Saturday, July 13, 2013

2 Nights Camping Near Ullswater

As this amazing weather continues we are trying to make the most of it so on Monday we set off again with the tent to try a new campsite to us Park Foot on the eastern shores of Ullswater.

From it’s website we could see it was more of a holiday park than campsite & it’s size and amenities were far superior to any other site we have stayed on.

The site was pretty empty so we had a lot of choice about where we pitched the tent

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Crag sensibly shelters in the shadow of the car.  What we hadn’t considered in choosing the pitch was the fact we wouldn’t get any shade until sunset.

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With the tent up we drove the short distance to Martindale Church

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Where we could see the route up our fell for the afternoon

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Looking back towards the church as we climb

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It’s a short but steep ascent

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A panorama of the view

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And we have reached the top of Hallin Fell (388m) and are rewarded with some stunning views, this zooming in on a steamer on Ullswater

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Looking towards Pooley Bridge & the northern end of the lake

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Looking across to Arthur’s Pike which we intend to go up the next day

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And to the southern end of the lake where Glenridding is

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Zooming in on a boathouse

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The obelisk on the summit provides some shade & a perfect lunchspot

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We make a circular route of it by heading off the eastern side of the fell

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This spring gives Crag a well needed drink & cool off

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Back at the campsite & he has a play in Aik Beck

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Before we take him for a splash in Ullswater

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We join him too!

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Looking towards Pooley Bridge

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The next morning dawns bright & sunny as forecast.  Because of the heat we had got up early & were walking by 8:30.  We walked through the campsite to get onto the fells.

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A well worn track leads us up the first fell

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At last the summit comes into view

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Arthurs Pike (530m)

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Then a gradual climb up to the next fell

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The summit of Bonscale Pike (542m), it’s a bit unclear which is the true summit, this is the highest point on the fell.

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Looking down on Hallin Fell which we were on yesterday (it’s all a bit hazy up here)

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And towards the third & highest fell of the day

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It’s dry up here today but the cotton grass again suggests it gets quite boggy.

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We reach the Roman Road High Street (which is a named fell in it’s own right further south of us)

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The trig point on the summit comes into view

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Loadpot Hill (672m)

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This was the planned original finish point but we are here by 11am & feeling fine we carry on along the ridgeline

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This is marked as Chy on the OS map but isn’t on the legend it does stand for Chimney & having looked on the internet an old shooting lodge called Lowther House once stood here but all that is left is this bit of chimney

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We don’t lose much height between these fells

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Wether Hill (670m) & we plan to descend from here to Howtown

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Looking back at Loadpot Hill

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We start our descent, the fell below is Steel Knotts & we realise it is a small detour to take that in on the way down

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There is supposed to be a path here but none is visible so we pick our way down through the grass

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We aim for a derelict building which will give us some shade for our lunch

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Fusedale Beck gives us all a chance to cool off

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The Nab which is the only fell in this area we have yet to climb

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The summit of Steel Knotts

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The Nab & the valley of Martindale

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From above the summit didn’t look like much of a climb, but now we are at the last push it is a bit tougher than we thought

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The last push to the summit

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Looking back at what we have come across

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Steel Knotts (416m)

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The summit rock

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You can’t see much of Ullswater from here

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We start our descent, looking back at the summit

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The path on the valley floor which we had originally planned to descend via

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Hallin Fell

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The road below which we had used yesterday with it’s steep switchbacks

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More of Ullswater comes into view

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Having extended our walk we decide rather than walk back from Howtown we will catch the steamer to Pooley Bridge which is a much shorter walk back, too bad we have missed this one.

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We will have to wait in Howtown Hotel (in the trees below)

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The back garden has very little shade except at the top of a steep bank.  The last fell of the day with two pints!

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Crag is exhausted!

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After a delicious pint we make our way to the pier

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Where our steamer approaches to take us to Pooley Bridge & we can walk back to the camp site

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The next morning at the tent.  Crag is so good camping he doesn’t need to be tied up he just likes to keep guard at the tent entrance.

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We had a lovely time on an excellent camp site & walked 6 fells in 2 days which was beyond what we had planned (25 to go!)