I thought it was time the cobwebs were blown from this blog and my walking boots ! I've had a busy time over the past year or so and had little chance to update with some of the walks that I've enjoyed.
At this time of year, I like to use my Vango Equinox 350 due the increased room & porch space, however the pole set was damaged beyond repair during pitching at Rydal Hall at the Grasmere Guzzler 2013 beer festival. Yes it really has been a while since I've managed to find the time to write here. During the above incident, we were left with zero site options at Rydal Hall and forced to attempt to pitch the tent in a very exposed spot. The wind was very bad (more wind theme to follow later on) which resulted in a powerful gust taking the tent into the air with me holding onto it (no exaggeration) - the landing was far from perfect and resulted in a near 90 degree bend in one of the main poles - £250 tent ruined. I need to buy a new pole set online.
Back to the main subject - I had decided to visit a new camp site in my quest to experience the many which the Lake District has to offer. A quick check of the map narrowed our requirements to be a good base for the ascent of Helvellyn from Thirlmere side.
Thirlspot Farm looked to be the obvious choice. I had seen this site on many occasions whilst driving to Keswick and the location seemed perfect. I rang the site office to book, however no answer and message left - no return call from them meant some uncertainty on arrival day. Due to the newer Equinox being out of action, the tent of choice reverted to...... the old Equinox 250 made by Vango. This is a spacious tunnel tent, with the patented TBS (tension band system) offering increased rigidity in the event of bad weather. The forecast was very good.
As Michael and I headed up the M6, the weather became increasingly grey and cloudy - the trees were being swayed by an unexpected and strong wind. The foreceast was painfully incorrect which is nothing new in the UK. As we headed up the A591 into Windermere, low level clouds scudded across the foot hills with ferocious speed in an ominous indication of what was to come. We arrived at Ambleside with time to spare so decided to get some breakfast at the Apple Pie bakery. The place was packed with the usual array of 'tourists', myself included - however the usual 'new shiny gear never been on a mountain' crowd were also present in their droves. Breakfast comprised of a good old sausage butty and a cup of filter coffee. This was finished in no time at all and I decided to purchase a practical vanilla slice to squash into my daysack for a summit treat.
Back to the car and we continued along the A591 past Grasmere and were soon at our campsite, Thirlspot Farm.
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| Thirlspot Farm, nestled directly off the A591 |
We followed directions for new arrivals to attend at the site reception, a quick stroll around to the rear of the farm yard revealed a door with prices displayed on it. The door was ajar and naturally, assuming it to be the office, Michael began to walk in before being confronted by an angry looking male proprietor who literally barged him back outside...... Off to a good start then. No hello, welcome or the usual niceties one expects from camp site owners, just the price of £15 barked at us and cash hurriedly taken and door closed. Maybe he was having a bad day or maybe he was in the process of cutting up a body and didn't want us to see. All I can say is, first impressions count.
Toilet block was very basic but clean and contained all that was required. Hot taps worked and showers functioned okay. Anybody who enjoys the more 'luxurious' camp sites would not feel at home here, basic is the word but that does not bother us. We're here to walk, drink beer and eat food, not review the facilities.
The pitching area was a lengthy strip of grass to which cars could also park. There were few other people around and the wind was really picking up. We used the car as a makeshift windbreak and soon the tent was pitched and guyed out securely.
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| Vango Equinox 250 - 14 years old ! |
Apart from a few small spots of mildew on the flysheet, the tent is still in perfect condition. We used the TBS or Tension Band System to add some lateral rigidity in the wind. Tunnel tents such as this can sometimes suffer in the wind and the TBS counteracts this well.
Once the tent was pitched and sleep mats inflated and positioned, it was time to set off to ascend Helvellyn. We have climbed this epic mountain on many occasions, however it has always been from the more traditional Ullswater side and Striding Edge. Having done some research in Wainwrights guides, the White Stones route appeared to be of interest, promising to provide fine views across Thirlmere and out towards Keswick, Skiddaw & Blencathra.
Wainwright stated that the White Stones route was little used now and this too provided appeal in what we thought would be a 'quieter' way up. The route ascended immediately from Thirlspot Farm, rising steeply up Brown How. I've let my fitness slip over the last few months so the narrowly spaced contour lines provided a much needed shock to the system. The path was not visible, grass having covered the trail well over the years. I picked out the way from the OS map and using my Satmap GPS system. The terrain was grassy and very damp underfoot. The wind became increasingly stronger as we ascended and then began a southern traverse along 'White Stones' towards the giant marker that was Browncove Crags.
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| On White Stones route, Browncove Crags rising into low cloud base |
As we neared Browncove, it was easy to make out the 'zig-zag' path from The Swirls. This is a popular route up Helvellyn with the exertion of the rapid ascent off set by the layout of the path. It was clear however that many people were turning back approximately 3/4 of the way up the Crags. Unbeknown to us at the time, this was due to the wind which we would soon be experiencing for ourselves.
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| Looking towards Keswick. The massif of Skiddaw & Blencathra in the distance. The distinctive lines of Sharp Edge can also be seen. |
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| A rather grey view out to Thirlmere |
We soon joined the path which led directly up Browncove Crags. All seemed well until the point at which we had seen other people turn around. The wind hit us like a brick wall. It had been windy from the start, however the speed at this level was simply unbelievable. I would estimate a constant 50 mph plus with gusts up to 70 mph easily. On many occasions I was blown off balance onto my hands and knees. From a safety perspective, I was quite happy that our route was well away from any exposed edges or drops so in that respect, I made the decision to continue on. The wind chill was now quite severe and causing a constant drain on our will to continue upwards. Clothing was wrapped tight and any loose straps biting as a stinging reminder to fasten everything down. Michael had forgotten to pack his gloves, a ridiculous error on his part leading to a hands in pockets ascent for him.
The rest of the ascent was frankly horrendous but very good fun. The path rose steadily into higher wind speed bands and wound up to the barren summit plateau of Helvellyn. A few foolhardy individuals dared to edge closer to the sheer cliff face, which literally made me flinch to watch them. I could hear the phone call to Mountain Rescue....... Below is one of the videos which I managed to take on the way up; in no way does it come close to accurately portraying the strength of the wind - sorry about the mic noise !
At the summit shelter, we had the ridiculous idea of trying to cook a hot meal on our Jetboil stoves. Due to the wind, I could not get mine to stay lit - the flame simply could not cope. Spirits dampened, I suddenly remembered about my vanilla slice from the bakery - everything seemed okay for a few minutes despite various odd glances from other walkers at the squashed cake I was trying to eat in the 70 mph wind. It was simply too cold to stay at the summit for longer than a few minutes, the views weren't great due to the cloud.
As such, we headed back down the way we had came. The wind was becoming stronger and I decided on a slight detour to The Swirls to lose height as quickly as possible. On our way down, we passed many people ascending in jeans & t-shirts and trainers, no gloves, no coats, no hats, no rucksacks and clearly no idea of how the conditions up there could place them in a very dangerous situation very quickly. Many of whom passed us we watched turn around as they entered the strong wind bands on Browncove Crags. I'm certainly nobody to judge what other people can and cannot do, however it seemed outright madness to ascend in casual summer clothes and my thoughts were with those who would inevitably be summoned to rescue these people.
Once we reached the shelter of The Swirls, it began to rain heavily. The British summer showing what it can do again. I had bought some meat for a BBQ from a local farm shop and this weather was putting our tea plans in serious jeopardy.
We arrived back at the tent and sheltered in the cavernous awning of the Equinox 250. It was freezing cold and wet - the Jetboil came to the rescue and soon produced steaming hot mugs of coffee & hot chocolate to lift the spirits.
In a touch of luck, the heavens cleared and the grey cloud and rain lifted. The wind had also died down however not before claiming a victim at our campsite:
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| Destroyed by the strong winds from earlier |
Knowing the occupants were away, we tried to help them out by resurrecting the tent from the fabric dead, however the main pole had snapped so all we could do was tip out some of the rain water which had flooded the inside.
It was approaching 18:00 by this time and not knowing how long the rain would stay off, it was time to light the BBQ - the Weber Smokey Joe:
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| Weber, Smokey Joe |
This great little portable barbecue has served us well for over 5 years and was picked up for a respectable £40 on Amazon ! I've seen the same model for sale now for £79.99 so we picked up a bargain. Soon enough, the coals were white and getting to work cooking the sausages and burgers from a local farm shop. Ice cold beers were also deployed:
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| Me & one of many beers |
After tea, we headed next door (literally) to the King's Head inn. Unfortunately, the atmosphere of the place wasn't to my taste. It was certainly not a typical 'Lake District' pub - more of a modern bar style take with prices to match - £3.80 for a pint of Jennings Sneck Lifter !!
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| Expensive beer |
The staff were pleasant and although we didn't eat a proper meal here, the place was very busy. The place just had no character or atmosphere, which is disappointing as the exterior is befitting of a classic Lakeland pub. After sampling some Cocker Hoop and Lefty Blonde, we were both hungry so ordered a cheese board.
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| Cheese board |
This was advertised as local cheese, however contained Brie, Red Leicester and Blue......... it also came with 4 crackers hence the extra plate which cost £1. However all this was irrelevant once we had ordered a few glasses of a lovely Rioja to wash the cheese down with.
It was soon time to head back to the tents and get to sleep. The road noise from the A591 which was literally adjacent to the camp site had now died down, with very few cars still on the road. The pleasant sounds of a nearby stream provided a restful backdrop of which to fall asleep to.
The next morning and hangover free, the tent was taken down and packed away. A quick trip to Ambleside so Michael could purchase some gloves turned into an absolute nightmare due to the total lack of parking spaces - we entered the road rage circuit of hell at the local pay & display and spent 20 minutes circling the car park like a pack of wolves around prey. Soon, a space presented itself and to glaring looks of disapproval and hatred from other drivers in the same situation, smugly purchased a ticket and headed off to spend some money in the extortionate outdoor shops which have permanent limited time only sales on. Gloves purchased by Michael, I came away with a portable gas stove and cartridge for £12.50 which was actually a genuine bargain. I also bought two 'Light my Fire' clip lock tubs which can't actually fit anything at all into them and are therefore useless but they looked good.
Ambleside was too busy so we headed up The Struggle and had lunch at the Kirkstone Pass Inn - my favourite pub in the Lakes. The usual Tirril's 'Old Faithful' was on tap and the soup of the day was 'Brocolli' - and "just Brocolli" when we enquired further.
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| Lunch at the Kirkstone Pass Inn |
It was then time to head home. Another great trip to the Lakes. It's 23:30 as I'm sat writing this and I'm up for work in a few hours. There will be a good few more walks / climbs and ramblings on about pubs and food over the next few months. I've made a mental pact to keep this blog up to date so as always, thanks for taking the time to read it. I'll finish with a few more pictures of the trip.
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| Don't ask...... Michael thinks he's Gandalf on the Old Toby |
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| King's Head - nice on the outside - zero character inside sadly |
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| Thirlmere |
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A strange pair.......
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More walks coming soon.
