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Lake District Peaks
Sat 28 Jun, 2014 6:18 pm
I have just posted the first of two "catch up" reports from past trips in the Lake District. There are over two hundred "Wainrights" or peaks that Arthur Wainright recommends in his wonderful hand-written, hand-drawn books. The fells are not as dramatic or pointed as the Alps, but have their own subtle beauty and offer a sense of space and time that we love. Mt Beecroft, Recondite Knob and Black Bluff Range all remind us of the Lakes. If you read my reports during the next two weeks, you can (if you wish) think of me there, climbing a whole lot more - which is what I'll be doing while you're reading.
It is not wilderness as we know it (I'm fascinated that Robert Macfarlane in Wild Places talks of trying to find wildness rather than wilderness in GB), but, that said, there are mountains where Wainright guarantees you will NOT meet another soul, and he adds that if you die up there solo, your body will not be happened upon for years. (It's on this year's list). It is also very easy to die on the fells, as a fall from a height doesn't need to be 400ms in drop to kill you. A smaller one will suffice. They're not the silly rounded hills that some non-afficionados dismiss them as. Each has character, and all offer views worth having.
With regard to tourists and crowds - yes, popular peaks like Scafell Pike or Helvellyn have loads of people, any weather, a bit like Cradle or Ossa, but apart from a few peaks like that it is exceedingly rare to meet anyone up there, and when you do, you stop and have a brief chat, as it is such a novelty, and these are obviously nice people or they wouldn't be there, so you talk a bit and move on.
We rarely use our tent there, and the only thing resembling a hut we use is the Black Sail YHA. That said, all the YHAs in non-popular areas (i.e., avoid Ambleside, Windermere and Grasmere) are usually full of other people also filling their days with walking the fells. You eat with them at dinner and breakfast, and exchange tales of walking (inter alia). It's a great atmosphere, perhaps akin to the mood often found in Pine Valley Hut.
The going is much faster than in Tassie, as there's no scrub, so on most days you'd be climbing several peaks and covering twenty five or so kilometres (if you're that way inclined). My blogsite, if you want to read more and see photos is: http://natureloverswalks.blogspot.com.au/
It is not wilderness as we know it (I'm fascinated that Robert Macfarlane in Wild Places talks of trying to find wildness rather than wilderness in GB), but, that said, there are mountains where Wainright guarantees you will NOT meet another soul, and he adds that if you die up there solo, your body will not be happened upon for years. (It's on this year's list). It is also very easy to die on the fells, as a fall from a height doesn't need to be 400ms in drop to kill you. A smaller one will suffice. They're not the silly rounded hills that some non-afficionados dismiss them as. Each has character, and all offer views worth having.
With regard to tourists and crowds - yes, popular peaks like Scafell Pike or Helvellyn have loads of people, any weather, a bit like Cradle or Ossa, but apart from a few peaks like that it is exceedingly rare to meet anyone up there, and when you do, you stop and have a brief chat, as it is such a novelty, and these are obviously nice people or they wouldn't be there, so you talk a bit and move on.
We rarely use our tent there, and the only thing resembling a hut we use is the Black Sail YHA. That said, all the YHAs in non-popular areas (i.e., avoid Ambleside, Windermere and Grasmere) are usually full of other people also filling their days with walking the fells. You eat with them at dinner and breakfast, and exchange tales of walking (inter alia). It's a great atmosphere, perhaps akin to the mood often found in Pine Valley Hut.
The going is much faster than in Tassie, as there's no scrub, so on most days you'd be climbing several peaks and covering twenty five or so kilometres (if you're that way inclined). My blogsite, if you want to read more and see photos is: http://natureloverswalks.blogspot.com.au/
Re: Lake District Peaks
Mon 21 Jul, 2014 10:02 pm
I just thought I'd mention that I've been following your blog on RSS for quite a while now.
Thanks for all the incredible stories and photos!
Thanks for all the incredible stories and photos!
Re: Lake District Peaks
Sat 26 Jul, 2014 6:50 pm
Thanks for that iciest. So glad you enjoy them!
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