Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: October 2018

The Langdale Valley and Holme Fell

This must have been the third time this year when I have visited Langdale in the vain hope of getting parked up. Mind you, I should have known better than paying a visit of a crisp, sunny Sunday. I did manage to pull off the road at one spot to take some photos but I was blocking a farmer's field so quickly took a few snaps and moved on. Both National Trust car parks were full as well so, as the valley was running out, I found myself heading up the road leading across to Little Langdale and Wrynose Pass with the hope of getting a parking spot in the Blea Tarn car park but luck wasn't on my side there either. At this point I had more or less resigned myself to being stuck in the car all afternoon!

Also the drive along Little Langdale was a nightmare due to inconsiderate parking and sheer volume of traffic. So, as a last resort I tried the side road leading up to Hodge Close Quarry and lo and behold there were a couple of parking spots in the pull of area near Shepherd's Bridge.

With sheer relief, I donned my walking shoes and headed off on a path which said Yew Tree Farm. I'd never been on it before and it was a sheer delight to walk on. Part way along I came across a couple out with their dogs who told me of a path which turned off just before the farm and led in to Yewdale and eventually Holme fell.

Up for a bit of an explore, I took this path and was rewarded by a beautifully peaceful walk going through both woodland and rocky scenery. They mentioned that it was a sharp scramble to get up on to Holme Fell so, as the path began to steepen and the light began to fade, I turned round and retraced my footsteps back.

I think it was about three when I got back to the car but even at that time of day, the sun had dipped below the fells. Days are very short at this time of year in The Lakes and a lot of people on the higher fells are caught out by this. A group of ten people had to be rescued off of Scafell Pike the other week after running out of daylight, mainly because the idiots hadn't set off until half past two!! The Mountain Rescue are always polite when discussing their rescues but it would have been nice to be a fly on the wall at one of their debriefs when something like that happens.

After consulting a map once I'd got back, I found that my path was part of a network linking Coniston to Skelwith and Elterwater . It's an area I will bear in mind in future although I cant see me ever using it to get up Holme Fell as there are easier and more scenic paths up from both Hodge Close and Tilberthwaite.

All in all I was just pleased that I had managed to get out of the car for a stroll and visiting a new area was an added bonus.

Great Langdale

Langdale Farmstead

Contrast in light, langdale

Langdale Pikes

Shepherd's Bridge, Yewdale

Water under Shepherd's Bridge

High Yewdale

Raven Crag

High Yewdale

Raven Crag

Harry Guards Wood, Yewdale

High Yewdale

T'other end of Derwentwater

I made an impromptu visit to the Lakes as the weather forecast for the entire weekend was good. Plus I had been up the previous weekend and I'd had a pretty hectic few days so the thought of a few days up their on my own was quite appealing to say the least.

This year's autumn has been the best in recent memory, not just in the Lakes but everywhere I have been. It has been helped by having more clear sunny days than normal and a lot less wind, especially over here in the west. On the downside it has also attracted more visitors and today, getting any parking in the Borrowdale Valley, was at a premium.

Also it doesn't help that Catbell's rises above this side of Derwentwater. Farther down the road there were literally hundreds of cars lining what is basically a single track road but fortunately, where I parked was off-road so there was no danger of me returning to the car and finding a wing mirror damaged or missing.

Thoughtless parking is a problem all over the Lakes and not just Borrowdale. A year or two ago a farmer at Seathwaite, (which is a popular spot for walking the Scafells and Great Gable), found the road from his farm impassable so just drove his tractor plus attachment along it regardless and caused real damage to a lot of cars. I have also travelled to Buttermere and Langdale on a fair few occasions in the past and haven't been able to get parked up there either. Unfortunately, the district has become a victim of its own popularity and I don't really know the answer.

Anyway, putting that aside, my few hours spend on the shores of Derwentwater were sheer heaven. This end of the lake is made up of four bays: Brandlehow Bay, Abbott's Bay, Myrtle Bay and Great Bay, at the end of which, the River Derwent enters Derwentwater. The first three are beautiful wooded bays which offer great opportunities for photographs. Great Bay is a bit more lacking in this respect and is surrounded by wetlands which get flooded on a regular basis. All four bays form part of the Cumbria Way as it makes its way from Ulverston up to Carlisle so there is always folk about but it never seems to get too overcrowded.

This was definitely a "feel good" walk. The weather played its part, as did the beautiful views and the relative quietness. My drive back took me through Keswick where I was gobsmacked at the number of people just wandering aimlessly around the town. They were akin to a swarm of ants, the only difference being that ants have a purpose whereas the Keswick hoards don't. Give me the quiet spots any day!

Down to the lake

Autumn trees and Bleaberry fell

Brandlehow Bay

Abbott's Bay

Golden Ferns

Abbott's Bay

Golden Ferns

The Cumbria Way

Catbells

The Cumbria way

The Cumbria Way

Looking back to Brandlehow Bay from Myrtle Bay

Great Bay

Cooling Off

Great Bay

Local Livestock

Wetlands at the head of the lake

Sun, rain and rainbows on Ullswater.

I had been invited out for a Sunday lunch so time was at a bit of a premium. I couldn't decide whether to go to Derwentwater or Ullswater (nothing new there) and plumped for Ullswater as it was the closest and looked to be just a tad brighter. I made a quick stop off at Mossdale Bay and took a few shots but was eventually beaten by the weather so I carried on to Glenridding.

I had almost given up hope of getting out of the car never mind having a walk but that bit of brightness eventually arrived so I bit the bullet and got kitted out, before making my way out of Glenridding on the partially newly manufactured path to Aira Force.

The path as far as Glencoyne Bay has always been there and this was the section I walked. It more or less followed the shoreline all the way and gave some stunning views up the lake.

The sun came out more of less as soon as I left the village so most of the shots were taken in the first mile and, as it was mainly in wooded areas, I found myself walking on a carpet of vibrant golden leaves for most part. However the sun didn't last for long but, just before it finally disappeared for the day, I caught a glimpse of a fabulous rainbow farther up the lake. Luck was on my side and I was quite close to a large opening up of the view and this enabled me to get some pretty good shots of it.

Pleased with my endeavours, I turned round and briskly retraced my steps back into Glenridding, not caring about the fact I was now getting a good drenching. Time had been getting a bit tight and I had a date with a plate of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes awaiting me. What better way to spend a Sunday!