The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Lakeland Lockdown, Part 2:

The Northern Lakes

Well, this past month has revealed another side of England’s Lake District, namely, why it is so green. The clement weather of late May and much of June simply disappeared into the mist – quite literally. Faced with what seemed unending days of rain and heavy clouds, I largely abandoned my photographic endeavors. On most of the less damp days, I did manage to hike around the nearby woods and fells, though usually only with my camera phone, a poor substitute for the Panasonic Lumix in capturing the details of this amazing landscape. On the plus side, I was able to explore more deeply the local area just north of the market town of Keswick, usually without the encumbrance of an automobile or the jostling crowds present on the more popular routes. AND I did manage to hike to the summit of Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, on my last day.

A view from Dodd Woods of Crookelty Farm (right, midground) where I was staying, with Keswick and Derwent Water in the background. Dodd Woods – more accurately described as a tree plantation – was right out my back door and provided some great local exercise hikes to the 500m summit from the valley’s elevation of 90m.
Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) and view towards Keswick from the start of the ascent of Skiddaw, my local fell.
A “view” of Skiddaw from Carl Side as the mist descends
Skiddaw (931m) vista with summit cairn. It is the third highest of the three proper English Munros – peaks over 3000 ft with a 500 ft prominence. (Sca Fell, Ill Crag, and Broad Crag, while greater than 3000 ft, do not have sufficient prominence to be considered Munros).
Keswick and Derwent Water from Lonscale Fell. On this relatively sunny day I did a loop hike from Skiddaw north to Lonscale Fell.
Hall’s Fell Ridge on Blencathra, another nearby fell, provided a bit of scrambling in parts
Summit view from Helvellyn with a cloud layer just above. At 950m, Helvellyn is the second highest English Munro, and conveniently located only a few miles south of Keswick.
Crookelty annex, a converted hay loft where I stayed for 4 weeks. The burbling of adjacent Mill Beck was cathartic and bird feeders attracted goldfinches and a great spotted woodpecker, among others. I’m not sure how much electricity the solar panels provided.
A view west from Crookelty Farm. The cows were a new addition during my stay.
Grains Gill and Stockley Bridge seen in the early morning as I began the ascent of Scafell Pike from Seathwaite in Borrowdale. Altogether it was a great loop hike with about 3200 ft elevation gain over a bit more than 4 miles ascent.
Skafell Pike and Sca Fell (left) from Ill Crag. If you look closely, you can just make out the stone summit shelter on Scafell Pike.
WWI dedication on the summit of Scafell Pike (978m), the high point in England. The mountain was donated to the nation by the local aristo after the war.
A view from near the summit of Scafell Pike on my descent route towards Borrowdale. Styhead Tarn and Derwent Water in the distance may be seen, with Great Gable the peak on the left.
Peering down an unnamed gill from near the Corridor Route on my descent of Scafell Pike.

Ironically the best weather of the month was on my climb of Scafell Pike, my last full day in Keswick. Now back in Hastings, on Monday I leave for Penzance in the far west of Cornwall. I am still waiting confirmation as to whether my autumn trips to Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, and Madagascar will go forward. Sadly, though, the Tour du Mont Blanc trek in September with my Utah friends was cancelled as for obvious reasons anyone traveling from the US must quarantine for 14 days.

Stay tuned for next month’s blog from Cornwall and where ever you may be, keep hiking.

The Vagabond Hiker

Lakeland Lockdown, Part 1:

The Southern Lake District

More than two years ago (it scarcely seems so long!) I wrote a short blog post based on nine days spent on the Eastern edge of England’s Lake District, unsure of when or even whether I would return to explore in more depth this amazing area. Last month, with no end in sight to the Lockdown and Hastings having lost its interest, I followed in the footsteps of Melville’s Ishmael:

Some years ago–never mind how long precisely–having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world

Certainly the Lake District can be considered one of the watery parts of the world. For the past 5+ weeks I have rambled over much of the more southerly portion from my base on Lake Windermere, exploring its fells and dales. This coming month — once the rains subside — I will continue my explorations of the northerly portion from my new base in Keswick.

During these trying times of armchair travels, enjoy with me some of this amazing scenery. . .

Morning mist in Kentmere Valley. I did two hikes from Kentmere, this one circling the valley, and a second mainly up on the fells.
A black-faced lamb in Kentmere Valley. Overgrazing has degraded much of the Lake District. Indeed, George Monbiot called it a “sheepwrecked” landscape.
Dry stone walls and bluebells in Kentmere Valley
A wooden bridge across Easedale Beck, virtually William Wordsworth’s back yard when he lived in Grasmere!
Helm Crag from Easedale
Grasmere from Helm Crag. In late May I did the first of several horseshoe hikes here.
Waterfalls along the Sour Milk Gill, heading up to Easedale Tarn and High Raise, the second of two hikes from Grasmere/Easedale
Easedale Tarn, on my way to High Raise
Codale Tarn vista from the High Raise loop
Atmospheric view descending from High Raise (762m, 2500ft)
Columbines (Aquilegia vulgaris), one of my faves
Vista of Lake Windermere from Brant Fell, a 10 minute walk from my apartment. At more than 10 miles long, Windermere is the largest lake in England.
Home Farm Pond along the Dales Way near Brant Fell. My weekly local 5 mile loop hike passed this picturesque spot.
Clouds and Windermere from School Knott. This high point was about 2 miles from my apartment.
Wood Cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum)
High Green, Troutbeck. Troutbeck village was only a few minutes’ drive from my apartment. I walked a couple variants of the Wansfell Pike loop from here.
Perhaps Tree-mallow (Malva arborea)
Rydal Mount, Wordsworth’s house from 1813 until his death in 1850. It was a convenient starting point for several hikes I did, ranging from an easy circumambulation of Rydal Water and Grasmere to the iconic Fairfield Horseshoe.
Rydal Water (l) and Grasmere (the lake, not the village!), from the climb up above Rydal Mount and then traversing two minor peaks known as Sour Howes and Sallows.
Cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum)
A view towards St Sunday Crag from Fairfield. The Fairfield is a classic 10 mile horseshoe route popular with both hill walkers and fell runners.
The Vagabond Hiker on top of St Sunday Crag (841m). This extension was a bit more than I had bargained for, with my knees paying the price the next day.
Steps End, Rydal. I simply love the palette of greens here on a sunny day.
Grasmere
A gorgeous Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea) along Grasmere
Dove Cottage, Grasmere, where Willam Wordsworth wrote many of his best-known poems.
Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea). Beautiful, but the entire plant is toxic.
Windermere from Loughrigg Fell, just west of the outdoor mecca of Ambleside
Coniston Old Man from Walna Scar Rd, the trailhead I used for this iconic traverse
Coniston Old Man summit vista showing the path down to Low Water
Coniston Water from the Old Man summit. Ruskin’s house is along there somewhere. . .
Malodorous Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)
Old (l) and New Dudgeon Gill (r) Hotels and the Langdale Fells seen from Side Pike. Some of the most rugged topography in the southern Lakes, I hiked here four different days.
Oxendale Beck, Langdale. A beck is a stream through a valley whereas a Gill (from the Norse Ghyll) is a stream cascading down a ravine.
The Langdale Pikes and Valley from the Crinkle Crags
Harrison Stickle. The red line denotes my route, the highlight of a day of scrambling in Langdale.
Pavey Ark and Stickle Tarn. Pavey Ark features several climbing routes and a popular, easy scramble known as Jake’s Rake.
“The Band, ” heading up on the traverse of Bow Fell (r), partially obscured by clouds
Bow Fell summit block and black lamb
The Vagabond Hiker on Bow Fell summit (902m). Scafell Pike, the highest point in England, is just above my right knee.
My lunch view on the Bow Fell descent showing the Pike of Stickle (the clear protuberance). Some challenging scrambles on the Pike of Stickle remain for a future endeavor.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Lakeland Adventures next month.

Mountain Light,

The Vagabond Hiker

Walking Hastings Country Park

UPDATE 20 April: Well, Penzance is out this year as the hosts at my cottage are in residence as they cannot at present return to Spain. Instead, I will spend 6 weeks in an apartment at Windermere Lake in the Lake District. Also, my scheduled June group trips to the Baltic countries and Poland were cancelled; I will spend another month here in Hastings before leaving for the Lake District later in May. The flowers here have been absolutely gorgeous! Here is the link to the PDF of a PowerPoint that I made. Enjoy! The Vagabond Hiker

This spring is certainly shaping up differently than any of us expected. Already my trips to Jordan, the Azores, and Tunisia have been either cancelled or delayed until 2021. While I hope much of my remaining travel itinerary can go forward this year, during lock-down we should appreciate the nature around us. For me that means walking in my local park.

The wonderful 800+ acre Hastings Country Park & Nature Reserve surrounding my apartment fits the bill perfectly, and is a big reason I chose this area for my English sojourns. Although I have already shared a few photos on my blog (see my 4 December 2019 post), with spring here I thought I would share a few woodland and meadow scenes – and of course wildflowers! – that I’m enjoying in the coming weeks as I meander through the complex network of park trails.

Fingers crossed in May I’ll be heading out to Penzance in Cornwall to enjoy the wonderful landscapes in South West England.

Stay safe,

The Vagabond Hiker

View to East Hill and Rocklands (upper right) where I’m staying for seven weeks. Hastings Old Town is just beyond. Gorse, seen here, is prevalent all over southern England.
A stream-side path in Ecclesbourne Glen, the nearest of three glens that bisect the park.
A Beech on a rock
A stream in Fairlight Glen
Waterfall, Fairlight Glen
Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna), a species of buttercup
Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana). Unlike the very similar Sweet Violet, Dog Violet has no smell.
Wild Primrose (Primula vulgaris), true to its name the “first rose” of spring
An bizarre-looking old Oak tree in Ecclesbourne Glen
Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), so small I almost missed them!
Bluebells and Wood Anemone. The bluebells are just beginning to bloom.
Blackthorn flowers. Blackthorn can be distinguished from Hawthorn as the latter tree flowers after leafing out.
Greater stitchwort (Stellaria holostea)
Warren Glen vista down to the English Channel
Detail of Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum), a non-stinging variety
Magpies, common yet attractive
A wild Exmoor pony. In February the park introduced a new herd of six to help manage the landscape around Warren Glen after the previous herd was moved on to greener pastures.
A fox here at Rocklands. I suspect someone is feeding them as they seem to be bolder than I would have thought possible.

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