Pigs And Slugs

The shower got heavier as we walked along the side of  Rydal Water. An approaching dog walker kicked the dog crap of his pooch to the side of the trail rather than picking it up and disposing of it. 

On Under Loughrigg Lane we stopped to say hello to the pigs. A sow trotted over to us and I was unnerved by her intelligent looking eyes, well compared to the Cabin Boy and the Kapitan anyway. I stroked the back of her neck and her thick bristles raised up. There wasn't that much hair but it was very thick. Even the Cabin Boy had a go at pig petting. The sow got into it at this stage and flopped over on her side and presented her tummy. Later research revealed that this is typical pig behaviour. Both myself and the Cabin Boy drew the line at pig tummy tickling and we started walking along the road. The sow got up and followed us for a few yards, but soon realised that we weren't worth it and stopped.

I suggested we sit on a roadside bench to have a break. Kapitan Mo inspected the bench and said there were a couple of microscopic slugs on the seat. 'I could squash them to get rid of them' he suggested. I replied that in the interest of encouraging wildlife we would sit on another bench a few hundred yard down the road. This one was microscopic slug free but had a bleating lamb on a patch of grass on the other side of the road. There was a field with dozens of ewes and lambs on the other side of the river and it was a bit of a mystery as to how the lamb had got there. The river was too fast flowing for it to cross safely. At least it had plenty of grass to eat before the farmer returned it to wherever it came from.

A shower started again as we headed towards Clappersgate from Rothay Bridge, and I started putting my waterproofs on again. 'It'll stop as soon as you put them on' an approaching female walker advised. She was wrong, since it lasted at least another hour,

Skelwith And Elterwater

The rain seemed heavier as we made our way along Bog Lane from Clappersgate. The Holy Trinity church had a sign saying that we could drop in for tea and cake if we wanted to, but judging by the number of cars in the carpark I'd imagined they'd have a bit of a rush on. Further along the lane some Goldfinches kept me entertained whilst I waited for the Cabin Boy and Kapitan to catch me up. A couple in their sixties approached with a dog and I started chatting to them. They sounded Lancastrian and after they'd retired they'd bought a static caravan at the Skelwith Fold site. The place looks huge on the OS map but is well secreted from the road. They said that they come up here most weekends and often walked into Ambleside or over to the Drunken Duck. They were just stretching their dog's legs at the moment. The Spaniel didn't look too happy to be out in the rain.

At Skelwith Fold the views opened up down the Langdale valley and over to Loughrigg. It was possible to see our exit route at Red Bank, back over to the Grasmere valley. We left the rain behind at Skelwith Fold and the sun made a welcome return. At Skelwith Bridge we took our lunchbreak sat at some stone tables and benches next to the River Brathay. The sheer weight of the furniture ensured their security from burglars. After lunch we joined the throngs of walkers and potterers making their way between Skelwith Bridge and Elterwater. We stopped off at Skelwith Force, but there wasn't a great deal of water going over it today. The views really opened up at Elter Water with a classic view of Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark further down the Langdale Valley. As we approached Elterwater it started getting grey again and I wondered if we were in for some more rain. The Brittania Inn seemed to be doing good business judging by the number of people sat at its tables at the front of the premises. Some sheep chomped a nearby patch of grass in a scene of human and ovine harmony. We'd already had our lunch though and we set off on the last leg of the Tour De Loughrigg, a traverse of the pass over Red Bank to the Grasmere Valley.

Return To Grasmere

After such a low level walk the climb up to Red Bank felt like a bit of a workout. It didn't take long to get to the top of the pass though and we started dropping back down the other side into the Grasmere valley. There was a tremendous view over the lake and up to Dunmail Raise. There were plenty of people walking along the road to Grasmere and even more in Grasmere itself. Another walker followed close behind us on our approach to Allan Bank. When we were in the grounds of the house he diverted on to a path away from us. 'Thank you very much' he called to us and waved. I looked at the Cabin Boy and the Kapitan and we were all unsure as to why he thanked us. 'Did you leave the gate open for him?' asked the Cabin Boy. 'No, I closed it and he walked over the cattle grid. I guess we must have done something to please him.

It was an excellent walk for our day of mixed weather conditions. The low level  ensured that we always had a view. Deer, Pigs, Herons and lots of other birdlife meant there was always something to look at. You can appreciate Loughrigg by just going around it and not up it.