High Street from Mardale Head, is a challenging walk and in my opinion is one of the best walks I have ever done in the English Lake District. Starting from the free car park at Mardale Head at the top of Haweswater Reservoir, walking up Rough Crag & Eagle Crag which is famous as been the home of the only nesting Golden Eagle in England & Wales. Then the last climb up Long Stile to the summit, with on a clear day you can see fantastic views of the Helvellyn range
Posts Tagged ‘walking’
High Street
Monday, March 30th, 2009The Snowdon Mountain Railway
Monday, March 30th, 2009On a recent trip to Wales we set up camp near a place called Betws y coed about a 20mins drive away from Mount Snowdon. There is a car park in Llanberis where you start the walk from. If you decided that the walk was to hard for you then you can take the train to the summit.
Since the year 1896, visitors from around the world have travelled on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Trains climb up the highest mountain in Wales which is1085m in height where once you reach the top Snowdon boasts dramatic landscape and scenery. This unique railway is proven to be one of the most popular visitor attractions in North Wales and offers great value. The Summit of Snowdon, at 3,560ft (1085m), is the highest mountain in England and Wales. The Snowdon Mountain Railway offers a fantastic day out for all of the family.
Hafod Eryri, the new building on the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is opening this spring, however, the date is dependent on the weather. The formal opening will be on the 12th June 2009 although the building will be in use before then. Trains are expected to reach the Summit from 2nd May 2009 onwards. The new Snowdon visitor centre is a unique designed structure built of granite with large views from the “window on the world” the wall of glass which makes up the front of the centre.It acts as a terminus for the Snowdon Mountain Railway providing refreshment facilities, toilets and interpretation of the mountain, its history and ways to enjoy it
New Year in the Lakes
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008We spent 3 days in the lakes celebrating the New Year with friends. We stayed at our favourite B&B, the Ellergill in Stanger Street in Keswick, over the days we walked around Derwentwater lake and on one of them we ended up walking round the back of Skiddaw to Skiddaw house. One of the my photos is a view looking to Helvellyn with snow on its peak, with the other being Skiddaw house Youth Hostel which was well know to Alfred Wainwright. Skiddaw house is a century-old cottage, formerly used by shepherds & gamekeepers. It is nearly 1550 feet above sea level and 3 miles from the nearest road. It was opened in May 1991 to provide simple accomodation for hill walkers & cyclists, and after a period of closure, mainly due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak problem, it has now re-opened to offer the user a unique accommodation experience located in the shadow of Skiddaw
The Big One – Ben Nevis
Monday, September 24th, 200721st September 2007 we traveled for 7 hours to our base at Glen Nevis camping and caravanning site at the foot of Ben Nevis. At 4406ft or 1344m, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK.
Close to Fort William, and the accessibility of the path from Glen Nevis means that tens of thousands of walkers climb Ben Nevis each year. If you decide to join the crowds, remember that this is a serious undertaking and dress for the mountain and not for the valley.
The walk took approx four hours up and three hours down, the weather was again poor and we were all exhausted by the time we had finished and truly deserved our reward at the end. The picture below shows the view up from the camp site although the mountain can not be seen beacuse of poor visabilty.
The picture below shows our tents on the site with the start of the asent in the distance.
The two photos below are of our trip through Glencoe on our way to Fort William and Ben Nevis. The waters which spill from the top of these high mountains and give rise to a series of beautiful waterfalls that gather initially at the Meeting of the Three Waters to form the River Coe. Less than a mile lower down stream, at the very heart of Glencoe, the river widens briefly to form Loch Achtriochtan, a great place to view the entire glen.
When you visit the highlands you will be greeted by some outstanding mountain scenery with fantastic views of the Scottish glens & lochs. You will not be disappointed
Caravan Holiday day 6 – Buttermere
Friday, September 7th, 2007Photograph of Butteremere Lake
The last day of our holiday – gutted. We were depressed with the thought of going home, so it was just a short walk around Buttermere lake, the classic combination of lakes and mountains has made this popular with visitors since the beginning of tourism in the English Lake District. A visit to Buttermere is principally for its natural attractions – as the area offers some of the best walking country in Cumbria. There is a path around the perimeter of the lake, and great walks to the summits of Haystacks and Red Pike.
Caravan Holiday day 5 – Walla Crag
Friday, September 7th, 2007On day 5 we walked from Keswick and onto Walla Crag, a fell near Keswick with a height of 1243 feet. The fell is a very popular short walk from Keswick Town and gives excellent views over Derwentwater Lake. We walked over the top to Ashness Bridge and Surprise view and down to the Ladore farm shop for a superb jam & cream scone. We then traveled back to Keswick via the launch. We decided to have a game of pitch n putt in Keswicks Hope Park, as normal due to my superior golfing skills it was no surprise who won.
Caravan Holiday day 4 – Wordsworth
Friday, September 7th, 2007Rest day – Not , our good ladies had arranged a day out visiting Dove Cottage the home for a number of years for William Wordsworth. It was’nt as boring as first seemed, and turned out to be a fascinating insight into Wordsworth, his family and friends. Their is also a Wordsworth Museum in Grassmere with some of the nation’s greatest treasures from the age of Romanticism including original manuscripts, eighteenth and nineteenth century local landscapes, portraits of Wordsworth, his contemporaries and family processions.
Ann & Paula outside the 400 year old Dove Cottage
Caravan Holiday day 3 – Scarfell Pike
Thursday, September 6th, 2007The Big One the ! 3206 feet above sea level (Englands highest mountain) lads back at TGS would be proud of us . We started our walk from Seathwaite farm, then crossing Stockley Bridge turning left and following the path to Esk Hause, then onto Scarfell Pike. Visibility was good and the view from the top was a just reward for all of our effort. We returned to Seathwaite farm via the corridor route passing fantastic views of Great Gable and Napes Needle.
Photograph taken from the summit of Scarfell Pike
Caravan Holiday day 2 – St. John in the Vale
Thursday, September 6th, 2007On day two of our holiday we put on our walking boots and had a leisurely stroll to the church of St. John in the Vale then after looking around this lovely old church which can trace its orgins back to the 1500’s we then made our way along to Highrigg and then onto the Kings Head Inn at Thirlspot for our lunch
Picture of Amy, Fiona & Ann outside of St. John in the Vale Church
Caravan Holiday day 1 – Castle Crag
Thursday, September 6th, 2007The last week in August we spent a weeks walking holiday staying in a caravan at Dalebottom Farm, just outside of Keswick. Unlike the rest of this summer the weather was fine most days giving us a chance to do a lot of walking with some fantastic views of the Lake District. Our first day was spent walking from Rosthwaite to the summit of Castle Crag. Caste Crag is a North Western fell and the smallest ‘Wainwright’ in the Pictorial Guides. At just 951 feet high, (the only Wainwright below 1,000 feet) it could be assumed to be an easy climb, particularly as there is a lot of low level walking from the edge of Derwentwater and through the valleys of Borrowdale. However, Castle Crag has steep faces and imposing crags, and a sharp ascent to the grass-covered summit where there are excellent views of the Borrowdale Valley.
After our walk to Castle Crag we returned to our Caravan for a Barbecue to celebrate the birthday of one of our friends, what a great start to our holidays.
the above photograph was taken from the top of Castle Crag looking to keswick & Skiddaw in the distance