Caught the 05:59 bus (£3.45singlel) to Preston then the 07:17 Glasgow train to Penrith. When I arrived there was quite a bit of time to kill before my bus at 09:40. I finished my newspaper in the station waiting room then went out to have a walk round the ruins of Penrith Castle. It seemed odd that there wasn't an information board to give some history and dates. The only notices said not to climb on the ruins. The Penrith to Keswick timetable by the bus stop showed times later that the one I had with me.

The original County Hotel, Preston

Penrith Castle

The bus arrived at 9:40am and while we drove towards Keswick I checked the Cumbria timetable booklet that I'd picked up in the rail station. Both ways had changed about 10 minutes. There was still plenty of time to catch the 78 bus which left at 10:25. I was surprised how many people were about and it was nice to see lots using the buses. The drive along the lane to Borrowdale wasn't without its problems. At one point we had a problem getting past someone towing a large caravan the opposite way. I got off at the Stonethwaite turn off at 10:52 and began to get my stuff ready.

I didn't notice a man sat in the bus shelter but as I put my pack on he asked me what it weighed. I didn't really know so I said so. The forecast was for showers but the cloudy sky seemed reasonably bright. There were lots of teenagers walking along the lane and I wondered if they were on school outings. I crossed Stonethwaite Beck and headed up the stony track. Eagle Crag loomed ahead and thankfully its summit was still clear of low cloud. Up ahead I could see some walkers and soon caught the first pair when they stopped for a rest. The second pair stopped just short of the climb of Lining Crag so I walked past them as well.

Near Stonethwaite. A sign on the bus says
'This is not an abandoned vehicle'

Eagle Crag

On the way up the climb was another group of youths. These had fairly big packs so it looked like they would be camping later. They stopped on the top of Lining Crag so I pressed on to the summit of Greenup Edge where yet another large group of teenagers were out. They'd stopped for a rest and I continued up the steady climb towards High Raise. At White Stones another group of youths were sat amongst the rocks resting. I wasn't heading for the summit but a flat spot which I'd seen on a previous walk and thought would make a good pitch. I cut to the right and headed for my objective. It turned out that there was a better spot a bit higher in an old stone sheepfold so I pitched there.

I'd been lucky with the weather on the climb with only a little rain towards the end. After pitching the tent there were nice patches of sunshine but then the clouds rolled in and I was hit by a torrential downpour. The intensity eased but lighter rain continued for the rest of the day. In my tent I was using a new gas stove for the first time. It's made by Primus and is probably the worst design I've ever come across for a camping stove. There are 4 collapsible legs. Three is the optimum and every other manufacturer uses three. With 4 it is not possible to get an even seating. The metal hose that connects the burner to the gas cylinder is far too short. For safety and convenience it needs to be at least 100mm longer. The only good point about it is the gas burner which has good control and plenty of heat if it’s needed.

Group on Lining Crag

Pitch below High Raise.
Inside its not as sloping as it looks!

View from the tent after the rainstorm