The view from Loughrigg down to Grasmere on a different day….
So this is the beginning of my bloggers journey…
Well, hello.
I will start where I am, which is Sunday evening, looking at the clock and thinking I really should go to bed, but before I do I will describe my last walk.
This was yesterday up and around Loughrigg Fell near Ambleside in the Lake District. I had driven up there on Friday with my Mum, to visit my lovely daughter Megan, who is studying for a Degree in Outdoor Education. The weather was sleety and snow was visible on the hills. I could not persuade my Mum or Megan to come out for a walk as, looking out the window, it was not very inviting, cold, wet, windy….but I knew that I needed to get out there, if only to get some exercise.
I donned my not that waterproof, waterproofs and set off into the misty rain.
After about 20 minutes and getting wet, I felt sluggish and cold and questioned my decision to go out on my own into what was a rather miserable winter’s day. However I plodded on, at every choice, keeping to the high road (I always hate to give up even the smallest bit of height gained) and found myself wandering past many groups of soggy walkers heading in the other direction. All were chirpy in that ‘true Brit’ fashion of not letting a bit of rain deter them. I passed Rydal caves and started to enjoy myself despite the rain. I was looking down onto Rydal water and Grasmere and across to Heron Pike and Rydal Fell. Plenty of people were out braving the weather, on foot, on bikes and running.
I had a vague plan to walk to Grasmere, but when I looked at the map, saw that I could circumnavigate Loughrigg Fell and do a circular walk around it back where I began.
So treading pastures new, to me, I took the high road and bore left and away from the path to Grasmere and entered a land I had not seen before.
That is one of the great joys of walking, to set your eyes on land that you have never seen before. To some, it may all look the same…trees, paths, streams, hills, but to one who enjoys the simple beauty of the countryside, a new path is always a delight. From this point on I didn’t pass another person, only sheep. I kept checking the map to ensure I didn’t stray from my chosen route and found myself meeting a narrow lane before veering off over a stile once again to wander amongst those beautiful teddy bear like sheep, who watched me pass by in all my waterproofed glory. I wandered past Loughrigg tarn, past several old, cosy looking dwellings and along, what must be a very old track that led past Ivy Crag and back over Loughrigg Fell and down past Miller Brow to the lovely steep backed bridge that leads into the park in Ambleside and back to the student accommodation where my daughter and Mum were waiting. And needless to say, I felt much better than when I’d began and vowed to try the same path again on a sunnier day to really enjoy the views of further afield fells and pikes that I know were there hidden in the clouds.
