Captain's Log

Ambleside

‘Hmmm…it’s raining’ the Kapitan commented. He was standing at the front door of ourAmbleside holiday let looking up at the grey sky.  I was mooching outside waiting for him to stop faffing about and put his boots on. There was drizzle in the air, but nothing serious. ‘Come on, it might clear up in an hour or so’ I told him. The weather forecasters had predicted this would be a reasonable day, but the prospects didn’t look good. Cloud clung to the top of Loughrigg Fell. I’d planned a route from Ambleside that would take us over Low Pike and High Pike on the Fairfield Horseshoe. We’d then drop down to the top of Scandale Pass. If the weather improved we’d climb up to the top of Red Screes and head down its southern ridge, back to Ambleside. If the weather deteriorated, then we always had the option to escape down the Scandale valley back to Ambleside, rather than traversing the Red Screes. Eventually I managed to coax the Kapitan out of the house and we all headed off to the centre of Ambleside. The Kapitan and Cabin Boy had already put on their wet weather rucksack covers and by the time we reached the centre of the town, I’d put mine on as well.

We climbed out of Ambleside following the lane running alongside the University Of Cumbria buildings. One of them was the Charlotte Mason Building. I’d never heard of this woman, but later research revealed her to be Welsh born and then a settler in Ambleside.  She established a House of Education in Ambleside, a training school for governesses and teachers. She published several books about her philosophy on education. 

Pikes, High And Low

Mist and rain started descended further and we greeted it at Low Sweden Bridge. It started to feel very damp. The track joined the well built stone wall that would lead us up over Low Pike and High Pike. I was surprised to see some other walkers out and about on a day like this. We followed a couple up the ridge, but they were soon lost to the mist. We could just see the bottom of the Scandale valley. The stone wall along the ridge was not just a good navigational aid, but also provided shelter from the strong cross wind. It had been a long time since I’d followed the path next to the stone wall from Low Sweden bridge and I’d forgotten about the scramble section near Low Brock Crags. It doesn't present a problem on a dry day, but the mist and rain had made the rocks slippery and the Cabin Boy didn’t look happy, and so we bypassed the section by dropping down onto the lower path. This brought us back around to the stone wall along the ridge again, beyond the awkward scramble. 

We almost lost sight of the bottom of the Scandale valley by the time we reached Low Pike.  The Kapitan suggested that we had a break before we climbed up to High Pike. This was a good call since we could hunker down out of the wind at the side of the stone wall. The wind seemed even stronger as we set off up to High Pike after the break. I looked back at one point and saw a large Boxer dog following us. We couldn’t see the owner, but eventually he appeared behind a crag. They both overtook us as we reached the summit of High Pike. 

High Bakestones

The Kapitan was navigating today and he correctly determined the track that headed off eastwards to High Bakestones pillar. It was a shame to leave the shelter of the stone wall along the ridge, but there was nothing to be done. We met a couple of walkers coming the other way along the track, but it was too windy to have a conversation. 

Eventually, the well built pillar came into view. Normally there is a wonderful view over to Red Screes from here, but we could only see grey mist today. Huddling around the leeward side of the pillar, the Kapitan took a bearing to take us in the direction of Little Hart Crag. There wasn’t a track from the pillar, but further down on the descent, we came across a vague one that gradually became more defined. All of a sudden the mist cleared and we could see Little Hart Crag and Scandale Tarn. Then Red Screes came into view. Maybe the day was going to clear up. One could always hope. 

The path brought us down towards Scandale Tarn where we headed off to have a closer look. We’d already ticked the tarn on the Lakeland Tarns Venture, but it is such a pretty tarn that it is always worth a closer look. The Kapitan stomped off to the western end of the tarn. When he returned he said ‘There’s a dead sheep in the tarn up there.’ Both me and the Cabin Boy thanked him for the information and we sat down to have our lunch. During lunch the mist cleared from the top of the Red Screes and I suggested to the Kapitan that we might include it on the itinerary. By the time we finished our lunch and started walking again, mist had covered its summit again. Not only that, we were hit by horizontal rain being blown up the Scandale valley. We all agreed that we’d escape down the valley rather than traverse the Red Screes.

Scandale Valley

We followed a couple of walkers down to the top of Scandale Pass. One of them was wearing shorts; he must have been freezing. The rain blasted into us as we descended into the Scandale valley. My trousers were soaked. At least it wasn’t cold. Gradually the water dropped down the inside of my gaiters and then into my waterproof socks. At least we were out of the mist now and had a view, even if it was only of grey clouds and rain. Sheep took what shelter they could at the side of the stone walls. It seemed a long walk down the valley, but the further we descended, the weaker the wind became. By the time we reached High Sweden Bridge there was hardly any wind at all, although we still were blessed with some rain. I took the customary photo of High Sweden Bridge to add to my collection.  The woodlands downstream of the bridge provided some protection from the elements. By the time we reached tarmac on the outskirts of Ambleside, the sun was even trying to break through the clouds above Loughrigg Fell.  It didn’t try very hard though and gave up after five minutes. The centre of Ambleside was busier than this morning. The doorman at the Rock Shop had a fine set of snappers. I asked him if he could recommend his dentist, but he was the silent type and wouldn't tell me.

It hadn’t really been a day for walking. The mist hid the views and the rain dampened the mood. It did give us the opportunity to work off some of that excess Christmas fat though. I’ve completed this route under better conditions and can confirm that the views are superb. Not today though.