Yvan Seth's Hole in the Internet

Looking back, leaving the Duddon valley

The evening had been quite rainy and the rain didn't stop until well into the morning, but we survived. Once everything was packed back into our bags we made our way through the fields to the start of Walna Scar road. A crossing from the Duddon Valley to Coniston via a 600m pass. While the climb ahead of us was about the same height as our Scafell ascent it was quite easy and steady going following a much lower gradient route. (Our Scafell ascent had started close to 450m, the Walna Scar pass route started at 100m, so both were ascents of around 500m.)

The fells between the Duddon Valley and Coniston Water are riddled with old mine works. The main visible relic of this being huge piles of mine tailings, forming unnatural looking hills of scree on the slopes. I presume this is also the reason that much of the Walna Scar road is wide and level. As far as I could see none of the quarries were still in use, though some on the Coniston side looked like they'd been active until quite recently.

By Longhouse Gill

Looking at the road from the Duddon valley you see that it runs a long way left to right before sharply turning to run right to left. That's what keeps the gradient low of course, at the cost of covering 3 or 4 times the distance. The ascent is pleasant, running alongside Long House Gill at the begining, which supplies some nice photo and picnic spots. The view down on the valley is exquisite, especially back towards our nemesis: Harter Fell. It is a bit unfair to label our previous day of woe with Harter Fell's name I suppose. The fell just happens to be the most prominent feature of the crossing, in fact Harter Fell seems to have ended up in half my photos. Really, our problem the previous day was Grassguards Gill, that and my own mistakes, oh, and the weather. Possibly also the curse of the peat hags!

Argh! Peat Hag! (an imagining by Kat)

(A peat hag is actually just a raised/firm/dry area/island in a peat bog. Well, that's the best I can gather from a little searching.)

Topping a pass is always a good feeling, coming over that final rise to see the drop down the other side. It is even better when the other side is a beautiful green valley sporting a huge lake, in this case the lake is Coniston Water. As we descended we would occasionally see the National Trust's steam yacht "Gondola" cruising up or down the lake in the distance, the word picturesque comes to mind (an easy word to wear out in the Lake District I suspect.)

Over the pass, Coniston Water beyond

Unfortunately we were also entering one of the more popular areas of the Lake District. On the way up we'd just passed one DoE group, and at the top there were some older folk out for a walk. But the Coniston side of the fells was teeming with people, with slightly more litter in evidence even. Near the end of Walna Scar road is a big ugly car park, quite full of cars. There were even quite a few notable Pommy yobbos around, in flashy trashy cars with cases of beer. sigh

Up to this point in our journey we hadn't really seen many people while out walking. On the whole journey up Scafell we saw only one elderly couple from afar after Eel Tarn. Then we saw two pairs of people while we sat and made espresso at Scafell Peak. We passed one group of people going up as we came down too. Then a couple more people coming down from Mickledore. And that's the area of England's highest mountain! There were a few more people on the coffin road between Wasdale and Eskdale, then just two pairs of people coming towards us between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley. Then we get to Coniston and see four times as many people on the fells in the space of only an hour.

Down the other side

After a difficult walk down a steep sealed road into Coniston town (our feet were sore, downhill was painful!) we stopped for a moment at a pub to work out our next leg. Unfortunately in this south east part of the Lake District the paths are not too convenient for getting from point A to point B. So we set out from Coniston in slightly the wrong direction, following a footpath up through a small National Trust pine plantation. After the plantation most of our route was on road though, which is the unfortunate part. While walkers are entirely permitted on roads, cars don't really see it that way. The roads can be a bit hairy for walkers, especially when there are bends with stone walls to both sides of the road and no verge.

Looking down a beck, on Walna Scar Road

We made it across to Hawkshead in one piece though, and even enjoyed the scenery along the way. The wooded hillsides between Coniston and Hawkshead are attractive and peaceful, when cars aren't speeding past you!

We quickly marched through Hawkshead, noting the location of the Beatrix Potter gallery and that the town's layout and architecture were interesting. On the east of the town is a campsite, this was our destination. We'd got to the sweet spot as far as tent assembly skill goes by now and had our little shelters up and taut in little time. This was the most commercial of the sites we'd been to so far, and slightly more pricey than usual. It was pretty much just a little field with a loop road through it and a large amenities block off to one side. There were a lot of family campers with their palatial tents in residence. One of our neighbours very kindly offered us some leftover pasta, penne with a creamy tomato and smoked sausage sauce. We must have looked like we needed it or something, and we did I guess because we basically inhaled the stuff!

Pastoral scene near Hawkskead

Before long we were in our tents, the day had been quite nice to us. Not a lot of sun, but no real rain. As the evening darkened however the water started falling out of the sky, this seemed to be the pattern for the area. Sun goes. Air gets cold. Water falls out of sky.

We managed nearly 16km this day, which surprises me after the living hell of the day before. Oh, hyperbole! It was an extremely pleasant and relaxed walk though, and possibly the driest day of our trip.