Tarn To Tarn

It’s a bit misty on them there hills this morning but it's not too bad up by the Stickle Tarn where we head first.

However, it's still misty enough for us to miss the path to Easedale Tarn, which is our second target. So after having a ‘lost’ moment, we backtrack before finding the correct route and getting it right second time. It's such a large tarn it’s difficult to miss really or it should have been. Ah, there it is.

Then it’s the little matter of a fairly tricky descent down to it. Made more difficult for L by Doggo, whom she repeatedly falls out with over his pace setting. MD though, seems quite chilled beside me.

We reach Easedale just as it starts to rain, so just in time really. Then it’s the fairly easy, although quite long, walk down into Grasmere.

All of this for a bit of shopping. In Grasmere L buys a waterproof for the race tomorrow. Bright yellow, she’s being very safety conscious ahead of the weekend fell races. Then after a quick cafe break and with darkness falling, we get out the torches and switch on the dogs flashing red lights. Told you we’re safety conscious.

We head back over by road, over Red Bank, to reach Chapel Stile and the Wainwrights Inn for evening refreshments (e.g. copious amounts of Snecklifter) just before 6pm. It’s ‘only’ a 3 miles stagger to camp from here. The route was around nine miles on the map with a total ascent (and descent) of around 700m but we added a mile or so to that by getting a bit directionally challenged in the fog.

Not one but three dark ales on the bar tonight. The nearby Watermill Inn at Ings supplies Dogth Vader, a strong stout, that appeals to L but quickly runs out. It’s usually me that happens to. Also dark is Ulverston Brewery’s Fra Diavolo (The Devil’s Brother).

Ulverston was the birth place of Stan Laurel and all their beers celebrate the great comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Fra Diavolo was one of their films.

The food is good. I have chilli just to try the tear and share garlic bread which I don't share obviously. They’ve also added a cheeseboard to the menu which has to be tried and is impressive.

(Thursday 3rd November)

The Room At The Top

Our room is on the top floor and not only can we hear the wind howling outside the window but we can hear the rain being thrown against it as well. Time for another hour in bed I think.

Daughter emails to say that she and her friends are having pizza for breakfast. We are appalled at the decadence of Daughter but not too appalled to tuck into our full English, courtesy of our friends who we gave the 'lesser' bedroom to. We’re really riding our luck this holiday.

Some sheep brave the weather and sit outside our window. Neither dog notices, well not yet but the whole village will know when they do. Ah, now MD has.

Eventually we go out for a walk in the elements. Leaving our base in Chapel Stile to head out along the edge of Rydal Water to Rydal itself before taking the Coffin Route to Grasmere. The Coffin Route was originally used to transport the dead from Grasmere to Ambleside for burial. Though apparently not since 1821. Then it’s around Grasmere Lake, through Grasmere itself before heading up Red Bank and back to Chapel Stile. A distance of around fourteen soggy kilometres. The rain did stop briefly on a couple of occasions but only very briefly.



At one point MD fell into a lake. Not that the lake should have been there. We were theoretically on a path and the edge of Rydal Water should have been about 20 metres away but the weather had built a huge watery extension to the lake. This caused us to shin up a rocky outcrop in order to circumnavigate it. MD lost his footing and... splash. We had to fish him out.

We head back to the cottage and attempt to dry and de-mud two very dirty canines. I consider hanging MD on the washing line to dry but the RSPCA might not approve. So a good towelling down has to do instead.

Did I mention we also have the better of the two bathrooms? So we make use of the only bath in the cottage to warm ourselves up after our soaking.

The evening follows a similar pattern to the previous night. The pub has another dark ale on the bar, from Ulverston, although the Snecklifter is still better but these things have to be tried. Then its home for another dose of bottled reindeer from the selection pack.

(Saturday 15th January)