Day 1 - Saturday 19 Sep - hiking and viewing
After a couple of days of light activity it's time to get back into some serious hiking. Pauline's been doing some research and has homed in on Aira Force on Lake Ullswater. That's Aira Force, not Air Force. It comes from Old Norse eyrr á fors and translates to the waterfall on the gravel‑bank river. Hmm - a waterfall - that means a change in elevation - that means a steep climb. Shades of Wairere Falls perhaps?
The weather's looking good. Yesterday's steady rain has blown over and we've reverted to the Lakes District's sun/cloud/showers regime. It's windy too. Loaded up with wet weather gear, warm clothes and a picnic lunch we set off.
And I have to say that Pauline's absolutely nailed it.
It's an easy 2km climb along the Aira Beck (river). We're walking through ancient woodland - conifers, old broadleaf trees, ferns, moss, and roots twisting over stones. It's got a primeval feel to it.
We stop and have lunch at the top where the beck first starts descending.
On our way back down we take in the main waterfall where the beck drops 22m through a narrow, rocky ravine before flowing into Ullswater. A bit short of Wairere's 153m, but impressive all the same.
With the exercising done for the day we head for the John Ruskin Museum in Coniston. Established in 1901 it tells the story of Coniston from stone-age axe makers, through copper and slate mining to the Bluebird exhibit. A good selection on Ruskin's life and times, and his drawings and watercolours.
Pauline was also taken by the Arthur Ransome display. I raised an eyebrow. Who? His Swallows and Amazons series never made it onto my childhood reading list.
While all was interesting, the restoration of K7 was spectacular.
Behind Pauline is the Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 701 turbojet engine that powered K7 and was recovered from the lake in 2001. Campbell's body was also recovered two months later. In the foreground is the lovingly restored long wheelbase Landrover that acted as Campbell's support vehicle.
Another day knocked off. We've done lakes, rivers, waterfalls, high passes and museums. Is there anything left to see on our final full day?
Day 2 - Hardknott Fort and prizegiving
Our last full day in the Lakes District, and time to hand out some prizes, most of which were earned today. The smartest, the smelliest, the smallest, the scariest, the screeest, the stupidest, the shiveryest, the steepest and because I've run out of "s" words, the deepest, the beautifulest, the gnomest, and the fastest.
The smartest has already been awarded. Crows are the smartest birds around. It was fascinating watching them in Beatrix Potter's orchard - making short work of fruit on the trees, and being first at the scene the moment visitors vacated a picnic table. Partridges take the award for the stupidest, and Bluebird K7 takes the award for the fastest. So where do the others come in? It starts early.
Oops - we have a Sunday morning hot water problem. I had a good shower last night, but Pauline's shower this morning is stone cold, and she has to wash her hair. "Just leave it another half day, it'll be fine" I helpfully advise. I get a daggers look, and clearly don't understand a woman's need to wash her hair. An hour later and two boils of the jug it's all done and we're on our way.
The first two prizes for the day:
- The shiveryest hot water - our BnB
- The beautifulest hair - Pauline's of course!
First on the agenda is Hardknott Fort just northwest of Coniston. Courtesy of the Internet:
Hardknott Fort is the remains of a Roman military castrum built between AD 120–138, early in the reign of Emperor Hadrian. Its purpose was to guard the route through Eskdale and secure movement between the coastal fort at Glannoventa (Ravenglass) and the inland fort at Galava (Ambleside). About 500 soldiers were stationed here, monitoring travel and enforcing Roman law in the valley.
Today it’s one of the most visually striking Roman sites in Britain. Unfortunately we didn't get far enough north to sight Hadrian's wall and the Sycamore Gap tree that isn't there.
Striking, that is, if you like foundations and sheep.
It's a bleak and desolate place, and I suspect the Roman soldiers would have been longing for the warmth of the Mediterranean. Pauline is suitably rugged up.
But is certainly commanded a great view down the Eskdale valley.
Did I mention that to get to the fort we had to come over a couple of passes? We're approaching from the east, so first we navigate the Wrynose Pass. Despite it being a fine and sunny day we picked up a few spots on the windscreen.
Barring some errant sheep, this pass was quite straightforward.
Next was the Hardknott Pass, and this one has a bit of a reputation. It has some of the steepest grades in Britain (up to 33%), there are very tight hairpin bends, it is very narrow with stone walls on one side and precipitous drop-offs on the other. Passing places are few and far between, so suddenly meeting another vehicle typically sees the downhill driver reversing to a passing spot. Needless to say, it does not suit large vehicles, nor nervous drivers.
Sheep and cyclists add to the challenge. In fact it's an excellent hill-climb challenge for cyclists - a brutal 2.2 km stretch with a 300m elevation gain. No easy recovery sections, and either front wheel lift or rear wheel slide depending on your position on the bike. If you stop, it's very hard to restart. If you're planning on doing the Tour de France, this is a great training ride - it's a VO₂‑max test disguised as a road.
This is the top half of the Hardknott looking up from the fort. In case you were wondering, Hardknott comes from Old Norse and translates as hard crag or hard rocky hill. You can see why.
The warnings to respect this pass need to be heeded, particularly in adverse weather, but today the downhill was straightforward. It's sealed all the way, and not technically difficult. I'd rate Skippers Canyon a much more difficult drive.
Award for the steepest road we've travelled? Hardknott Pass. The scariest? No - that comes later.
The motorcyclists we met at Coniston on Wednesday recommended Wast Water - a lake just to the east of Hardknott. We programmed it in to the GPS, and it's absolutely stunning.
No, that's not snow on the hills. Just rock, scree, and a smattering of vegetation of whatever can grimly hang on. The hills have interesting names: High Iron Crag, Broken Rib, Devil's Slidegate. You get the picture.
Talking of scree, it comes right down to the water's edge.
Award for the screeest lake: Wast Water.
But wait, there are second and third awards in the offing. Wast Water was formed in an over‑deepened glacial valley, and at 79m is the deepest lake in England. The depth and clarity of the lake led to a few shenanigans. In the late 1990s divers placed garden gnomes, a picket fence, and ornaments down into Wast Water and arranged them as a surreal “gnome garden” on the lakebed. Sadly several divers died while trying to reach the gnome garden and Police divers removed them. But it's rumoured more gnomes have been placed even deeper, where Police divers cannot access.
Wast Water scoops the pool - the screeest, the deepest and the gnomest lake in Britain. Worthy of another photo.
We carry on to Down in the Dale at the head of the lake. Pauline's keen to check out the remote St Olaf's church. A pungent and pervasive rural smell assaults our nostrils as we step out of the car. As we walk around the corner, it's easy to see why.
Award for the smelliest location: Down in the Dale.
There's been a church at St Olaf's since 950, though this one is much more modern, built around 1550. Legend has it that St Olaf spent time here in 1015 helping build defences to repel a Saxon invasion. I popped in to review the architecture, though churches really aren't my thing.
And the award for the smallest parish church in England at just 156 cubic metres goes to St Olafs.
I think that just leaves one award to go - the scariest! Precipitous bluffs? 33% gradients? Deep lakes? Not a chance. Think carefully. Would you dare enter this BnB without an invitation and assurances you'd be safe and not attacked by a dangerous animal?
Shades of Monty Python - particularly for those who love The Fish‑Slapping Dance. I'm tempted to add a sign below our Kahuimanu BnB signboard.
Beware Maisie the savage chook. She'll have your leg off.
I hear our chooks are creating mayhem in the neighbourhood. Going where they shouldn't and digging up freshly planted seedlings. But would anyone listen to me about feathered stock units? Abject apologies and offers of recompense emailed to the victims.
Pauline has taken over the afternoon shift, and the GPS plots our quickest route home as back over the passes. "I'll pass", she says, and takes the long way round.
Today was our last full day in the Lakes District and it's been a blast. I hope we haven't missed too much, and picked the eye teeth out of the attractions. Tomorrow we leave the cold hot water behind and head south to the heart of Lancashire. Stay tuned.
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