Originally I’d hoped to start my
backpacking trip by driving to the start in my own car. Because of
the cold and snowy weather I decided not to and take a risk and use
public transport. It was -8degC when I left the house to catch the
05:40am bus to Preston. It was on time and after walking to the
Railway Station to buy a return ticket to Penrith (£17.85) the
06:40am train to Glasgow was showing on the board as being on time.
With 5mins to go it showed 5mins late then soon after 7 mins late.
Then we were told it was just delayed. It arrived 10 mins late but
after getting on there was another 10 min wait. The reason was a
broken down train between Preston and Lancaster. We were on our way
20mins late. It was still dark so I didn’t get the chance to see the
spectacular scenery a few miles before Tebay. It was 7:55 when I got
off at Penrith and only had a few minutes to wait for the 08:02 bus
to Keswick. |
Booths cafe, Keswick |
Rosthwaite |
There was only one
other person on it and nobody else got on by the time we reached
Keswick. I asked the driver if it was the same bus that would go to
Seatoller. It was, so I went on to Booths to brows the book section
before returning to chat to the driver. There was bad news. A water
hose had burst in the engine compartment and another bus was on its
way from Carlisle. I was then over an hour late as it didn’t leave
till about 10:35. Never mind, the sky was clear blue and the
mountains covered with a dusting of snow, though nothing like as
much as at home. I got off at Rosthwaite and started my walk in the
clear and very cold weather. |
The walled lane took me to the River
Derwent where the stepping stones were covered in ice. The track
continued to New Bridge where I crossed the river. The cobbled
surface was very slippery as I crossed. I headed up the field to
Tongue Gill where I crossed the main path which is called the
Allerdale Ramble on the map. There were large areas of ice around so
I fitted my ice studs to my boots and set off up the Gill. I was now
in shadow and the temperature dropped considerably. I took it steady
up through the old Rigghead quarries and stopped briefly to
photograph the masses of icicles by the mine entrances. |
Frozen stepping stones across the River Derwent |
First view of Dale Head |
I reached the top
of the gill at the fence and stile and was greeted with glaring
sunshine bouncing off the snow. I turned left and followed the fence
upwards. I came to a small tarn which was frozen over and covered in
snow. When the fence made a sharp left turn I was on a flattish area
where there were several places I could pitch my tent. |
I chose a high spot with a large
snowdrift nearby which would be my water supply. It was very
pleasant pitching the tent in the sunshine but the sun didn’t
provide much in the way of warmth. The views were clear and
incredible. After retreating to the tent to cook lunch I started by
boiling some water for a brew of tea. As I poured the hot water into
my plastic mug I noticed a pool of tea appearing under the mug. |
Camp below Dale Head |
View of Blencathra from my camp |
There was a
puncture hole in the base of the mug caused when I used it as a
protective cover to the metal spike on my walking pole. The hole
wasn’t large and by softening the plastic over the gas stove it was
possible to mould the plastic with a spoon to seal the leak. I was
so glad it worked as drinking tea from a metal pan isn’t as
enjoyable. Later on I enjoyed the colourful spectacle of the setting
sun casting pink, red then purple colours across the snowy
mountains. Then the full moon rose to keep the scene illuminated all
through the night. |
The full moon rising above Clough Head |
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