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| Skiddaw in the cloud from Latrigg |
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 and 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 had 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 two had ridden the Tour de France. They all had palmares that were a testimony to their northern roots. Youth Hostels are full of legends.
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| Keswick from Latrigg |
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| On Dodd |
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| Ascent of Castle Crag |
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| Rosthwaite from Castle Crag |
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| Castle Crag quarry |
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