit followed a ruined stonewall, and I was at the top in no time at all. (#107 - the half way point - Seat Sandal - 2,415 ft). There was a bit of a breeze on top, along with amazing views down towards Grasmere. A bit further on down the path was another cairn, and that marked the start of the descent path back down.

This side of the hill was grassy slopes all the way, so it was a lovely route of descent with Grasmere right in front of me. Eventually the path reached a stone wall with a wooden gate, the upper boundary of the farmers fields.

According to the route, I had two options - either go through the gate & over the fields down to the bridleway, or turn left, following the wall, which lead back to the lower reaches of Little Tongue Gill. I went with the later, contouring the fell side next to the wall, before crossing the gill and was back on the Little Tongue path I ascended the evening before. It was alot easier heading downhill, and ended up back at the ford in the beck, and down the bridleway back to the car.

(Route stats: 4 miles, 571 feet of ascent, 2 hrs 30 mins)

Grasmere Loop

I drove into Grasmere village & parked up in one of the National Park car parks. I called in Green's Cafe & Bistro in the village centre for a sausage & egg roll, and plotted my route for today. After yesterdays trek, I wanted to go a bit easier today - so decided to do a circuit of Grasmere lake.

After breakfast, I headed south, following Scout Road out to the village & followed the road up the side of Wordsworth's Dove Cottage. This was anold 'corpse road' which ran between Grasmere & Rydal. Further up the road, was a large, flat stone by the side of the road with a plaque set behind it. This was a 'coffin stone'. Prior to 1821, before there was a consecrated church in Ambleside, mourners had to carry the coffins the 2½ miles from Ambleside, along the 'corpse road' to St Oswald's church in Grasmere for burial. The coffin stone was just one of many along the route, and was where coffins were placed while the pall-bearers rested.

The path then turned into a stone track through woodland & by the side of a small, reedy tarn. until I reached a footpath sign pointing the way to White Moss. This path came out by the White Moss Car Park, so I crossed the road (the A591), and into White Moss Woods. There were quite a few people about, especially by the banks of the River Rothay which runs between Grasmere, feeding into Rydal Water. I crossed the iron footbridge over the river and into deeper woodland. This is where it turned magical, as the woodland floor was covered with bluebells. It was an opportunity not to be missed, and I made sure to take plenty of photos.

The path headed upwards & out of the woodland, through a gate in a stone wall and onto the flanks of Loughrigg fell. It was just before 1pm, and it was scorching hot. I followed the path along Loughrigg terrace, briefly stopping to try and get some shots of the patches of bluebells on the fellside, and also spotted a little Robin digging for worms.

I'd booked a room for the night at the Little Inn at Grasmere, but it was still a few hours off check-in, so whilst on the terrace I decided to take the steep stepped path up to Loughrigg summit. I'd previously 'bagged' this fell back in July 2016 (#14), and had descended via these steps. There were a lot of people about - both heading up and down the path - taking advantage of the glorious bank holiday weather. When I reached the summit mound, it was packed out, with loads of people choosing to find a patch their for a picnic. I decided to head over to a subsidiary summit mound not too far away, and happily had it all to myself, with amazing views over towards the Langdales.

After resting for a while at the top, I headed back down the steps and once back on the terrace path, turned left into Deerbolt Woods. The woods provided some welcome shade from the sun, and were cooler than the open fell side. Surprisingly there weren't that many people walking these woods, which meant it was very peaceful, with the odd tweet of birdsong emanating from the branches every now and again.

The path doubled back on itself as it descended, and came out at the shore of the lake. It was then a matter of following path along the lakeside before it joined up with the Red Bank road leading back into Grasmere village.

(Route stats: 5.66 miles, 1117.5 feet of ascent)

I moved my car over to the Little Inn car park & checked into my room, where I unpacked & relaxed. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had been given a double bed, as I had only booked a single room - but I wasn't complaining and was glad of the extra space. An hour or so later, I got showered & changed & made my way over the road to the 1869 bar, part of the main Inn at Grasmere building.

I sampled a couple of the local beers, and chose the Roast lamb rump with Pomme Puree & roasted vegetables, which went down a treat, followed by a chocolate orange brownie for desert.

After dinner, I had a stroll down Scout Road to the lake for the last light of the day. A large flock of geese flew overhead, and I could hear an Owl hooting from its woodland across the lake. And there ended the first stage of my Lakeland getaway.

Tomorrow, I would be heading into unknown territory, over narrow mountain passes, heading way out west.

Mark