Well this was certainly the hottest I’d experienced in the Lake District in the 14 years that I had been coming up. Temperatures touching 30-35 degrees were being seen around the area. Places to swim rather than fells to walk were the order of the day. We were staying 10 mins walk from Derwent Water…

The hot weather continued in The Lakes throughout this week as it did across the country, most of what we did was done in the morning before we went back to the house to stay cool. Both these short walks are easily done in an hour or so and both enjoy plenty of cover, which…

So this was the first real walk in the Lakes on this holiday, it was the day after the wedding, so we weren’t really up and at it first thing. Still we left the house around 10am to head across the Whinlatter Pass to the parking which is roadside along the side of Loweswater. Booted…

I’ve just had a look through my photos from our trip to the Lakes in the second week of August, it didn’t take long to remember the heat. Over 30 degrees in the Lakes is unheard of for us. It made searching for places to swim and cool off more important than places to walk,…

Time for one last walk on the penultimate day, the weather all week had been getting better and better with lots of sunshine. We’d only had one patch of rain/drizzle, which happened to be from midnight until about 8am on the Monday. It had been a good weather week and it had been too good…

Post 4 from the Easter trip to the Lake District, so far we’ve had post number 500 which was just out favourite parts of the Lakes having been coming here for 14 years now. Then two posts of big walks, firstly Yewbarrow, Scoat Fell and Haycock, followed by Eagle Crag around to Ullscarf. This walk…

Not sure why I picked this walk straight after the last one. Looking at ascents up a fell, Yewbarrow and Eagle Crag are two of the most fearsome in the district. From my list I’m only missing Sharp Edge on Blencathra and I’d have had a hattrick on this holiday. Now here comes a warning,…

First of the big walks on the Easter visit to the Lakes this year. My Wainwright map has far too many dots in the south western side, particularly around Eskdale and Wasdale. Time for a visit out that way. Now some would say that heading to Wasdale on an Easter Sunday is asking for trouble,…

Arriving back from the Lakes after my Easter holiday, I had a look through my stats page after posting a walk I did before heading 400 miles north, and noticed that I was sat on 499 posts. What to do for number 500, my first big walk in this visit to the Lakes was from…

The day after my mountain walk around Esk Hause, the weather was slowly taking a turn for the worse, we decided to make the most of the next day of maybe some drizzle but mainly low cloud. Aira Force is always a great outing for bad weather days, plenty of waterfalls and a nice loop…

The big walk for this visit to the Lakes (apologies for the large amount of photos!), this was a bit of a concoction of fells thrown together to make a loop and pick off a load of Wainwrights. These fells would normally mean a couple of walks to pick them off, and all requiring a…

This is one of our regular walks when we come to the Lake District, and one we rarely change. We really ought to include Rydal Water in the loop and walk back via the coffin route and make a bit more of it. However today the weather was a bit gloomy, cloud was down and…

After the visit to hospital I knew that my youngest needed to rest this holiday, so we had a couple of days just mooching around the house and Grasmere and doing very little. By Friday I wanted to walk again, however the weather had turned a bit and the fine weather of earlier in the…

Its taken a bit to get round to writing this post, a walk to one of the great mountains in the Lakes and picking up a few other Wainwrights on the way around, with any luck. The walk is a very good one and is a change from the previous walks on this holiday (Carrock…

After our first walk in the Lakes in nearly two years, we sweltered in a heatwave the next day, we decided to walk after tea that evening. This would hopefully give us a slightly cooler walk and meant the fell needed to be reasonably near to the house in Grasmere. I had Armboth Fell still…

Well, finally, we could make our way to the Lakes to stay for a holiday. One Covid cancellation and one burst water pipe in the holiday cottage, had meant that the last time I set foot in Lakeland was October 2019. Which is far too long ago for me. Those that say that the hills…

Such a good walk this one, if you have National Trust membership then start from the main car park beside the lake. If not then there is another car park to the west just off the road to Coniston. Either way this is a lovely hour walk in glorious surroundings, with views to the Coniston…

I had a choice of a few walks for this day, i could head to Great Gable or maybe pick off some behind Skiddaw. But this time I decided to finish off the Far Eastern Fells. This is my first book of the Wainwright’s that I have finished and one that I thought would be…

This is another of our go to walks, especially after a bit of rain has fallen. We did this walk the day after my long Longsleddale walk and my legs were still aching a fair bit heading around here. Thankfully by the end I’d loosened up enough not to be walking like John Wayne anymore.…

This was a walk that I actually came up with myself, looking at the Far Eastern fells I had left, this walk seemed possible on the map. When I looked online this turned out to be a Longsleddale Round, plus Selside Pike. For some reason this fell (Selside Pike, which is off to one side)…

This seems to be one of our go to low level walks when we are up here in the Lakes. And we never seem to add on Rydal Water to this walk, in fact I’ve never walked around Rydal for some reason. I guess at around an hour and a half to get around the…

Here we were again, up in the Lake District. Another week in Lakeland, enjoying the fantastic scenery, eating too much, trying some different beer and trying to tick off as many Wainwrights as possible. This journey I managed 11, which in 2 walks was pretty good considering I only had around 60 odd to do.…

After three walks in three days we had a couple of days off, with a pootle around Ambleside on one day, followed by a trip to Keswick for some present shopping the next. We were ready for our next walk. The strange thing about this walk was that we discussed it 12 months ago when…

In between the walking days in our week in The Lakes, we had a couple of days off. One was spent pottering around Ambleside in the rain. The second was a trip to Keswick to buy a few presents and have some lunch up there. Considering we were staying in Grasmere, it is normally is…

This was our 3rd walk in 3 days, and surprisingly our longest. The walk out to Calf Crag is much further than it looks on a map, however the path we took meant that the distance was just a sideshow. Greenburn Bottom is a gem of a place and will easily go in my top…

Day 2 dawned and again the weather was dry. Not quite as sunny as it was the day before, however with the cloud off the tops you have to make the most of it in the Lake District. The plan was to grab two southern fells just off the Wrynose Pass, now I’m sure there…

Our week in the Lakes arrived and with it the possibility of some changeable weather. To be honest we did pretty well, looking at the forecast the first 3 days would be good, so out we went for 3 walks. Then a day of rain followed by a mixed bag, where we got one more…

This walk wasn’t on the plan for this holiday, I’d originally wanted to do Yolk, Ill Bell, Froswick and Troutbeck Tongue, however the long drive from Keswick put me off, so i changed to this one. Talk of a horseshoe walk in the Lake District and you will get quite far down the list before…

The title is a bit misleading, we didn’t do all these on the same day, they were split by a couple of days and a walk for myself along the High Stile Ridge. The first section of photos, of Tarn Hows, Surprise View and Ashness Bridge were all done on one day. A couple of…

This is probably a walk that I have looked at for 5 years or more now, each time I’ve put it off and gone elsewhere. I’ve added parts to it and then taken them away, I’ve even changed my starting point at the last minute. Originally this was going to be a walk out of…

Another week in the Lakes and it coincided with some lovely weather which got warmer as the week went on. Before heading up to the Lakes I hadn’t had my usual long walk to get me ready for walks with steep fells over long distances, I am a fan of the Dartmoor landscape but it…

Staying in Coniston means that the Old Man is an ever present sight every day. Both myself and my boys had climbed The Old Man of Coniston before back in 2014. I wanted to keep my run of Wainwrights ticking along and wasn’t keen on going up fells that I’ve done before. However the Old…

Since I had started walking in The Lakes I had in mind a number of routes, paths and edges that have to be tried or at least looked at. The names of these places will be familiar to a lot of people, places like Striding Edge, Sharp Edge and the Corridor Route are all very…

Our annual family Lake District week was here and true to form coincided with a change in weather in this area. Talk in the run up weeks was of hot temperatures and hosepipe bans, on arrival we could see lots of lakes and tarns with very low levels of water. We had, had one previous…

The days either side of my walk up to Mellbreak and Hen Comb we had plans to go to Grasmere and do a circuit of the lake and also staying in Keswick meant a wander down to Friar’s crag again and a potter around the boat landing piers. The weather in Grasmere wasn’t great to…

After the Tuesday walk up around High Street I was pretty drained. The heat was tough to walk in and to make matters worse the breeze that was present in the Lake District had completely disappeared on the Wednesday. Thursday arrived and the haze was pretty thick, I had planned on a route that took…

3 days into the holiday a no proper walk for me so far, yes I’d had a couple of little walks to Latrigg and Aira Force but the hot weather had held me back. Tuesday looked good, the temperature said it would drop a few degrees but the sun would still be out. It was…

Start of another week in this fabulous part of the world and the weather for the week was probably the best and hottest I’ve ever had up there in the 10 years I’ve been going. It was high twenties most days, even up on the tops on the two days I walked high it was…

Our last day and the weather turns, what a day. Blue skies everywhere. We packed up in Keswick and headed off to Latrigg to catch the inversion and sunshine. The views were as good as I’ve ever had up in Lakeland. With good weather comes lots of people and the Gale road car park was…

This walk is a classic Lakeland walk, and now I’ve done it I can see why. This specific walk though isn’t the full Coledale Round, that one can include another 3 or 4 fells if you want it to. However I’ve already done Outerside, Barrow, Grasmoor and Wandope, with Hopegill Head pencilled in for a…

It was Wednesday morning and we decided on another walk. This made it 4 walks in 4 days for me, which was nice! We only wanted a short walk as we had visitors to meet at lunchtime, however we had done all the obvious ones around Keswick. We decided on a longer drive but a…

Time for another low level walk from my week in The Lakes and this one is a classic. I’ve been and done this one once before, on a glorious crisp February day (here). Today wasn’t quite like that but the quality of the views and surrounding fells make it a joy. We’d saved the walk…

The roman road over High Street is famous around the country for traversing the 828 metre peak of the same name. It connected the two roman forts of Broughton (near Penrith) to Galava (near Ambleside) and took its route due to the marshy and wooded valleys on the normal route, which were prone to ambush.…

Back in the Lakes again for another week of food, drinks, walks, food, walks, drinks and more food. The weather this week wasn’t the best I’ve had up here, only our last day did it turn into autumn as you would want it and the colours of the trees came out. As it was I…

Now the seasoned Wainwright walker will know all about the central spine that consists of 7 Wainwrights, running from Walla Crag to Ullscarf. They will also know, more specifically, about the part from Bleaberry Fell to Armboth Fell and how wet and boggy it can be. I can confirm it is indeed wet and boggy…

On the map this looked like a do-able walk we had about 4 hours to do the walk (with treetop adventures at Brockholes planned for later that afternoon) and no walk the previous day. The weather was looking good and the pay meter in the Grasmere car park was broken, must have been my day!!.…

This walk wasn’t really on the agenda for this week. We were a bit tired after the previous day on Skiddaw and we felt a shorter easier walk would do. Nothing longer than a few hours. This walk is ideal for that. Starting at the Honister YHA and following the easy path (called the Drum…

This is the first of 4 walks on this visit to the Lake District this summer. The boys wanted to beat their previous highest mark (which was the Old Man of Coniston at 803m). We were staying in Braithwaite and the mountain of Skiddaw overlooks this village, it seemed an obvious choice. So 4 children…

Ok, before anyone shouts this isn’t quite the Newlands Round. I’ve done Catbells previously so this allowed me to park in Little Town and head up to Hause Gate and onto Maiden Moor, thus missing out a short part. Still this is still a pretty big walk and gives one of the best views in…

I’d been planning this walk for a while, I’d neglected the eastern fells, picking at the Mell Fells or Arnison Crag on one off walks that didn’t really do the area justice. The plan was to walk the Helvellyn ridge, Clough Head to Seat Sandal 10 fells in a line (11 if you venture off…

This walk was done on the same day as the Aira Force walk, after visiting Grasmere, and having a pub tea in Keswick, we saw that the blue skies were still accompanying our day. Sunset came immediately to mind and whilst we went a little earlier than the sunset, the light and the views were fantastic.…

A week off work for me, usually means a packed rucksack and bag, followed by a 400 mile drive the the Lake District. The first week of April was such a week for me and I picked the right one to go up. The weather was good, just two cloudy days and a bit of…

The final walk of a week in the Lakes was up a fairly simple fell on the side of Thirlmere which takes me to 89 Wainwrights done. The tracks heading up through the woods are steep but the distance is pretty short and it doesn’t take much more than 90 minutes to get up and…

This was to be my big walk of the week and it didn’t disappoint. I’d neglected the Far Eastern Wainwrights during the 80 odd I’d done so far and decided this holiday to put that right. I’d fashioned two walks of 5 and 7 fells each, one that took in Steel Fell, Wether Hill, Loadpot…

Third day in the Lakes and the weather was just how you want it at this time of year, sunny and a nice nip in the air, with plenty of colour on the trees to give you some nice photos. To be honest I only took my phone with me but the walk itself was…

Another week in the Lakes, although this ones a bit different. I’m staying in Keswick this time, in order to take advantage of the pubs and eateries on the doorstep and I won’t be walking as much as I normally do when I’m up here. However my first day here and I’m doing a walk…

This turned out to be our last walk in the Lakes this week, the weather on the Thursday turned to heavy rain and Friday we were leaving. Still this is a fine ending to our week of walks. As many know this is the smallest of the Wainwrights, standing under 300metres it would normally be…

This was our fourth walk in 4 days, all of about the same length. Unlike the other walks though we didn’t stay dry on this one thanks to a heavy shower as we left Helm Crag. This is an iconic walk in the Lake District, the Lion and the Lamb (as seen best from the…

Third day of our Lake District week and we’ve plumped for an easier walk with some interest for the boys. There had been rain overnight and Aira Force has been on my list for a while. So it was off to the Eastern Fells for a look at the waterfall plus a walk up Gowbarrow…

As is tradition for our week in the Lakes we all walk together at least once. Some go all the way around the route, some stop at a certain point and head back. The only rule seems to be get to the point where the family photo is taken and then the day is yours!…

This is the first walk of our annual week in the Lake District, I make no apologies (to Dartmoor) when I say I love this place. Yes there are higher places, more remote places, however when I’m heading past Lancaster and the high fells come into view I feel happy, very happy. After a horrific…

I needed one walk in The Lakes before the long drive back to Devon, nothing too far in distance but enough to stretch the legs, some snow would be a nice way to round off a good few days in this lovely part of the world. Whinlatter fitted the bill, in that it was a…

Nearing the end of my stay in the Lakes and the weather has turned a little, meaning just two more short walks before I leave. Ling Fell is a very simple walk from any direction and is perfect for a day when cloud covers the higher fells, or you need a quick walk to keep…

Whilst in the Lakes I really wanted to do a wintry walk. Something with snow, cold conditions and maybe a need for some microspikes. Nothing that difficult that requires an ice axe and crampons but enough to give me a flavour and some experience in these conditions. Dartmoor can be bleak however lots of snow…

If there’s a better simpler low level walk in the UK than this one then feel free to let me know. A few miles, a bit of woodland, cascading streams, a large lake, a tunnel and a cracking village with a couple of pubs and a couple of coffee shops. It is a fabulous place to…

More time up in the Lake District this week and a chance for some winter walking. This first one however wasn’t full on snow, just a bit of frost and ice on the paths and a fresh wind. These three fells make an excellent round and the views from Crag Fell along Ennerdale are some…

The last walk of an autumn week in The Lakes and being the last day I always try to pick something easy and as easterly as possible to get on the M6 quickly. The 6 plus hour drive to Plymouth necessitates leaving late afternoon, so you miss the worst of the traffic around Manchester and…

Friday broke and the weather wasn’t overly kind, the cloud was down again however it said brighter things would be with the Western Lakes by midday. I headed out after lunch for something easy, something new and preferably something not boggy (after all the rain we’d had!). I decided on a little North Western fell…

The title Lord’s Seat sounds far greater than it actually is, the fact is that the area around Whinlatter and Lord’s Seat is a grassy, lumpy and sometimes boggy area of land in the North Western Fells. Now as a walker of The Wainwrights we know that at times he takes us to parts that…

A look at the weather for The Lake District for the rest of the week I was here, suggested Tuesday would be the best day that was left. With heavy rain on Wednesday and some rain each of the rest of the days. I decided therefore to hit a bigger fell whilst the views would…

This was arguably the one walk I did want to do whilst staying on this side of the Lake District. Yes there are higher walks and better paths, but few better views of the Scafells and surrounding mountains than from WastWater and also from Middle Fell. I’d seen plenty of pictures of the panorama from…

Day 2 of a week in the Lakes and being on the Western side for the first time it would have been remiss of me not to walk in this area. So today I decided to head for Loweswater for a trip around Gavel Fell, Blake Fell and finishing off with Burnbank Fell and a…

Another fantastic week in the Lake District last week and it started here in the Northern Lakes on Binsey. I’d driven up from an overnight stop in Wigan and into rain, it was forecast to brighten in the afternoon so I took time to stop in Keswick, grab some lunch before heading across to Binsey.…

My last walk of a fantastic week in the Lake District and I guess eventually it had to rain, forecast said it would stop just before lunch, so I figured a bit of shopping and a bite to eat in Keswick and a quick walk before the long drive to Plymouth. Great Mell Fell was…

After a tough walk around the Fairfield Horseshoe yesterday I felt like a much easier walk and a visit to Buttermere, which is a lovely part of the world. Unfortunately walking the Wainwrights rarely means an easy walk, the torture on my legs, straight up the Knott Rigg ascent from the Newlands Pass, wasn’t much…