Wastwater to Borrowdale

Sunday 4th April 2010

When I set off on this walk I didn't know how I was going to get to Borrowdale. Originally I had an idea to climb up beside Piers Gill, but this challenging route would have been very tricky under snow so I had already decided against it. All I knew for certain was that I would start by going across the Wastwater Screes. The start of this path is opposite the hostel so I always have a strong temptation to do this walk whenever I stay at the Wastwater Hostel. The Wastwater Screes is a fabulous path of great variety (not just clambering over large boulders) and I enjoyed it tremendously even though it took me a lot longer to complete the traverse than I had expected. Eventually I reached Wasdale Head at the northern end of Wastwater where I decided that rather than going through the village of Wasdale Head I would go up the Brown Tongue path towards Lingmell Col. I was avoiding the crowds in Wasdale Head by going up the most popular path in the Lake District!

I had never been on this path before, but I found my enjoyment of it mixed, as the path was, as expected, quite busy. I had long avoided this path due to its huge popularity and due to the horrible nature of its surface at the Lingmell Col, but I found a good, rough surface in the narrow gorge of Lingmell Gill that was quite fun to climb. The path deteriorates on Brown Tongue itself but then improves dramatically when Scafell Crag comes into view. Underfoot, the path is still boring, but the scenery all around is stunning and the snow that still clung to the rocks made the sight totally spell binding. At the Lingmell Col I had to decide where I would go, whether to walk along the wonderful Corridor Route path as planned, or just follow the crowds. Despite my desire to walk along the Corridor Route the opportunity to climb through the snow up to the top of the highest hill in England, Scafell Pike, proved too much of a temptation. It was worth the change of plans as it was a great experience to be up there in wintry conditions.

A couple of months ago I would never have considered going up there, but I didn't think crampons were essential now (though it may have been recommended if you had them). My two walking poles were sufficient for me, but the tourists on the path didn't have any such help, and they still managed to reach the summit, though for some, with difficulty. Rather than return to the Corridor Route, (since I was now at the top of the ridge it seemed rather pointless) I decided to take the direct route along the Scafell Pikes ridge. This was a great walk, and probably the best I've ever had along the ridge as the snow actually made things easier than usual while crossing the rocky terrain, and added to the beauty of the scenery. It was wonderful being in Calf Cove at the end of the ridge, where the scenery was stunning, there was no wind and it was sunny. There were some people sliding down the steep, snowy slope, clearly thoroughly enjoying themselves; it was easy to be enthralled by it all. Rather than slide down the steep slope I carefully walked down to Esk Hause.

Following the usual Scafell Pike path I headed towards Grains Gill, which is a great path, especially at the top, around Ruddy Gill, where the path climbs across the native rock, but it deteriorates lower down where the path is heavily manufactured. The weather during my descent was amazing; after the grey, overcast, slightly rainy start to the day I was ending the day with blue skies and bright sunshine as I walked down the valley and through Seathwaite where some of the fields were rather muddy, across a road and a river, and on to the youth hostel, where for the first time on this holiday I was on the official coast to coast route. This was a great walk over a truly great mountain, under quite spectacular conditions where a generous covering of snow was adding to the fun. From the wonders of the Wasterwater Screes to the snowy summit of Scafell Pike and the joys of Calf Cove, this walk had everything.

Eskdale to Wastwater

Saturday 3rd April 2010

It is always good to be back in the Lake District, but this time I was really tired due to outside events before I got there. My initial plan for this holiday had been to start in the town of Skipton and walk across the Yorkshire Dales before crossing the Lake District on the Coast to Coast route. Just before booking my accommodation however, I turned it around so I that I started in the Lake District, and then after booking my accommodation in the Lake District I decided not to go to Skipton but to continue along the Coast to Coast route across the Yorkshire Dales as far as Richmond. When it finally came to actually doing the walk I found that I was so tired I wouldn’t be able to manage the mammoth first days walk across the hills south of Ennerdale to Wastwater that I had planned, so I got off my train along the Cumbrian coast a couple of stops before the usual start of the Coast to Coast walk at St Bees. Instead, I was in Ravenglass where there is a miniature railway (known colloquially as the Ratty) that climbs from the coast up into the hills to the spectacular valley of Eskdale.I previously visited this wonderful railway during a tour of the country back in 1997 when I must have actually gone into the Lake District for the first time (sadly on that occasion I got back on the train and came out again). Thirteen years later I was returning after having now become very familiar with Eskdale and its surrounding fells, but it was a real treat for me to be on this train again, and after the winter we’ve had, with such good weather. Despite grey clouds over the fells, the sun was shining by the sea as our tiny train pulled away from Ravenglass station and chugged up the steep gradient around Muncaster Fell and into Eskdale. One thing that impressed me during the ascent was the presence of many daffodils by the track side. After the long and harsh winter that Britain has just endured, daffodils were later this year than has been usual of late. Throughout this holiday I saw thousands of daffodils when ordinarily I see none at Easter.

From the Eskdale terminus of the railway, at Dalegarth, I headed along a road into the tiny village of Boot (I had never been to Boot before, and it seemed I’d missed out on a tranquil and picturesque place). Passing the iconic Boot Inn I climbed over a bridge and up a steep path to the start of a traverse from Eskdale to Wasdale. The path climbs beside a wall out onto the open fellside with a good rocky surface underfoot that soon deteriorates into, at times, a boggy path, that wasn’t as boggy as I’d feared. I had never taken this route out of Eskdale before and as I was climbing it seemed quite good, but when I reached the picturesque Burnmoor Tarn it became really enjoyable. I had finally reached the top of the pass and started to descend steeply down an excellent path with the stunning scenery of Wasdale Head ahead of me brilliantly lit by the surprising afternoon sun. This fabulous descent sadly was not to last and I was left with a tedious and tiring walk along a road beside Wastwater all the way to the Wastwater Youth Hostel at the southern end of the lake. I could have taken a shorter route that would have involved climbing over the hill direct from the terminus of the railway, over Whin Rigg, but I chose this longer, easier route. I was so tired coming into this holiday that I chose the low level route as it minimised the climbing. I would need all the energy I could save for the days to come.