Tuesday, 7th January 2020
I'd set my alarm as if I was getting up for work and padded around in the darkness (after a couple of snooze buttons!). Cuppa, shower and a bit of breakfast and I set about making some packup.
Once it was properly daylight I opened the curtains/blinds to be greeted with a fine view of Todd Crag buried under cloud and heavy rain. Loughrigg, which should be visible behind it, was nowhere to be seen:
I had a little nosey through the other walk options I had planned and decided on doing none of those. It was absolutely lashing it down outside and I toyed with the idea of having my "rest" day today (which actually meant spending my Christmas and birthday money in the all the outdoor gear shops).but I wanted to be "out". On the hills, even a little hill would do.
So I plumped for a "gear test" walk up Todd Crag to Lily Tarn to test out my new replacement for my ancient winter duvet jacket and set off once the rain had eased off.
After a fairly (nay, immensely) boring plod along the main A593 road to Clappersgate, I finally took a right turn at Brathay Farm onto the fellside (hooooraaaahhhh). So far, although mega overcast and low cloud, it had stopped raining - it was what I call "fat mist" where it feels like walking through cobwebs on your face instead of splodges of raindrops. The path meandered upwards towards Nanny Brow - some short and steep rocky bits in places but never scary for a 'fraidy-cat like me. Instead of entering Fishgarths Wood I took a sharp right in the general direction of "up" - through and up and over lots of lumpy, bumpy craggy bits - I was enjoying this fell and it was a shame the weather was ....well it wasn't improving... that's for sure.
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| Path meandering to Nanny Brow |
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| Beckside path |
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| Arty-farty pic |
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| Bench with a view |
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...and on a nice day ... what a lovely view
Looking over Windermere |
I eventually got to a wall which, If my map reading was any good, I should cross and happen upon Lily Tarn. Whilst I stood pondering over my map a chap and his dog appeared out of the mizzle and commented that he was really surprised to see anyone else out on the hills on a day like this.
After a bit of a natter he pointed me in a slightly different direction for a (what he considered to be) a nicer approach with a big reveal sort of theme. "You see those sheep over there...oh, when the cloud goes, you'll see some sheep over there" he said. "Head towards them, up that little pass, turn left round the oak tree and follow the path uphill - you'll get to a little tarn before Lily Tarn but carry on and you'll get there".
Great. Roaming an unfamiliar multi-lumpy fell in the (now) mega-clag sounds SO appealing. And off I set! He was right. I blundered around for a bit in the general direction he'd pointed me - the sheep had moved by now so don't use those to navigate by, but there it was the little rocky tarn, round the tree and up the hill and, taaa-daaaaa, Lily Tarn appeared through the mist as I crested the hill. Then it disappeared momentarily into the mist and I headed for the bench the chap mentioned with some sort of idea of doing a self-timer thingy on my camera to get a pic of me sat on it admiring "atmospheric" Lily Tarn. Camera wasn't right thrilled at being faced head on into the rain and had one of its Alzheimers Moments as it rapid-cycled through, pano, video, face recognition, landscape and macro functions. So I sacked that idea off and took a pic of the water beading up on my new jacket instead.
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Cresting the brow
Lily Tarn |
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| "Atmospheric" Lily Tarn from the bench |
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| ... new jacket, beading up nicely |
Gear test -jacket waterproofabilityness - passed.
The chap had also mentioned that the weather was set to get worse from about 2pm (like it wasn't already utterly grotty) with high winds and torrential rain. To be honest, the weather so far was better than I expected it to be (and that's saying something) which is why I'd chosen a short walk with lots of visual interest close up rather than being disappointed at not getting far-reaching views from a lofty clag-bothered summit.
Oddly though, it really wasn't cold - I would hesitate to say it was almost balmy and my new jacket really was overkill in the insulation category on this particular walk.
Anyhow, given the fact that the lumps and bumps and crags kept dipping in and out of visibility I decided to take a bearing from Lily Tarn to Miller Brow just in case (of what, I don't know) and headed off downhill in the general direction of North East. I'd had a quick "word" with myself previous to this, insofar as Lily Tarn is on a TINY little fell and I think it would be really difficult to actually get lost on it, even if I didn't know exactly where I was. It was the first time I've had to use my compass "in anger" to walk off a hill.
I bumped into a young couple doing their last little walk before a long drive home and they too said they'd rather be "out here in this" than spending their last day in their accommodation just because it was raining.
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| Lovely little waterfall |
Pretty quickly actually, I reached Miller Brow and the junction of paths at Brow Head Farm and I decided not to walk past the houses and chose instead to head north through the woodland to join the road further up. And I am SOOOOO glad I did. What a lovely little woodland. Yes, even in the rain.
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| Lovely little woodland |
I spent a few moments here breathing in the wonderful, earthy smell of decaying autumn, the metallic taste/smell of the rain, and listening to a couple of birds chirruping away. A really, relaxing, peaceful moment.
Once I reached the road I took a right turn for a quite pleasant mooch along the River Rothay, keeping my eye out for a cattle grid and bridge over the river into Rothay Park.
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Heron on the marshy ground between the road
and the River Rothay |
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| Bridge from the road into Rothay Park |
The water was thundering down the little waterfall/weir in Rothay Park and I suddenly realised I've been here before, with Peter, the day after the Elterwater meet - we did a linear walk from ODG to Ambleside. Funny how things trigger the memory. Looking back through "the archives" the Elterwater meet was 5 years ago! I can't believe that! It was then that I decided I needed to return to Ambleside for more walking in the area. Five years ago!
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| Little waterfall thundering through Rothay Park |
I probably should have gone the "tourist route" through Rothay Park but I didn't and came out somewhere near the little Police and Fire Station on the A591.
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Fire Station
Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service |
Fire stations should be red, not green!... just sayin'
From there it was a very short walk back to my accommodation but I did pop into a cake shop on my way and picked up a fruit scone to have with my cuppa - which I was looking forward to seeing as I'd not really stopped for "lunch" out on my walk.
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| Bridge House |
The lovely, quirky Bridge House. I could live there.
So there we are. A perfect little "first" walk of my hols me thinks. I hadn't over-taxed my legs so they'd be good to go tomorrow. My tendon only gave me a slight twinge in Rothay Park and a short rest to watch the river seemed to cure. Pleased with that really considering this is the first hilly thing it's had to deal with for a good while!
And the Gear Test? Yes, I think this jacket will be a worthy replacement. It's waterproof, breathable and by 'eck it's warm! It has all the features my old jacket has and my only gripe would be that it doesn't have elasticated wrists so I can't push it up my arms to vent.
