Saturday morning was once again a beautiful sunny day. Another very good breakfast and we were back out on the road. This turned out to be the hardest day on the route for me. It was just a hair under 17 miles, 2,760 foot climb, and we were 9 1/2 hours enroute. What made it difficult for me is with that climb we had what was described as a “gnarly” descent. I was shaking in my boots quite literally and scooting down rocks, scree, and bog on my butt in many places.
It was just a short walk down the main road of Patterdale which in one spot by the White Lion is only one lane wide. A left turn and we were walking down a lane, over a bridge, and immediately started to climb.
Leaving Patterdale
Tony on the bridge heading to the trail
View of Patterdale from bridge
The views of the valley spread out behind us as we ascended.
Up hill right away
Angle Tarn
Climbing back up hill after Angle Tarn
Mary stopped on hillside so Tony could take pic.
The route goes up hill.
Mountain bikers mostly carrying their bikes up to ride down an old Roman Road.
Tony waiting for me at crest of hill
This is not a hike to take lightly. Mary’s prosaic description for Saturday left out some little things like the fact that we were to climb literally to the top of the highest point in the Lakes District, Kidsty Pike. On each side of the wide path were huge, steep valleys and my anticipation of what our guide book author descirbed as “a gnarly decent” grew into trepidation the higher we climbed. Haweswater, a dammed rservoir created in the ’30s to supply Manchester, gleamed far, far below us.
We turned off from the peak and started down. I knew it would be a long haul and it was, but at first seemed quite benign. Then it steepended. Then it steepened some more. At some points, we were on our butts on the rocks and the gravel.
Mary again proved her mettle by never complainging, never whining, even though her agoraphobia was accompanying her every step of the way.
Once down, we had a brief lunch, some water, and off arond the reservoir. Our author described one portion of it as “annoyingly steep.’ Typical British understatement. We started back up, hillside on one side, tumbled rocks on the other all the way down to the water. We on a one foot wide path. Both of us cursing under our breaths.
30′, 40′, probably up to one hundred feet above the water, the steep slope littered with jagged rocks.
I ran out of water half around the lake, perhaps three miles from our destination. No laughing matter, it what must have been 80 degree F heat, no breeze, no shade.
The Peroni beer at the Crown and Mitre in Bampton Grnage was ice cold and delicious.
Thanks for the extra details,Tony…I was beginning to think you two had an easier day! Thank Heavens for the reward of ice cold brew! Your wife is a marvel…”Wonder Woman” & you are pretty darn amazing yourself.
I toast & salute you both. Melissa