Lake District

We spent the weekend in the Lake District national park in the village of Keswick on Lake Derwentwater.  We stayed in the Badger Wood Bed and Breakfast because it catered to special diets. The breakfasts were wonderful and filling.

The highest mountains in the area were around 3500 ft.  Which is much higher than we were told was England’s highest peak.  It was a busy market town on Saturday with a lot of tourists as it was the last weekend before school starts again.  There is a small local theater that shows a different play every night so we went to both the Friday and Saturday plays.

Walla Crag destination of our hike.

Since walking (hiking) is the English past time we, after talking with our host, set out on a medium difficult 4 mile hike. We started by taking the lake taxi counterclockwise around to the 6^th stop. The taxi goes a different direction each half hour and takes an hour to circumnavigate the lake.

 

Taxi boat at dock

 

 Our goal was to get off at Ashness Gate Pier, walk to Ashness Bridge, take a trail from there and hike around Walla Crag, down Cat Ghyl trail and back to Keswick.

Ashness Bridge

We got off at Ashness Gate pier and proceeded uphill toward Ashness Bridge. Since this bridge is the most photographed bridge in the Lake District, we were expecting something outstanding or breathtaking.  We hiked to a stream with a small bridge crossing it and assuming this was not the bridge hiked on. 

 After two miles up hill and reaching a sign announcing the summit of the road and no bridge insight, we wondered where to go. John hiked about a half mile ahead while I enjoyed the woods from the summit of the road.

Forest from road summit

 

 

He didn’t see any sign of a bridge and as we were hiking away from Walla Crag we decided to forget the bridge and return to hike around the crag.

On the way back we did stop to enjoy a viewpoint looking out over the lake. Asking some of the people there where the bridge was, and where we were, we got answers of “they didn’t know” to “we passed the bridge about a mile and a half back.” It was the small bridge we had crossed.  We hiked back to that bridge and asking again where the trail was to Walla Crag?  Our guide book kept telling us to go through a gate to the bridge then retrace our step to the gate return through it and turn up hill.  We had never seen any gates to go through.  We were shown the trail that cannot be seen as you approach from downhill. 

We started up hill and the track wasn’t bad for a while then it became a sometimes dry waterfall, sometimes wet, often muddy, big steps even for my long legs, and very steep in parts.

View of trail, fern field, bridge in background

Trail with Stream

 After the first section it wasn’t as steep but the water and mud stayed.  I did notice people taking a more gradual path down. I wish we had found that for coming up.

The view was great and as we got to the top of the ridge the sun came out.  The wind was blowing so it didn’t get hot.  The higher hills were covered with ferns and blooming heather.  Above us was Falcon Crag with birds soaring around it. Of course all around us were sheep.

Falcon Crag heather in bloom

The trails were determined by where others had walked or where water had washed away the top soil.  The ground was covered by soil, duff, moss, heather and ferns.  Water ran out of the ground from under this top mat and down the path or in streams down the hill. We assumed the water would be crystal clear, but it was brown in the pools where it gathered probably from the rotting matter, marsh or bog, through which it flowed.

Water running from under peat
 

We hiked the ridge and then wandered through the marsh land behind the crag.  We followed the trodden path down the north east side, by two camp grounds and back into the city.  The path down the hill was steep and grass covered. 

Looking up hill we walked down

 



Path we still had to walk down

Had it been wet we would have slid down the hill.  If you have ever skied at Bachelor it was like walking down Thunderbird.  We never saw the route that went directly back to the city, so at this end we probably added another 2 to 3 miles to the walk.

                                       Just outside Keswick is a neolithic stone circle, Castlerigg. 

Sunday we drove south through the middle of the Lake District and took a small road home.

Bolton Castle was on the way and we toured this example of a medieval fortress.

Bolton Castle

It was completed in 1399. This castle was very modern for its day. It had guard robes (bathrooms) for every bedroom, major hall, guard barrack, and for guards at duty stations.  These included areas it wash your hands.


Guard Robe

Wash basin of Guard Robe

Because it was so well designed and included everything needed for daily life it survived an attack for 6 months during the civil war in 1636 even when it was partially destroyed.

Solar - South facing day room

The family left in 1675, but allowed people in the area to make their homes in what was left.  In 1999 the family did extensive work to make the castle safe and accessible for visitors.  

Mary Queen of Scotts bedchamber when she was being held here.