Hey guys.
We've finally moved out of London, when I say we I mean me and my wife. We've settled in Lancaster which is a short commute to the Lake District and also the Yorkshire Dales.
I was hoping to have done more hiking since moving up here in late August but it was quite a busy few weeks sorting out a job and I've only just got a car which makes travelling to spots in the lakes much easier. I've been in the city too long and need to get accustomed to poor rural public transport again haha.
I have been into the lakes a couple of times since moving up but they were volunteer days. First time was to learn about the history and ecology of Red Squirrels in the UK, I won't get into that with you but one thing that comes to mind to describe the situation *shakes fists at grey squirrel*. The second time was replanting some trees that had not survived the strong winds since they were planted in November 2016. Hoping to do much more while I'm up here.
On Sunday the 22nd of October I took my first hike in the Lakes. My goal was Fairfield Peak. Which stands at just under 900 meters.
The weather was set to be awful all week but I kept rechecking the forecast hoping there would be a nice small window I could take advantage of. All week it just said rain, rain, rain..... I checked for the last time before I went to bed Saturday night and it said it would just be cloudy from around midday to about 4pm. Of course this wasn't going to be the case, this is the UK after all. I decided I would go anyway. I packed my stuff ready that evening and left late morning at 10.45am. The drive took just over an hour as the roads coming pass Windemere get quite backed up. I parked up a mile or two passed Grasmere where I got my shinny newish boots and waterproof coat on.
It was raining a tad when I started the walk, not so much that a rain coat was drastically needed but I'm glad I brought my fancy one anyway. I was lucky to have been given a nice Keela/Crib Goch rain coat from an outdoor show I was on back in May for S4C, I tell you about that another time....probably after it's aired.
So at the beginning of the path, I take a quick detour to the Red squirrel feeder where I was taught about their history a few weeks ago. No luck unfortunately, too late in the day most likely. I decided as I was coming back the same way, that I might get a chance to spot one later on.
This place really reminded me of home.
This place is completely new to me, it's been a long while since I was in a new environment doing the things I love. I felt fresh, I felt inspired. As it had been raining quite a bit the last week or so, storm Susan or whatever stupid name we gave the last one had just been. I don't know the area at all so I'm not sure what it's usually like but there was quite a few streams to cross over, and the stepping stones didn't stick out that much considering it is quite a popular path, so I assumed the rain had given the streams quite some energy. A quick kick to a few stones to make sure they were steady and a hop over was all that was needed.
A short while up the path and I approached another stream but this one had its main source of power right next to the path, yep a waterfall. Now this one was a bit more tricky.
I paced up and down a coupe of times to see if I could find and easy crossing but, I couldn't find one and I didn't want to get my feet wet so early on the hike. I decided to scramble the side of the waterfall to see if there was an easier crossing up river. Luckily there was a narrow bit to it a few meters up from the waterfall itself. So I took a run up and hopped over. Good fun.
The remainder of the path up to the cross roads by Grisedale Tarn lake was flattish with a few little streams to hop over, few craggy bits to step up but nothing strenuous. In the planning I had done in my head for a day out in the Lakes I had imagined this crossroads so that I would go straight ahead and head over the edge of the lake to head up Helvellyn, but as I just wanted a quick up and down day because of the weather and how late I started off I took a right turn and headed for the steep incline that would take me to the top of Fairfield Peak.
This bit of the path reminded me a little of Ben Nevis. Now I don't know if I'm just saying that because when I did Ben Nevis it was also cloudy and rainy with low visibility becoming more apparent. The path zigzagged just like the normal tourist route of Ben Nevis it was just a little steeper. When I got close to the top the number of Cairns (rock mounds) were increasing, just like Ben Nevis, the wind also started to get stronger, had to check my waterproof cover a few times on my bag to make sure it was still there.
As I got to the top I had caught up with a small group which had 1 older guy and a bunch of mid to late teens that did not look as they wanted to be there. At this point I looked around and could see why, it was dire at the top, I could see maybe 10-15 meters ahead of me. So I got to the highest Cairn at the top (that I could see) and turned around. Going down I always try to double my pace, although I'm not a fan of heading down...bad ankles.
When I reached the waterfall again, I knew I wouldn't be able to go back the same way as the bit where I jumped earlier as it would now require me to jump with some height. So I followed the normal path towards the stream at the bottom of the waterfall and paced up and down a few times to decide on the best spot. I saw a little bit that was mainly pebbles and the eddies weren't that strong to flood that bit so, again I took a run up, hopped to the pebbly bit and on to a little island of grass which then was just a long stretch of the leg back on to the path. This section of the path was much smoother so I gained a little bit of speed again to head the rest of the way down, to only be slowed down by the over flowing river I encountered towards the beginning. Luckily a foot bridge has been made for this very reason.
When I got towards the start of the trail, I went to see if I could spot a Red Squirrel at the feeders, unfortunately, no luck again. Next time!!!!
When I got to my car I saw that the traffic was building up a bit, so as I was hankering for a Sunday Roast, I decided to waste some time at the Travellers Rest. Had a fancy Pork Roast and headed back home to Lancaster.
Thanks for reading guys, let me know what you think. As I work for an outdoor equipment company now, I might start trying to review some gear, see where that takes me. I'll look into a few different products I have and give my thoughts.
Cheers.