Wednesday 27 November 2013

Ambleside meander

Week before last weather was looking good so me and Johnnie planed a lakes trip. The weather men were lying again. Got there OK just cold to start, got geared up at Rothay bridge a robin turned up and living up to it's name tried to steal johnnies vegan flapjack, cheeky bleeder.

Climb up onto loughrigg fell was as harsh as ever, the downhill has been sanitised :-(

then we got a bit, ahem, "lost" and descended on FP into skelwith, probably won't bother again started out well but went a bit rubbish as did the weather, mist and light rain which continued for the rest of the day. Instead of climbing Arnside to Iron keld we went the back way, up the road to high cross/oxen fell and did the boat to iron keld and descended arnside with another cheeky option which again wasn't much cop, ah well.

Bit of trouble spotting the bridleway that loops down towards colwith then back up to hodges close (why does the OS map not resemble anything on the ground around hodges?) but got it and slipping and sliding on mud, wet leaves and greasy rocks we made our way passed the multitude of walkers obviously not put off by the weather (or they'd been taken in by the meteorologists same as us) Minced our way down through the slate quarry (johnnie very nearly crashing out, not sure how, styling it up of a little ramp I think) The we took a little detour. Inspired by the boggies pics we searched out cathedral cavern. Low ceiling cave to start led us to the large central bit, a scramble down very greasy rocks (my legs slid out from under me as I walked over to check out the "difficult bit". Once again I needed reminding of the oft stated fact that MTB shoes suck on wet rock.

Lunch in the cavern then over the ford to little langdale, johnnie pulled some shapes in sawreys wood

High close tarmac climb and loughrigg terrace to finish - which has also been sanitised but was mercifully fairly quiet on the walker front. Not far, not big, not dangerous (silly mistakes on both our parts not withstanding) and miserable weather but fun all the same.

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