Lake District 20th/21st September 2012

20th September 2012 - Waterhead Hotel

 

After a very wet Thursday visiting Ambleside, Hawkshead, Lakeland store and Hawkshead brewery at Staveley (nice beer tapas in the cafe/bar) we arrived at the Waterhead hotel on the shore of Windermere.

We checked in the room, and after initially been given a twin room, we swapped to a double (the pictures are of the twin room)

The hotel was very nice, the standard rooms were quite large and had good facilities.
Again booked via KGB deals at £149 for 2 nights, well worth the money.
The hotel car park is located slightly below the hotel just lower than the level of the adjacent road. Parking may be a bit limited, though we managed places throughout our stay. There is a large pay and display behind the hotel (not sure if this is free if you stay and the hotel parking is full). Our room looked out onto this, but with a fell view in the distance, quite pleasant really. No doubt lake view rooms can be had at a premium price.

We elected to dine in the restaurant both nights. This is downstairs, with a large water feature dominating the open bar area. The bar had a good choice of drinks on draught and service was very good. We were seated in the bar allowing us to order drinks, view the menu, order and then be escorted to a table in the L-shaped restaurant. The food was good, but did not have all the fabulous flavours of the Daffodil restaurant food, and pricing was about the same. The service in the restaurant was very good though. The steak I had was nice enough but the sauce lacked flavour, similarly the lamb shank the following evening was fine, but the mint Jus sauce lacked flavour. The desserts were average (Sticky toffee pudding was the strangest we had eaten, and the chocolate fondant pudding was OK but nothing to rave about).

The breakfast was excellent though with many choices of both cold buffet/porridge and many hot items to order from a full cooked English to eggs benedict (which I had both mornings) and MANY other items.

Would recommend this hotel, but preferred the Daffodil as an overall experience, especially their restaurant food.


Friday 21st September
(Pathfinder Guide: Eastern Lakeland Walk#10 Little Mell Fell)
(5.3 miles, 3 hours)

 

Friday morning, and we checked out of the hotel to a brighter day.

We drove about 40 minutes north nearer to Penrith (which was near the A66 and the route home anyway). A short walk up Little Mell Fell was planned, and we eventually found a parking spot after driving along narrow lanes with little or no chance of anywhere to park, in the small hamlet of Lowthwaite.

 

 

This did mean a very short backtrack to the road by which we came, and this we followed for about half a mile or so, before finding the point through a field gate and then up along the track heading the direction we came for a short time.

The grassy track led us slowly up a twisting grassy sheep track getting a little steeper as it went on.

This eventually led out onto more open countryside and expanding views all around.

Passing through a gate at the end of barbed boundary fence we tracked up the grassy track to the summit of Little Mell Fell.

Little Mell Fell Summit (1657ft), and we enjoyed the views around on a crisp, fine, September morning.

Catching the views of Ullswater on the way down, straight across the top and follow the grassy track part way down. The track then dissapears and the way steepens significantly. We found the best was down was to go left and sideways following a narrow sheep track through gorse/fern that slowly wound its way down to the bottom. 

After crossing a field (and eventually finding the right gate) we followed a lane for about a mile or so before bringing us back to the roadway. We even managed to "round up" a rogue sheep that was lost from its field. Though the farmer opening the gate at the end of the road did help with this!

 

We followed the road back to the car for about another mile or so, and remarked how the walk had been surpisingly good (compared with our ascent of Great Mell Fell) a couple of years ago, which had not been as pleasant or interesting.

 

Our Walk Score: 7/10

 

Lake District - 19th September 2012

19th September-Far Easedale & Helm Crag
(Pathfinder Guide Central Lakeland: Walk #25  9.8 Miles)

After another hearty breakfast at the Daffodil Hotel we set off on another walk as the day promised to be reasonable according to the forecast (but chance of showers).

In fact, as we headed off walking away from the hotel the sun was just about out which was a promising start. The guidebook offered a starting point at Mill Bridge, someway out of the village, but probably (as we found out) actually a nearer point to proceed towards Easedale. I guess our start from the hotel added about another mile or so to the total.

It was about half a mile along the road path until we arrived in Grasmere itself and we marvelled at how quiet the village was early on a mid-week Wednesday morning. No doubt the tourist buses would soon be arriving though! We passed by the church and the Wordsworth graves which we had visited a few times previously.

We passed by the tiny gingerbread shop and took in the aromas of the gingerbread cooking, but continued as we had a long walk ahead of us.

Heading out of the village along Easedale Road we followed the walkers path to keep off the road, which was not only busy with vehicles but a herd of cows being guided along to their pasture. We kept well out of the way!



The road petered out in a narrow, but long and smooth lane with good views all around (and nice easy walking!)

Soon we branched off the road, right and then left through a gate and onto narrower and more rugged paths. 

The path narrowed yet again, and we were now in more open and wilder valley land; Far Easedale, and Far Easedale Gill to our right meandering through the valley.

The views around were pleasant on this low- level leg of the walk. Though the rain started soon after we began walking through the valley, though it was quite short lived, but did keep returning in sometimes rather sharp bursts throughout the rest of the day.

After a couple of miles we began to hear shouts, but initially was unable to determine their source.

All soon became apparent as we approached a group of shepherds with their (many) dogs herding hundreds of sheep.

We, and other walkers ahead, slowed and then stopped as we did not want to disturb the herding. We watched for a while and the sheep were eventually rounded up (apart from a few strays) and we continued on our way.

Very soon we reached our turn point at the head of the valley, and the path headed right and upwards towards our first objective Calf Crag.

The path turning and rising shown above.

As we gained further height the views down to the valley through which we had walked became evident and we took time to take pictures. (back to some HDR stuff again!)

The view back to Grasmere, somewhat zoomed in, but our hotel visible from where we had set off earlier.

Calf Crag (1761ft), the first Wainwright of the day, and a bit blustery, and wet at times!

The route off Calf Crag was obvious and just continued along the somewhat undulating and rocky (and boggy!!)  ridge to Gibson Knott.

The views down to the valley were spectacular, especially when the sun came out. This was never for long though and was usually followed by another blast of rain, adding to the boggy conditions. (Glad I wore those gaiters now, aren`t you Sue, ah..... I see you don`t have yours on, ah well enjoy the mud!)

The view from Gibson Knott (1377ft), when the sun came out for at least a few minutes. Wainwright number two of the day.  

Heading off Gibson Knott, we headed for Helm Crag, the obvious hump ahead of us and a push to the top.

The push was worth it for the views (and to get back to the hotel!)
Helm Crag (1328ft) and the third Wainwright fell.

The famous (or infamous) "Lion & The Lamb" or "Howitzer" was not so obvious when right next to it, though it does resemble these animals when viewed from ground level and at a distance.

The view ahead down to Grasmere and where we were heading (down!)



The route down was quite steep following a zig-zagging path initially, and then a very steep stepped path adjacent a wall side. Care was needed as it was a bit wet and slippery. 

Eventually though we were down, and joined the path we came on, heading back to Grasmere along much easier terrain.

Mud glorious Mud! Wish I had worn those Gaiters!
 (note from Susan: yeah, yeah but I don't like feeling restricted by gaiters and anyway a bit of mud never hurt anyone, did it?)

The weather turned for the worse again and we headed back and through Grasmere in the rain, ariving back at the Daffodil around 17:30.

The walk had taken just over seven hours, and just short of 10 miles, and had been a little tougher than expected due to the rocky terrain, wet and slippery (and boggy) conditions.

A full days outing, with a nice easy start through the valley, slowly ascending, then getting onto rougher and rockier terrain, up onto the wide rocky ridge and the three Wainwrights in a row with good views down to the valley.

Our Walk Score: 7/10