New Life

In a field on the outskirts of Grasmere, I noticed a sheep laid on her side. She seemed to be struggling and then I saw the front hooves of a lamb appearing from her backend. At that moment a farmer appeared, walking across the field with his Border Collie. They started rounding the sheep up. It looked like the ewe would have to hold on to the lamb for a little longer.

On the road to the Lake we walked past the remnants of a Redwood tree. An inscription on it said that it reached the height of 130 feet and was around in 1850. I guess Wordsworth would have been around to see it. I can't remember Giant Redwoods featuring in any of his poetry though.

We took the footpath alongside Redbank Wood. At one point a Red Squirrel popped his head around the trunk of a nearby tree. He can't have been more than 3 metres away and we both stared at each other in astonishment. I went for my camera like a gunslinger and managed to get a couple of shots as it scampered along a stone wall along the edge of the wood. Unfortunately there was a wire fence along the top of the stonewall and this spoiled the shot somewhat.

Silver How

As we climbed above Huntingstile Crag a mizzle greeted us. Captain Mo was taking navigational duties seriously today and he had the map out every couple of minutes. There are so many tracks on this stretch of fell that it was really just finding one that took us in our intended direction. After Spedding Crag, there was then a short, steep craggy section that doesn't look quite as steep on the OS map. Due to the misty conditions I said it would be best to head north and locate the small tarn directly to the west of Silver How. After a few minutes walking, the tarn emerged out of the mist. From here it was easy peasy for Captain Mo to follow the track up to the top of Silver How. There is a great view from Silver How but we could only see mist today. The mizzle turned into a drizzle and so we found a lunchspot just below the summit crags. Somehow our conversation drifted to real ales and I recounted a funny anecdote to Captain Mo and the Cabin Boy from many years ago. They showed genuine interest in the story and so I made an extra effort with the presentation. Bellies full and chuckle muscles exercised, we set off downhill towards Grasmere.

Silver How's Fastest Ascent

We dropped out of the mist at Wray Gill and a wonderful view of the Grasmere valley opened up. I went to take out my camera from my bag and noticed that it wasn't hung around my neck. ARG! I'd left it back up at the top of Silver How, 100 metres vertically back up. I dumped my rucksack and told Captain Mo and the Cabin Boy to stay there and not move, and I started running back uphill to the top of Silver How. On the way down we had past a man on his own picking up litter and another couple of blokes making the ascent. They were bound to have gone past the camera by now. Near the top, I came across a couple coming down. 'Have you seen a camera bag up there?' I gasped. 'No, nothing' was their response. I nearly burst into tears. They looked the honest type, but I had to frisk them anyway, to check that they weren't lying. I continued running up and got to the summit cairn. No camera and no people. My heart sank. Those other people had taken my camera and scarpered. I ran down to the place where we had had lunch and much to my relief the camera bag was still resting on a stone where I'd put it. I picked it up and started running back down to Captain Mo and the Cabin Boy. I past the couple I frisked earlier. 'I found it! I found it!' I shouted as I flew past them. They looked at me as though I was mad.

When I got back to Captain Mo and the Cabin Boy I explained that this near disaster was their fault. If they'd not taken such a keen interest in my real ale anecdote, I wouldn't have been distracted and forgot my camera bag. I told the Cabin Boy that in future, she now had an extra responsibility to check that I always picked up my camera bag.

Return To Grasmere

The views on the path down from Grasmere were exceptional. At least they seemed that way when you've recently lost and then found your camera. The litter picking man we'd seen climbing up to Silver How overtook us again on his way down. He most have gone right past my camera and not picked it up. I felt like going up to him and shaking his hand for his honesty, but I wasn't sure what grubby things he'd been picking up on his litter travels.

Our route took us past Allan Banks house. Wordsworth initially described it as an 'eyesore on the landscape' but then ended up living there. I have to admit, it does look a little bland.

Captain Mo didn't take us on another pointless circuit of Grasmere centre on our return. I visited Grasmere's Gingerbread Shop and bought two blocks of biscuits at a cost that made me feel so light headed, I had to sit down on a bench and hold my head between my knees for ten minutes to recover.

It had been a memorable walk. I hoped the ewe and the birth of her lamb had gone well. Although we didn't get any views from the top, the ones coming down were excellent. After performing the fastest ever ascent of Silver How, I'll be eternally grateful to the Gods that they allowed me to recover my camera.