Lake District Walking

England’s Lake District has long held a kind of romantic fascination for us. What a thing it would be, we’ve thought, to walk in a landscape that inspired Wordsworth, on paths trod by the legendary Alfred Wainwright himself.

There was a risk, of course, that the Lake District wouldn’t live up to our expectations, that it wouldn’t be quite what we’d hoped. In the end it was all that, and more.

There are hundreds of walks in the Lake District, and even just the descriptions of them sound delightfully ‘English’. Take the ‘Great Crag (Stonethwaite)‘ for example. According to Walklakes, a website dedicated to all things fellwalking, Great Crag is a ‘curious Wainwright’. Here’s part of Paul and Elizabeth Oldham’s lovely guide for that walk:

Bear left at a footpath marker post with a circular sheepfold just above. Continue ahead through the gate with the interesting catch. Keep left across the fellside – a couple of cairns confirm the way – cross the wall by the stone stile.

Dock Tarn appears suddenly, surrounded by rocky knolls and boggy little combes. Follow a faint path – more sheep trod than human path, but you’ll likely find boot prints occasionally. Head up through the heather to the summit cairn perched on a rocky outcrop.

Let the path swing you left. Climb up the rough track to Puddingstone Bank. Drop to and go through the kissing gate next to the beck. Turn right over the packhorse bridge to the village. (www.walklakes.co.uk)

Wonderful, isn’t it? And though we had no idea what sheepfolds or combes or becks were, we set off – in the footsteps of Wordsworth and Wainright – for our own little bit of history-in-the-making.

Alfred Wainwright was an avid walker whose 'Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells' (1955-1966) became the definitive guide to the Lake District

A hill (or fell) is classified as a 'Wainwright' if it's mentioned in Wainwright's books (he mentions 214 of them!) - 'bagging the Wainwrights' is a thing for serious Lake District walkers

Our base, the Royal Oak Inn in the village of Rosthwaite; we met people who'd been coming here for 40 years (originally an 18th century farmhouse then a miner’s tavern, it became the Royal Oak a century ago - it's thought Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy once stayed here)

We settled quickly into a lovely rhythm of morning walk, mid-afternoon home for tea and scones by the fire, little nap, then dinner

Repeat daily for a perfect Lake District experience!

Most of the walks we did were within reach of the Royal Oak

But other days we caught the local bus to a nearby village and set off from there

Most walks start, end, or at least pass through, a village

There'll almost always be somewhere to recharge the batteries with a nice cup of tea

At the beginning the walks usually follow a marked bridleway or footpath

But it's not long before you find yourself referring to the Walklakes map and looking to keep the circular sheepfold on your right (turns out a sheepfold is a small sheep pen - makes perfect sense really) 🙂

It's lovely to be wandering alongside a stream or an old dry stone wall

Knowing that Wordsworth himself likely walked this way

'Cross the wall by the stone stile'

Our visit to the Lake District coincided with lambing season; there were thousands of them in the fields

One farmer told us her ewes had already delivered 900 lambs; after our chat she farewelled us with a hearty 'ba-aa-ye' (a kind of sheep sound combined with 'bye' - it was friendly and very funny!)

According to Alfred Wainwright, 'there's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing' - we had a bit of that 🙂

Dock Tarn (a tarn is a mountain lake) - 'such a delightful spot you could picture AW with his pipe sat on a rock contemplating the scenery'

And finally to the summit, Great Crag - 'a pair of small rocky knolls in a sea of heather'

On the return leg, a fine view of Rosthwaite village

Over the bridge and home in time for tea

Lake District walks range from gentle strolls to challenging hill climbs - we opted for somewhere in the middle

And while the walks weren't difficult, care was required in places

We came home one day to find two members of a small group who'd required hospital treatment after falls on the path

Bluebells, lambs and the call of the cuckoo - spring in the Lake District, memories for a lifetime