The Lakes Revisited

It started as an idea in the pub on the Thursday evening as Dave and I had no plans for the Sunday and some Lake District fells had been reopened the previous weekend. A couple of hours on the web, on the phone and pouring over maps on Friday gave me some possible routes. Between the two of us we emailed and phoned as many people as we could to let them know of our plan. Apologies to anyone we may have overlooked or who we could not contact in the short time available.

In the end ten members assembled at Glenridding and caught the bus to Kirkstone Pass. Setting the leisurely tone for the day we (by popular demand) started with coffee in the Kirkstone Inn before disinfecting our boots at the fell access point as a Foot and Mouth precaution and heading onto the fells. Alan (Radcliffe) had come along for a run and was soon a dot on the horizon while the rest of us slowly made our way up Stony Cove Pike. Part way up who should we meet but Yvonne and Ken out for a weekends backpacking. After a short chat we continued on to the top before dropping down the rocky path to the coll and then ascending to the summit of High Street and a well earned lunch stop in the lee of the summit wall.

During lunch we admired the super views as rays of light broke through chinks in the clouds and lit up the fells and lakes. We all agreed that it felt good to be on the fells again after so long.

Lunch over we made our way north over High Street before beginning the steady descent to Angle Tarn where we took another leisurely drinks stop before the final leg down to Patterdale leaving the fell at Goldrill Bridge, passing through the disinfection point there. A short road section brought our party back to the cars parked in Glenridding.

The sight on the journey home, at West farm in Temple Sowerby, of men in white overalls loading dead cows into a fleet of lorries was a grim reminder of why we have not been able to use footpaths for the last four months.

I think everyone enjoyed the day. I know that I did. It felt great to be out again. Lets do it again soon!

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	Swaledale Outdoor Club

The Lakes Revisited

Alan Turner