Taking it easy in Coledale

Anyway I hear you say what about your walk in the Lake District. As I previously mentioned it was brilliant. There were four of us, Mark, John, Paul and myself. We arrived to find that virtually all the Lakeland passes and tracks were now open following the reduction of foot and mouth cases. This was great news as it meant that we had virtually free range of where we wanted to go. Admittedly we had to share the hillside with many other walkers who were getting out on the hills for the first time in a while. So at 9.00 am we set off with the sun shining. At virtually the first farmyard we passed it was clear to see that normality was once again upon us. There was the local farmer and his mate shearing a whole flock of Herdwick sheep (these sheep are well known for their hardy nature and capability to live in cold inhospitable places). We spent quite some time watching this display before we headed off on the gradual pull up towards Barrow. Paul was initially a little slow; likewise my knees were giving me a little jip. Either way we climbed a series of smaller hills all the time passing other people on the hill (we must have been going at a better pace than we thought). Once upon the top ridges it was just too easy to sit there or lie down and bask in the sunlight. The views were brilliant and the clarity was better than I could remember for a long time. On one hill Eel Crag we could see virtually all of the Lake District. It was the first time that I could recall being able to see all four of the Lakeland 3,000 footers from any hill in the Lakes. Not only that but as well as being able to see the land of heather and whisky (yes you got it Scotland) we could also clearly see the Isle of Man. For some reason (and not the first or last time) John decided to wonder off on his own whilst the rest of us simply lay out in the sun and took it as easy as was possible. This pattern hardly changed all day. We walked a little from one hill to another, extended the walk a little by climbing Grasmoor, walked again across to Hopegill Head and simply rested whenever we wanted to take in the views. Grasmoor although sunny is quite an exposed place. The summit is one great plateau and therefore any wind that exists simply whistles across the summit. Needless to say we made the most out of the summit shelter. Paul pointed out the views of Gasgale Crags, but for some reason they didn’t look quite as stunning as the time before when I was too knackered to be bothered and take any pictures. Our return to the car after 14 miles, 4,500 feet of ascent and 9 1/2 hours took its tole on my knees (in fact at one point I recall walking downhill backwards in an attempt to reduce the pain). Paul did brilliantly compared to his problems in Scotland and needless to say Mark didn't seem out of breath. We finished it off with a cracking bar meal in the gardens of a pub under the shadow of the hills whilst basking in the soft glow of the evening sun. Oh, and I forgot to say a couple of pints of quality bitter helped complete the day. The summary of the day can’t be made without reference to the brilliant light levels that existed virtually all day.