Lewes and Charleston House

Entrance to Lewes Castle

A February trip to London for the half term was greeted by a murky, cold and slow moving depression that was not conducive to exploring its attractions. I also felt under the weather with a winter cold and zero energy. On Sunday, we ventured out to West Sussex, a part of the UK that I am unfamiliar with, my only previous visits have been to Brighton and a ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe. As always, leaving London was a struggle through ten miles of continuous urban development passing through Croydon, Purley, before hitting the M23. 

It was to be an artsy day. Our first stop was Charleston House, a ramshackle museum and home of Vanessa Bell, sister of Virginia Woolf, that was frequented by the Bloomsbury set. It is a shrine to British Modernism, every surface in the house has been subjected to paint and tiles, and every space has been filled with books or objects that speak of a collector's curiosity. The house is nothing special unless as an example of a country retreat with an adjoining duck pond. The cold interior of houses of this vintage was palpable. the walls were of rough plaster with patterns painted on, the simple tables were painted, the floors were creaking, and the furniture was randomly acquired, auction room chic. The five bedrooms reflected the love triangles that were part of the Bloomsbury set as they indulged in their open and brutal wokeism. Nevertheless, the staff were on hand to forbid any touching of exhibits of paintings, book collections and hints of hedonistic weekends. The chert-walled garden had lapsed into winter decline and was littered with statues and heads. We considered lunch in the cafe but it was not enticing. The adjoining exhibition required a separate entrance fee on top of the hefty charges for visiting the house. 

We retreated to the nearby town of Lewes, which was heaving with Sunday visitors and discovered the repurposed Needlemakers factory that had become an Italian restaurant and craft shopping centre. We had lunch and explored the shops. Mike Bell Tube Maps was a fascinating way of capturing the history of popular music or political events as seen in his Map of Brexit below. Lewes had a fading opulence with many independent shops, a town hall and other edifices of former civic pride. It is famous for its Pagan rituals on Bonfire night when effigies of the Pope are burnt. There were 27 witches according to the 2021 census and there were accusations of racism that hit the national press 15 years ago. It barely seemed possible that this tranquil town could host such events and prejudices. 

Lewes' most famous son, Thomas Paine, had emigrated to America where he penned 'The Rights of Man', and a pub in the town had adopted this treatise as its name. His pamphlet, 'Common Sense' was also a key document in establishing America as the Land of the Free. Paine argued that a "government's purpose was to serve the people and a necessary evil, which existed to give people a structure so they could work together to solve problems and prosper. But it had to be responsive to people’s needs." The British system failed at that because it gave the monarchy and nobles in Parliament too much power to thwart the people’s elected representatives. “The constitution of England is so exceedingly complex, that the nation may suffer for years together without being able to discover in which part the fault lies, some will say in one and some in another, and every political physician will advise a different medicine.”

One of Paine's quotes was, "I prefer peace, but if trouble must come, let it come in my time so that my children can live in peace." As we watched a slow procession of elderly folk, dogs and children trundle along the narrow pavements carrying Ukrainian flags in solidarity and assembling at the war memorial, Lewes seemed to have come to peace with itself. On a cold, miserable Sunday, we drifted around the streets which have a fine urban feel. The supermarkets have been eased into the centre and this has helped ensure a busy presence of shoppers and pedestrians. The South Downs were not visible in the murky conditions. It was time to head back to the smoke. 

I caught the train home the next day, enjoying a walk through St Pancras Station. It had been announced that the station would extend its services to accommodate trains to far more locations in Europe from France to Switzerland and Germany. My LNER train from King's Cross kept to schedule to Scotland and was comparatively quiet compared to recent journeys. It was certainly faster than flying with a lot less hassle than negotiating through airports that just add time, cost and anxiety to travel. Why we need to expand them defeats not only the prospect of reaching net zero but also the cost of living. Government expenditure should be spent on sustainable transport infrastructure, not air travel, and for the whole of the UK, not just London and the Home Counties. 

Bonfire Night with the Lewe's Cliffe set

Bonfire Night in Lewes

Mike Bell's Maps - Benefits Zone is an empty vessel

Thomas Paine's legacy in Lewes

Ukraine Solidarity at the War Memorial

Charleston House explainer

 Portrait in Charleston House

Charleston House Walled Garden

Charleston House Statue

St Pancras - railway heaven

Grange Fell, Borrowdale

 

Watendlath Tarn

Thursday, 13 February 2025

Ascent:          345 metres
Distance:       6 kilometres
Time:            2 hours 2 minutes

Grange Fell        415m              33mins
Great Crag         436m.      1 hr 29muns

The last day of our three-day visit to the Lakes. It had been a success even though we had not ventured into the higher fells. The weather prospects were better today and the idea had been to climb Skiddaw and its nearby peaks but I had to be home at 6pm so time was tight. The alternative was to continue to pick off some nearby lower hills and save Skiddaw for later in the year when conditions might be better. 

John had decided to give the day a miss and left after breakfast. I thought we should nip down to Watendlath to climb Grange Fell and then maybe a couple of hills on the way home. It was still early when we arrived at the empty National Trust car park at Watendlath. It had been a regular visit when the family were younger. The children would paddle in the tarn, we would wander up Grange Fell chanting Jopplety Jopplety How, the name for the collection of outcrops on Grange Fell, and return to Watendlath for an afternoon tea of rum butter scones and ice cream for the children.

The tea room was closed for winter, and today, after a preamble around Watendlath and its tarn, we made a quick ascent to the Grange or Brundle Fell. Jopplety How looked to be an enticing place for children to play, but we just visited the nearby summit. Keith suggested that we could take in Great Crag, another Wainwright to the north. I had previously climbed Great Crag from Stonethwaite but it looked a logical extension to a short walk so we cantered over. The path was slightly boggy until the rocky staircase to the fine twin summits of Great Crag. There were good views of the snow-capped summits of Skiddaw and the Helvellyn Range was peeping above the long High Seat to High Tove Ridge. Scafell and its outliers to the south were blanketed in clouds. It was only 10:30am and the descent to Watendlath was just a couple of kilometres. We decided to call it a day and go for a morning coffee and then head back north.

We decided to call in at the Rheged Centre near Penrith, a grass-covered building, visitor centre, gallery and cinema of historical importance. I last visited it with the family on our way to a fortnight's holiday in Cornwall and I was pleasantly surprised at the range of activities and events on offer. After a coffee, scone and wander round we headed back to Glasgow where I dropped Keith and made it home by 4:30pm. Another 8 of the lower Wainwrights had been climbed and we had experienced some surprisingly good visits to other places of interest. I am beginning to get the hang of not spending all the time on hillwalking trips on the hills.

Skiddaw from Grange Fell

Watendlath from Great Crag

Helvellyn Range from Great Crag

Skiddaw from Great Crag

Pensioner's Triple Lock

Skiddaw in the cloud from Latrigg

Wednesday, 12 February 2025

Ascent: 870 metres
Distance: 15 kilometres
Time: 4 hours 37 minutes

Latrigg             367m          22mins              37mins
Dodd               491m    1hr   2mins       1hr  40mins
Castle Crag     300m    1hr 10mins       2hrs 22mins

The intention had been to climb Skiddaw and the 5 surrounding peaks, but they were hidden in the clouds, and a strong easterly wind and sub-zero temperatures made us think again. Perhaps I could collect a few of the singleton Wainwright fells instead. There were no objections from Keith and John. As pensioners, we had had our fill of winter days like this in the Scottish mountains. There was no need to repeat the misery since I was no longer eligible for the winter fuel allowance but we all benefited from the triple lock.

Latrigg was just a 3-mile drive away, and we parked in the empty Skiddaw car park beyond Underscar. We followed a track for wheelchairs to the summit, passing the viewpoint over Keswick and Derwentwater, which were smothered in a lighter shade of grey. We found a small stone at the summit, engraved as such but easily portable if anyone wanted to change the grid reference of this low, flat but worthy Wainwright. We skipped down to the car by a direct route, not exactly a Fandango. 

It was still not time for a morning coffee, so we headed 3 or 4 miles up the shores of Bassenthwaite and parked at the Forestry Commission, which now charges 50p for every 15 minutes and then provides a map that is badly drawn and misleads users along the numerous forest trails as they twist their way to the summit. I was wrestling with a cold and found the ascent on the steep paths tougher than usual. The conifer plantations kept the cold north-easterly winds at bay until we reached the fine summit. The views were a palette of greys and greens that merged in the distance. It was still morning as we completed the circuit. I suggested Castle Crag in Borrowdale as the next hill. 

We drove down Borrowdale past the old Barrow House Youth Hostel, the opulent but intrusive Lodore Falls Hotel and into the jaws of Borrowdale with its intrinsic charm relatively untainted by the commercialism of the revamped Lodore Falls Hotel. We parked before Grange in Borrowdale and walked across the double bridge to the village. We had stayed here in a cottage with three children under three, the girls paddled in the river every day, and we climbed Castle Crag. It is an exquisite 2-kilometre walk from the village, past a fine campsite and along the river. The final section is on an ever-increasing gradient before a final switchback and steep climb through Scots Pine trees, scree and a quarry to the summit. I know not how we ever managed to get the three children with Aileen carrying Gregor, a two-month-old, to his first summit.

There were good views towards Rossthwaite and the high fells leading to Scafell Pike. The cloud level and snow line were intermingled. We explored the quarry before returning to the car, very happy with the three walks we had made on a day that could have been no fun had we stayed in or attempted Skiddaw. We still had time to visit the outdoor shops in Keswick before returning to the Keswick Hostel. 

After our evening self-catered meal, I started a conversation in the lounge with three cyclists probably in their early seventies but clearly still formidably active. They were former professional cyclist from Lancashire and Yorkshire, one had won the Tour of Britain and had ridden the Tour de France. They all had palmares that were a testimony to their northern roots. Youth Hostels are full of legends.

Keswick from Latrigg

On Dodd

Ascent of Castle Crag

Rosthwaite from Castle Crag

Castle Crag quarry

The Ennerdale Three

 

Grike Summit

Tuesday, 11 February 2025

w     Grike                488m             50min          
w     Crag Fell.         523m      1hr  18mins
b      Whoap.             511m
w     Lankrigg Fell.  541m.     2hrs 36mins

Our winter few days in the Lakes promised low cloud, below-freezing temperatures on the fells and stiff easterly winds. I collected Keith from Glasgow during the morning rush hour, adding an extra 20 minutes to the journey. We still made Ennerdale Bridge by 11:30 am. John. arrived from Selkirk 20 minutes later. The three low hills to the west of Ennerdale were the most remote hills left on my Wainwright round and the most westerly and therefore the most likely to be cloud-free. They would allow Keith to collect an additional 6 Birketts. Birketts are the 541 peaks over 1000 feet in the Lake District National Park. 

The forecast proved true, our hills were cloud free but to the east, almost all the fells had their heads in the clouds. We parked at Scally Moss on a road over the moor that acted as a rat run for traffic to the Nuclear Power Station at Sellafield. It was after 12 noon before we started walking, there was a bridleway heading towards Grike. Keith took a less direct route to collect the Birkett of Blakeley Raise on the way. We met some environmentalists testing soil samples for Natural England and arrived at the summit of Grike to some shafts of sunshine and a white bank of clouds to the east.

It was an easy trot over to Crag Fell where we had some food and peered down on Ennerdale Water before the cold wind prompted the next leg over to Lankrigg Fell via a dog leg over the curiously named Whoap, an intermediate Hill and Birkett. Despite it being February, the ground was not too boggy. The final climb to Lank Rigg was the only steep climb of the day, just as well because I was well short of hill fitness after little exercise in the grey wet days of recent weeks. We were served some wonderful light conditions on the summit of Lank Rigg, although it was difficult to see Sellafield.

John and I took a direct descent from Lank Rigg towards the River Calder but had some difficulty finding a crossing point and had to walk back to a Ford before the final kilometre towards the road. Keith meanwhile had shot off to climb three more Birketts and still arrived at the car ahead of us. It was 4:30pm, Sellafield was out and a caravan of Teslas and vans were racing back along the rat run.

It was almost 6pm by the time we signed into Keswick Youth Hostel. We decided to eat out and found a Wetherspoons brimming with customers and providing a surprisingly good meal with a pint of beer thrown in. I have not previously been impressed by Wetherspoon pubs but this was a well-run establishment that had captured a significant clientele amongst young and old alike. It had been a far better day than we had expected, but the forecast for the next day was dire.

The trot across to Crag Fell

Whoap and Lankrigg Fell from Crag Fell

Ennerdale Water from Crag Fell

Lankrigg Fell and afternoon shadows

On Lankrigg Fell

Sellafield glowing in the distance

Oh, Canada

Trump gets his uppance

I was awakened at 4 am by my phone lighting up with a newsflash. The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, had made a response to President Trump's diplomatic idiocy of imposing 25% trade tariffs "beautiful word" against Canada and Mexico. What a cockwomble! 

Trudeau's response to the flat-track bully was diplomatic, courteous, and respectful of international friendship and agreements. It was delivered in French and English, as were questions from the assembled press. Watch Trudeau's response to President Trump. The Mexican President was equally strong in her response. Hopefully, this is the beginning of world leaders standing up to Trump rather than genuflecting to him.

It made me thankful that the Madness of X President Trump had been challenged. I hope that other world leaders take note before Trump further damages international agreements and institutions with his nationalistic transactional rhetoric.

It was 5 a.m. and I made a coffee while listening to some classic live Canadian music that summed up Trump's view of Canada, Helpless and Canada's response Both Sides Now. 

And with Mark Carney possibly becoming the next Canadian Prime Minister, Canada may be able to do the world a big favour in bringing down the American oligarch before he trashes the world.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c24760vqdz5o

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