High Peaks

We made an attempt at Helvellyn on Monday. We weren’t quite up to it, but almost; we did 2,500 feet of up and 8 miles. The last part of the approach to the summit ridge is called Striding Edge, a narrow jumble of pointed boulders. It’s the second highest peak in England, and now we are camped at the base of The highest peak, at 3,200 feet, Scafell. We are still tired from Monday, so we aren’t trying it.

We moved to a different lake, Coniston Water and a very nice farm camp a couple of miles south of Coniston. We hiked around Tarn Hows, donated to the National Trust by Beatrix Potter. In the afternoon I inquired of some walkers about a good path and did a delightful 7 km along rivers to three villages making a triangle, one of which had a good bakery (they are in short supply in England).

A camper told us about a railroad trip, which we did today. It’s a real train and local railway from 100 years ago, but it’s quite small. Top speed is about 20 mph and the entire route is 7 miles. There are tiny “stations “ along the way where walkers catch the train to make combinations of walking and riding. The scenery was beyond charming. We ended up at Ravenglass, a second century Roman village on the Irish Sea. Isle of Man is not far away. The train westbound was coal-steam powered, coming back was die (but still 100 years old).

Afterwords we drove along the deepest lake in England, Wastwater. 259 feed deep. Our progress to our campsite was stopped for almost two hours by a motorcycle accident a couple of miles north. While we waited by the lake two F15s came by low and fast, and a few minutes later, two Typhoons came by, rolling over the peaks.

We plan two nights here at the end of Wast Water at a National Trust campground, Wasdsle.