The Lake District is so handy to get to from Glasgow - only 2 and a bit hours - and there are well equipped hostels everywhere so you can walk out the door to a choice of walks. I met up with my friend Rachel there for a weekend of walking.
The first walking day was Saturday - it started off dry. The mountains had lots of snow on them and they looked impreesive with lots of character, rising up over the valleys. We could make out a couple of famous ridges on Scarfell as we climbed a much smaller hill called Place Fell across the valley (or dale). It was a steep pull up, and it got very windy as my sitting matt took off the instant I stood up sadly not to be found (by me). Views from the top were all right, a bit overcast. Judging by the football highlights currently showing on the telly from Satuday afternoon England was entirely wet and Patterdale will rarely be the dryest there. The drying room was to be very full that evening. We had about 3 miles to walk back by the lake and they did drag by as the rain penetrated even into waterproof boots.
The rain carried on that night and even the next morning. We set off nevertheless to attempt a
relatively low-level circular route not too far from Keswick. The weather was kind as it started to dry up while driving there and it generally improved throughtout the day until it was sunny! I love the way the big glacial bouler was left on its side.
relatively low-level circular route not too far from Keswick. The weather was kind as it started to dry up while driving there and it generally improved throughtout the day until it was sunny! I love the way the big glacial bouler was left on its side.
On Monday we went high! Great Gable via Green Gable was our challenge. The weather was great with blue skies and only a little white clouds and we set off only wearing a base layer. The mountain height was 801 metres , not that far short of a Scottish Munro height and it was to be as easily as hard a climb as many of them. We were feeling fitter than on Saturday and though the going was a bit of a scramble it was just within our limits. A lovely hanging valley was lovely to walk by in the sun as we continued to gain height. Next a drop to windy pass and a real scramble to get back 
up to the height we were at and then to the summit which over a mix of wet snow and bare rock was a slippery walk and the air was a windy cold by now. At the top the views really were excellant. We were centrally placed in the Lake District and could see out to the sea on one side and most of the major mountains were visible. A was memorial set in the rock was unusual and I don't think you would find anything similar in Scotland. Wild places should be be kept that way (which is why I like to take a stone out of every cairn I pass). An old couple were impressed with the path we went down by (giving us a circular route) the last time they were there it was scree but nowadays it is a fantastic stone walkway, probably something to do with the war memorial. The weather was now a bit dull, but we were lucky as the best weather of the entire weekend we'd had was at the highest point.
up to the height we were at and then to the summit which over a mix of wet snow and bare rock was a slippery walk and the air was a windy cold by now. At the top the views really were excellant. We were centrally placed in the Lake District and could see out to the sea on one side and most of the major mountains were visible. A was memorial set in the rock was unusual and I don't think you would find anything similar in Scotland. Wild places should be be kept that way (which is why I like to take a stone out of every cairn I pass). An old couple were impressed with the path we went down by (giving us a circular route) the last time they were there it was scree but nowadays it is a fantastic stone walkway, probably something to do with the war memorial. The weather was now a bit dull, but we were lucky as the best weather of the entire weekend we'd had was at the highest point. As for hostel life..... great facilities. Hostels used to be a sub-culture - these days a quiet corner can be runied by the loudest Geordie family on the planet playing cards. As for the chap who had the tickly throat in the bunk above me and kept me awake all night - he inspired me to remember a word from my childhood that is a Scots word - gipe (hard g).
All in all a great weekend.
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And why do people who snore always fall asleep instantly, into the deepest sleep possible? Surely it would be only fair for snorers to wait until everyone else has gone to sleep first. But then nothing is fair about snorers - they should book into a B&B...
By the way the first hill was Place Fell and the higher mountain was Great Gable (ascended via Sourmilk Gill and Green Gable, descended via Styhead Tarn). Just in case anyone was interested.
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