Training Log Archive: Funderstormin

I got out good and early this morning to make the drive to Ambleside before the roads got too busy! The roads in the Lake District are very narrow and it took me a few days to get used to them.

The route I chose for today felt a little domesticated compared to the day before but it was still really beautiful!

https://www.walklakes.co.uk/walk_151.html

The climb up Wansfell Pike made me glad I hadn't arrived in time to do the Wansfell race on the 27th as it was a fairly steep and unrelenting climb! From there, it was a lovely descent through field and laneways to the village of Troutbeck, where I'd known to bring a bit of money for a nice hot tea! As the morning wore on, I started to see more people, especially as I got into Skelghyll Woods near to Ambleside.

Ambleside was bustling with tourists which made me glad I hadn't chosen to stay there. I elected to find my post-hike pub somewhere quieter and drove to a place called Chapel Stile to visit the Wainwrights Inn, where I had a yummy smoked brie and cranberry toastie with a pint!

My first day in the Lake District! I was very pleased to have survived the 2.5 hour drive on narrow roads on the wrong side of the car the day previously, so had decided that I'd start my adventure on foot from where I was staying in the village of Coniston rather than drive anywhere today. There is a well known hill in the area called Coniston Old Man, so I thought that was as good a place as any to start!

I planned quite a few options out beforehand using the WalkLakes website and printed maps with me for each day, along with two very good apps (Viewranger and the Ordnance Survey map for the area I was in. When buying a back-up map at a local outdoor shop, the shop owner told me that 20% of the mountain rescue calls in the area are from people who were relying on an app only and their battery dies!

The WalkLakes website allowed you to purchase and download routes which i found to be very accurate and helpful. There were so many trails in the area that I'd never have found the routes intuitively without their instructions.

Here was the route up Coniston Old Man: https://www.walklakes.co.uk/walk_86.html

I tried to get out each day around 9 as I found that allowed me to beat the crowds. I'd often see next to no one on the way out and scores of people on the way back down. This was the only day that the weather was a bit "dodgy" with rain and high winds up higher. I had a thought of making this route a circular one along a ridgeline and up to another summit or two, but as I started down off the Old Man and onto the ridgeline, I didn't feel comfortable on my own in the winds, so I retraced my steps and went back down, taking a slightly different route for variety. Then it was straight into a pub for a bowl of hot soup and chips!

C • Cool trip! 4

Lovely morning run exploring around Schneider's Flats. There was a section of the Grand Valley Trail I'd wanted to see and I turned it into a neat little loop. Every time I go there I find more trails!