Out of office on……

Tuesday 19 April Having checked the forecast we knew today was going to be a lovely sunny day so we packed up our hiking bags and drove to Keswick (again via Kirkstone Pass and Patterdale). After a brief stop at the Co-op to grab a sandwich we drove a further 5 miles out from Keswick and parked up in a layby near the Ravenstone Hotel. From here we began our walk that kicked off with a tough incline taking us on to the hill and giving lovely views towards Bassenthwaite Lake. Our route then took us up over Ullock Pike and along Long Side and Carl Side where there were amazing views of Keswick and Derwentwater. We also stopped to watch a paraglider that had set off from the top of Ullock Pike (nice excuse for a rest on the ascent!). As we continued up the terrain changed, with the final pull up to Skiddaw being loose slate – it was pretty steep and tough going! As it was a fine day, we could spot lots of the surrounding peaks from the top (Blencathra, Helvellyn, Scafell). We didn’t stay here too long though as it was a lot cooler at the top! After taking a few photos and finishing off a sausage roll we started our descent, which took us north over the shoulder of the summit again on to loose slate until we picked up an old miner’s track that took us down (steep in places!) the mountain. There were good views back up towards Skiddaw and the ridge as we made our way down, finally crossing a stream and coming to Bassenthwaite common. We then continued on level ground until we crossed Southerndale Beck and then followed a path around the  edge of the hill until we rejoined our original path taking us back down to the car. The route was about 6 miles in total and took us 4 hours (including our stops for photos and food). It was a challenging walk with great views…and I was definitely glad to see the car at the end! We took the Hard Knott Pass route back to Ambleside (via Windermere) – it was lovely taking in the views of the sun on the hills and the landscapes reflecting on the calm waters of Ullswater and Windermere. After showering we had a chill and then headed out for some food and then back for an early night…no surprises we were pretty knacked!