Loughrigg

Monday 17th December 2018

Despite only recently recovering from a bit of ill-health I was eager to return to the Lake District for my annual Christmas holiday and I soon found there is nothing more recuperating than a good walk. The Lake District is the perfect place to revive your mind and body. After travelling up during the morning on the train as far as Windermere, I caught a bus to Rydal Church getting off at the very same place where I had started my first walk in the Lake District back in 2002. However, I immediately went a different route as on that previous occasion I had continued along the road from the bus stop and crossed the river on a footbridge to climb the northern slopes of Loughrigg above Rydal Water passing the large caves of the disused Loughrigg Quarries. This time I took a route over the high, rough precipices of Lanty Scar that Wainwright did not recommend saying it was dangerous in mist, but the latest version of Wainwright’s guides, the Walker’s Edition, does recommend this route saying it “is initially very attractive in rugged surroundings on an ingenuous path”.

After making my way back down the road to Pelter Bridge and the car park on the far side of the river, I found a slender path that climbs past recently planted trees. A lot of trees have been planted in the Lake District over the last couple of years to help replace the trees that were lost during the recent storms and to help stabilise the soil and prevent erosion. After crossing the fell wall I entered an area of bracken below impressive crags where a faint path led me up past the cliff-faces while dead bracken underfoot made route finding a little difficult. The views were very murky with Nab Scar, across the valley, half hidden amongst the low-lying clouds, but there was hardly a breath of wind, which is always welcome at the top of the fells. This lack of a cooling wind did mean that I soon had to start shedding the many layers that I had been wearing to keep warm while standing on cold railway platforms. Now that I was walking and climbing I didn’t need any warming layers besides my waterproof jacket as I tried to find my way through the complex terrain.

Wainwright’s Walker’s Edition indicates a path to the north of the line of outcrops, so I sought out the faint route through bracken and gradually the view across Loughrigg opened up with the summit now in sight on the far western edge of the fell. Towards the south my eye was drawn to a rather distinctive top that had a clearly defined peak and pyramid-shaped slopes, which must be the 246 metre height marked on Ordnance Survey maps. First, though, I wanted to visit the final top on the Lanty Scar ridge that I could see ahead of me had a cairn at the top, and from there the view across the whole length of the fell really opened up with a maze-like network of paths that leads all the way to the summit. A steep descent took me onto the clear path that runs from Loughrigg Quarries south and that was where I headed turning left towards the pyramid-shaped peak that I had seen earlier. On reaching a cairn that marks the highest point on the path I turned left to climb a short, pathless slope up to the top of the peak that I had seen earlier and was now revealed to be a ridge rather than a perfect pyramid.

Turning my attention towards the summit of Loughrigg I tried to devise a route past the many outcrops that litter the terrain making navigating difficult while in their shadow. Wainwright wrote “the fell has an extensive and confusing top, the ultimate objective remains hidden on the approach, and the maze of paths needs careful unravelling – and besides, failure would be too humiliating!” Fortunately I was able to find my way across the complex terrain winding my way past the many outcrops and maze of footpaths until eventually I reached a clear path that heads directly to the summit, though before then I branched off to visit the east top. This is only fractionally smaller than the actual summit, but was all I’d been able to see during my ascent. After making my way across to the summit a cold wind prompted me to put on some gloves and a buff before making my way to the south top. Below I could see Loughrigg Tarn, but the views elsewhere were obscured by mist so I contented myself with exploring the fell as I slowly made my way south via every little rise that I came across. Despite my previous ill-health I dashed about with the energy of someone twenty years younger eagerly messing about in the complex terrain.

Eventually I reached the 289 metre top that is marked on maps and from then on I was happy to just follow the ridge that leads to the top of Ivy Crag. It was now three o’clock and the light seemed to be fading already so after circling the top of Ivy Crag I found the only safe route down that steeply descends to the wide bridlepath that crosses the southern part of Loughrigg from Skelwith Bridge to Ambleside. Crossing this path I headed east now keeping to the path and after passing Lily Tarn reached the top of Todd Crag. There are good views from this point looking south onto the northern end of Windermere, but the light was fading fast and the lights were already on in Ambleside so I made my way south dropping onto the excellent path that zigzags steeply down the bracken covered slopes to the valley bottom at Clappersgate. I took this route down two years ago in fading light and loved it then and I wish I’d had more time on this visit to explore this quiet corner of Loughrigg. I had wanted to return in better weather after the last occasion and that is now going to have to wait for another time. This was a good, little walk despite the poor views, and as always it was great being back in the Lake District where all my problems and ill-health were instantly wiped away.