Langdale Winter Warmer

Langdale Winter Warmer, 16th January 2016

Hello all,

It was time to head out and blow off the post Christmas cobwebs. Michael and I had been planning on visiting Wasdale, however the weather had taken a turn for the worse with heavy snow forecast and we were concerned that the roads would be impassable.

I was in work the night before, so the alarm clock signalled a dreary start which was soon rectified with a strong cup of coffee. I had chosen the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 tent, which I knew would shrug off anything that a British Winter could throw at it. Our backup plan was to travel to Great Langdale and camp at the National Trust site.

I arrived at Michael's house and was soon expressing my disbelief as an Everest expedition-like array of bags and boxes was loaded into my brand new car. Michael, as always was erring on the side of caution should we have to face an end of world scenario. Our journey up the M6 was quick and painless, with the car temperature gauge hovering around zero - a good sign.

As we approached Morecambe, we were greeted with an almost Alpine array of peaks on the horizon, covered in snow. After a minor road rage incident whereby another driver decided to gesticulate to me because his vehicle was slower than mine, we were parking up in Ambleside. We paid a visit to the Apple Pie bakery which, rather disappointingly didn't open until 09:00. This delayed our start so we walked around and looked in the closed shop windows at the extravagantly priced outdoor clothing and equipment.

I paid for an English breakfast which aren't the best in this particular establishment. Michael played it safe and had toast with jam. I wanted to purchase a Cornish Pasty for my lunch, however they were not ready, not exactly the best business sense here then. This cafe although clean and pleasant enough, probably thrives on its location alone.

We were soon back on the road and driving up the valley of Great Langdale. The scenery was absolutely stunning; trees seemed to be in high definition and the majestic peaks were covered in a fresh white blanket of snow. We arrived at our campsite, paid our fees and set up the tent.

Soon, we were walking along the Cumbria Way, past the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel and loosely following Mickleden Beck towards our target, Rossett Pike. I cannot emphasise enough how spectacular the scenery was. We were so lucky to have picked such a great day to enjoy full Winter conditions such as this.

Looking towards Bowfell, walking the Cumbria Way

The weather started out fine and sunny, however a band of snow moved in from the west and soon, the spectacular views were replaced by near whiteout conditions. We stopped about 3/4 of the way up Rossett Pike and ate our lunch. The temperature at this point was -7.4 which was perfect to enjoy a bottle of Wold Top 'Anglers Reward'.

Ski goggles had been donned by this point as the glare was starting to bring on a headache. We decided to retreat back down the valley to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.

Post walk pint at the 'ODG'

The pub was very busy but the fire was roaring. Walkers jealously guarded their seats and positions by the fire as damp clothing dried out. It was almost like a sauna inside. After a couple of pints, we walked back to the tent to find it completely buried in the snow. We cleared some off to relieve some of the weight and then, to many strange looks, fired up the barbecue. This is the first time we have cooked on a barbecue in the snow which was falling heavily. We cooked by the light of our head torches, sausages and burgers. Michael had purchased some Birch logs and after we had eaten, these were soon ablaze and providing some much needed warmth.

The New Dungeon Ghyll was calling and after a bracing walk in the ever increasing snow, we were soon inside eating sticky toffee pudding and drinking a nice bottle of Merlot. We met some fellow walkers and 'YouTubers' - Julie Liddle and Graham of Wild Camp UK - two really nice people who share in our love of the great outdoors (see links to their channels below). It was soon time to head back to the tents with a whiskey inside us for the road.

By the time we arrived back, the tent was literally covered in a thick blanket of snow. A second clearing of snow was required, followed by a frantic scrabble to get into our sleeping bags. Once again, my sleep was in fits and starts. This has been the case for a few years now due to severe lower back pain whenever I sleep in a tent / on an air mattress. If anyone can suggest a cure for this, I would be eternally grateful.

We were awoken by the morning light and the muffled sounds of other campers. The scene outside the tent was amazing, a fresh Winter wonderland. We broke camp and fired up the stoves. The MSR Reactor performed well, although the Campingaz stove was woeful meaning our bacon was wasted - not however for a cheeky Robin who paid a visit and filled himself up.

Tent and equipment packed away, we stopped at Brambles Cafe in Chapel Stile. This place is a hidden gem and we had never been before. The cafe is upstairs and has wonderful views across the surrounding fells. We both ordered a full English breakfast which was very reasonable and much nicer than that of the Apple Pie bakery. We will be back and would recommend it to anyone.

Unfortunately, our trip had come to an end and soon we were travelling back down the M6, heading for home.

It was a shame we didn't make it to Wasdale, however it was the right decision as we would have no doubt been trapped by the snow. We are planning on heading up to climb Scafell in March, so please stay tuned. Thank you for reading and see the links below - please view our video which we hope does some justice to the amazing scenery. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel - we appreciate all views and respond to all comments.

See you on the next trip

Below is the link to our video "Langdale Winter Warmer" - take a look !

https://youtu.be/TCBgSgvQAtw

Trango 2 by Mountain Hardwear

Julie Liddle: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0nibgKgk_P_avxW877k_0g

Wild Camp UK: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGo517LsDw2_Fm6EroF_Gpw