I climb a Wainwright, the first for years.
On the nine o’clock bus out of Penrith, into Pooley Bridge in no time. My plan to use public transport seems to be working. All I have to do now is walk. It’s a scorcher of a day, so I will take things easy, there’s a lot of ups and downs to come. already the café alongside the river is busy.
I read the stone and cross the new bridge over the River Eamont.
Signs send me into the woods below tree shrouded Dunmallard. Last up there when ‘doing’ Wainwright’s Outlying Fells way back in 2016 when the temporary bridge was in place. https://bowlandclimber.com/2016/04/01/wainwright-outliers-get-your-five-a-day/
The waymarks have a daffodil theme, it was on the shores of Ullswater that Wordsworth apparently saw the daffodils that inspired his well-known poem.
A short stretch by the road at first in the trees, then in the open with shapely Salmond’s Hill ahead and then I’m heading across fields on a well-used path towards Waterfoot Park. A large caravan site around an old mansion.
I follow one of their estate roads and then start climbing up to Maiden Castle, marked on the map but nothing to see on the ground.
There are good views back to Dunmallard and ahead to open country around Ullswater. The high hills are in the haze.
I come out onto a road next to a farm with a pet Macaw, i didn’t see him. Farther on in one of their fields is a ‘tuck shop’ with drinks and snacks for sale using an honesty box, well actually a pot rooster. The day is already very hot so I buy a can to supplement my water supply and enjoy their bench with a view as I drink it.
Downhill I join a road through the hamlet of Bennethead.
The guide warns of muddy fields ahead, but they are fine today. Even the animals appear to have heat stroke.
Watermillock, or is it Longthwaite, a dozen houses at the most, but I make a short diversion to visit the church. A squat sandstone building surrounded by yew trees, one reputably dating back to the C16th, I think I find it. The inside of the church is cool and calm. Stained glass windows honour previous notaries. There are lots of little interesting historical details. I sit on one of their benches in the shade and have an early lunch before all the climbing to come
Back on track, the heat is intensifying, and there is little breeze. I pass below Priest’s Crag and follow the path through the bracken. Entering Swinburn’s Park plantation. I’m on the lookout for Herdwick Stones, celebrating the sheep associated with the Lakes. The Herdwick sheep is the native breed of the Lake District, championed by Beatrix Potter. They are thought to have been brought to this country by Norse settlers over 1000 years ago. There are carved stones, created by letter carver Charlotte Ruse, with the shepherd counting numbers depicted. yan, tyan, tethera. I only find two of them.
Whilst I’m in the trees, I stop for some chocolate and more water before embarking on the climb up Gowbarrow. I’m finding it hard going in the heat and humidity. The Ullswater Way has a choice here, follow a level terraced path around to Aira Force or climb up over the summit of Gowbarrow 481m.
Despite my lethargy, I opt for the summit for it’s 360degree views. I start meeting people for the first time today as they descend on what is a popular short circuit. The last few feet need hands on the rock. There is a trig point for all those selfies. I sit quietly on a nearby boulder drinking even more water. The views are disappointedly hazy, not surprising given the conditions.
It’s a lie.
Coming downhill towards Dockray is again steep and stony, needing care.
I arrive at the top falls of Aira Force, which most people don’t climb far enough up to see. There is plenty of water to give a decent display. Paths go off in all directions, some getting close to the edge depending on how brave you are feeling.
The main fall is one long drop with a couple of viewing bridges across the narrow chasm. Despite all the tourists milling around, the falls are indeed very dramatic. Well worth a visit.
I find a new way down which keeps close to the water below, The Sika Spruce route. It’s name becomes obvious at the end where there is enormous Spruce, hundreds of years old no doubt.
Aira Beck, mow tamed, runs off down to the lake. The café is closed, but there is a tap for rehydration. I just wander down to the bus stop to await transport back to Penrith. I’m feeling rather tired with all the exertion in the heat, one of the hottest days of the summer, Sept 5th.
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