Category: Lake District
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Ulpha and the Traveller’s Rest Inn
I’m still recounting my adventures in the Lake District last weekend. Monday turned out to be a real gloomy one, with clouds hanging low and some drizzle here and there. I reckon I caught a glimpse of the sun once, but those rugged hilltop views remained elusive. As I descended from the murky heavens, the…
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Seathwaite Tarn
Nestling in the cupped embrace of the Coniston Fells lies Seathwaite Tarn, all glittery and serene. It’s wrapped up by a wild autumn tapestry of dull olive, blazing copper, and pale maroon, sprinkled with a hint of grey cliffs and little patches of piney green. The fickle sky’s in a sullen mood, draping the shadowy…
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The ghost of Frith Hall
A handful of days nestled within the charming embrace of the Duddon Valley in the Lakes, a forced separation from the digital world. I’ve passed through Ulpha on numerous occasions in the past, en route to Eskdale and the lofty central fells. Yet, a few days in this tranquil dale have unveiled a treasure…
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From Pyroclastic Flows to Lapilli Tuffs — Navigating the Langdale Pikes
On the first night back home in Cleveland, I awoke to a drizzle, low-hanging clouds, and, after a week in the Lakes, a slight feeling of dysphoria. My morning constitutional brought no relief as the weather remained dismal. So, I believe it’s only fair to share a photo taken a few days prior in Langdale…
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Mickleden, one of the two main tributaries of Great Langdale
Great Langdale, a lovely dale largely under the vigilant eye of the National Trust, holds in its embrace several imposing farms, an establishment of refreshment known as the New Dungeon Ghyll, and a haven for weary travellers in the form of the campsite. These riches, it is worth noting, were bestowed upon the Trust by…
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The view from the summit of Harrison Stickle.
But who was this Harrison fellow? Not too many Lake District hills bear a man’s name. I can only recall Robinson and Aitken’s Knott. Stickle, they say, hails from ‘sticel,’ meaning a steep slope. But let’s get back to the view. Far below, there lies Stickle Tarn. It was dammed and made bigger for Langdale’s…
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Blea Tarn: Wordsworth was ’ere
Decamped to Great Langdale and a brief recuperative stroll upon Lingmoor Fell, which offers this delightful panorama of Blea Tarn. This charming, shallow tarn rests snugly in the col between the two Langdales. In the distance, the commanding 762-metre high peak of Wetherlam stands tall. Notably, this tarn has stirred the creativity of some literary…
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A night under the stars
I find myself temporarily off grid, so my posts shall be rather scarce for a time. But lo and behold, gaze upon this splendid sight of the Scafell massif, captured after a night spent beneath the stars upon Esk Pike. My duty was to man a checkpoint for the Lake District Mountain Trial. Alas, a…
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Sandwick
Another view from the weekend. Sandwick, a small hamlet on the shore of Ullswater. To the right the 1,271′ Hallin Fell, which Wainwright regards as “the motorists’ fell, for the sandals and slippers and polished shoes of the numerous car-owners who park their on the crest of the zig-zags on Sunday afternoons have smoothed to…
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Martindale
I’ve been off-grid in the Lakes for a few days, specifically in Martindale, perhaps the most secluded and certainly the least touristy of the dales. Martindale drains into Ullswater. To get there you have to follow the east of the Lake from Pooley Bridge to Howtown then negotiate The Hause, a steep little pass with…