In this weekly blog episode: A trip report recounting a recent long weekend in Cumbria – mountains, lakes, woodland, rivers, and the sea. Plus reviews of my Water-to-Go bottle and Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman.
In my last weekly blog episode (episode 153), I promised a trip report from my recent visit to Cumbria. I headed north for five days, to visit a friend and explore a bit more of this beautiful county on foot. I’d requested at least one hill, one woodland, one lake, and one beach – and my friend certainly delivered. And that will be the focus for this post.
Continuing where I left off, you’ll be pleased to know that since publishing that episode, I did get to unpacking, doing all my laundry, and catching up with my admin and chores. Okay, so I nearly caught up – things really do pile up when you’re having fun. And I have to learn to be fine with that. I find it hard not to feel overwhelmed with the to do list when life (and work) carries on around the small adventures, but I’ve done my best not to get too stressed by that.
And because May continues to be all about small adventures, I should add I’m once again writing this weekly blog episode having just landed home from another one. I took my new F750GS even further north than Cumbria for a long weekend, to ride some of the UK’s public forest roads. More on that next week, this one is all about Cumbria.
Five Days in Cumbria
My friend Fiona (who you might recognise from my Cotswold Way long-distance hike, and that rematch with Red Pike) lives just outside the Lake District National Park in the west of Cumbria. She very kindly put me up for five nights, kept me well-fed, and acting as my guide.
We were very fortunate with the weather, and had very warm sunshine until it broke on Sunday evening. We made the most of that by spending as much time outside as possible. This was a mini-break for me, so while we did do one ‘big’ hike, there was plenty of time in our leisurely schedule for slow wandering, mooching, sitting down, and drinking copious amounts of tea.
One thing I won’t talk about again in this episode is that I saw the Northern Lights whilst in Cumbria. Go back to my last weekly blog episode for that one. But as this is a weekly blog style trip report, I’ll take my Cumbria adventures (except that one) in the order they occurred.
The Famous Rannerdale Bluebells
My trip to Cumbria fitted in perfectly with this year’s bluebell bloom at Rannerdale. It seemed only right, therefore, so make that our first One Hour Outside of the weekend. Given that the bluebells attract thousands of visitors each year (and with good reason), we made sure we were there first thing on Thursday morning. Not at sunrise… but early enough.
We parked at the little car park at Cinderdale Common (plenty of space when we arrived…), and did the easy half-mile walk to see this colourful sight, before turning around and heading back. With the gorse also in flower, and a backdrop of the gnarly-looking Rannerdale Knott and other fells, the sight was nothing short of spectacular. And the short walk itself was gorgeous – a pretty path with a couple of stream crossings to add to the charm, which took us to the roped off bluebell fields.
At the time of writing, the bluebells have finished putting on their best display – they really do only last for a couple of weeks. This is one of those things where you simply need to be in the right place at the right time. And it was wonderful that I was. A nice simple bucket list tick to get my Cumbria trip off to a great start.
Rannerdale Bluebells Route on OS Maps
Loop of Buttermere
After the bluebells, we headed further down the road so we could walk around Buttermere. Another popular walk, this one has a lot of satisfaction for not very much effort, thanks to it being reasonably flat and easy going.
This was the spot we started our hike up Red Pike the last time we were here – it certainly wasn’t bordering on requiring micro spikes this time. And because we visited Croft House Farm Café that day (for a much-needed hot chocolate!), we headed to Syke Farm Tearoom this time. Actually, we went twice; for a coffee before we walked, and then for a slice of delicious honeycomb cake afterwards. Mmmmm hiking rewards…
While the walk around Buttermere’s edge is an ‘easy’ five-mile Lake District walk, it is very high value. The views were big, the woodland beautifully moss-covered, and the water lovely and calm. For two-thirds of the route we were on wide and nicely graded footpath, with only the last stretch being a bit rocky and rooty underfoot. I especially loved the little cave-like tunnel we had to walk through near the end, that was fun.
I really like Buttermere, and this walk was a demonstration that you can have excellent hiking in Cumbria without breaking a sweat or testing your endurance.
An Evening at Crummock Water
Given that it was such a beautiful day, with summer showing its most attractive side with a golden warmth over the fells, we headed out again after an early dinner (homemade pizza, I said I was treated well!). We went to Crummock Water, where we had a lovely walk through Lanthwaite Wood, before heading around the west side of the lake to find a spot where Fiona and Morris (Fiona’s dog) could have a swim.
What’s that I hear you ask? Did I get in? No… not on this occasion. Sorry, I know I let the side down by not actually getting in, but I was quite happy wandering up and down the shoreline, enjoying the sunset. Even with all the flying biting things, it was the most perfect spot for an evening spent outside. In my normal daily life, I am very bad at making time to get One Hour Outside after dinner. This hour at Crummock Water made me want to be outside more in the evenings this summer.
Weirdly, I just watched Thomas Heaton’s latest YouTube video, which features him photographing Crummock Water. The premise of the video was ‘f8 and be there’ – which is something worth remembering. If you like photography, Thomas Heaton is a good watch. Although don’t tell him I got (almost) a mirror-flat lake to photograph…!
Our Coledale Round
Friday was our big walk day – big in my book, anyway. Actually, let me be honest (with my legs that are used to the Cotswolds), it was a massive walk day. We headed to do a version of the Coledale Round. Not quite all of it (no Hopegill Head/Sand Hill or Causey Pike for us on this occasion), but a very decent circular walk. With some incredible views.
We started our hike in Braithwaite, first heading up Sleet How to Grisedale Pike. This was an incredibly hard three-mile slog from 105m up to 791m. It was so tough (and hot) I needed a boots-off break after two-miles, so I could even consider attempting the final mile to the top. Thankfully, once I did make it to the summit, I felt great for the rest of the day – even though it was still very undulating.
We hiked down Grisedale Pike to the waterfalls at Coledale Hause, where we filtered water and had another rest. Then it was up the scree slope and fun scramble of Eel Crag up to the top of Crag Hill, our highest point (and only trig pillar) of the day at 839m. The views from here were utterly spectacular – I could see the sea, and what seemed like the whole of the Lake District. What a place.
We weren’t done yet. We headed over The Scar to Sail (773m), down the famous zigzag path that you see in everyone’s photos (happy to add to the photography catalogue!), before taking the path between Causey Pike and Outerside to Stile End and Barrow (455m). Then it was just a case of bouncing down the grassy path back to Braithwaite.
Celebrating at The Round
The circular high-level hike we did was a little over nine miles long, included four Wainwrights, and over 3,700 feet of ascent. It took six hours, which it really shouldn’t have, but that ascent up Grisedale Pike very nearly broke me. It’s a bit embarrassing really, and I was most frustrated about how hard I found it. Especially when the rest of the day – including that scramble up Eel Crag – was completely fine.
Regardless of how long it took, it really was a great day out. The views were more than worth all the effort of that initial climb. But this route and story needs more words than I can give it in a weekly blog episode (I’ve already written an essay!), so I’m going to save the full tale for an adventure journal post of its own another time.
It seemed only right that we should head into Keswick to celebrate our day out with burgers at The Round. If we’re honest, this is the reason we started our hike at 11.30am and not at 8am – so we would be back off the fells in time for an early dinner! The food at The Round is really very good, this was a return visit for me as Jenni and I went when we were in Cumbria last year, and I would happily go back a third time.
Wandering Along Drigg Beach
I mentioned at the top of this post that when I arranged to visit Fiona in Cumbria, I asked for a hill, a woodland, a lake, and a beach… Saturday was beach day! The Cumbria coastline is absolutely gorgeous – if you have never been you should make a trip next time you are up that way.
We went to the very quiet and calm Drigg Beach, which sits between the Esk estuary at Ravenglass, and Seascale. It is a vast and remote beach with dunes which are a designated SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), with sea holly, sea bindweed and blue fleabane growing in the sand. There is a line of old military posts along the beach, too.
Drigg is where you’ll find the UK’s long-term store for low-level radioactive waste, you drive past it to get to the beach (you are a little south of Sellafield here). But the beach is part of the monitoring programme and is designated as safe. And I haven’t turned green.
Being off the beaten track, after only a ten-minute walk from the small parking area, we had the place to ourselves. We walked just over five miles (with a couple of stops on Fiona’s picnic blanket for tea and homemade Nanaimo bars). Thankfully the sand is compacted in the most part, so it was kind on the feet and legs after the previous day’s exploits.
Crummock Water and Liza Beck
Fiona and her husband are keen runners, and so while they went on their Sunday long run, 12-miles around Crummock Water and Buttermere, I went on a short hike.
I walked from Crummock Water up to and along Liza Beck, which sits in the gully between Whiteside and Grassmore towards Gasgale Gill. This is actually the same beck I rested by and filtered water from up at the foot of Sand Hill and Eel Crag on Friday afternoon.
Fiona’s husband had recommended this one, promising me beautiful waterfalls with fairy pools good for a paddle or maybe even a full dip. And very few people. He wasn’t wrong. It was gorgeous – wild and green and rocky, surrounded by craggy mountains.
The path along the beck was a bit scrambly in places, but it was easy enough. And as the main footpath up the mountain does so three or four contour lines further up the side of the hill, it was very quiet by the water. I chatted to a nice chap who had mistaken the beck-side path for the main path up to Sand Hill, but the routes meet up along Gasgale Gill so all was well.
I thoroughly enjoyed a sit down and a cup of tea next to the rushing water. And the route back down through woodland to Crummock Water was pretty special, too. A nice easy Sunday morning One Hour Outside walk to start my day.
Liza Beck Waterfalls on OS Maps
Walking the View from the Window
In the same way that I am working may way through hiking up all the geographical lumps I can see from my local hill at home, Fiona took me to walk one of the fells they can see from their back garden. We actually headed up Burnbank Fell the last time I visited (when we took the photos of the wild Christmas trees), but had to abandon the path because it was so icy. No problem with ice this time!
The loop we did was just under six-miles, and went around the edge of Burnbank Fell and down to Loweswater. Burnbank Fell sits right on the edge of the Lake District National Park. It was another one of those predominantly low-level routes on easy-to-walk paths, which has high value – you get the satisfaction of massive views with little effort.
The simple route had a bit of everything. I loved how wild and rugged it felt when we reached Highnook Beck, and the bluebells and wild garlic in Holme Wood along Loweswater were very pretty. There was a very new Belted Galloway calf along our route, which was very cute, along with so many lambs. We also came across a lesser-spotted Shaun the Sheep as we were leaving the shore of the lake – the fact that someone put one of these statues normally part of a town-centre trail in their field with the rest of their sheep made me smile.
Edge of Burnbank Fell and Loweswater Loop on OS Maps
Ashness Bridge and Walla Crag
Wanting to squeeze one more small adventure in before leaving Cumbria, I went for a hike on my way home. Fiona had recommended Ashness Bridge as a pretty place to see without heading high into the fells, so I found a route on OS Maps curated by Country Walking Magazine which went there and up Walla Crag.
I parked in the lakeside car park in Keswick (the most expensive car park in the Lake District?), and started my loop by heading to the lake and walking to Friar’s Crag and around to Calfclose Bay. I crossed the road and walked up to Ashness Bridge, which was indeed very pretty. Unfortunately, my peace was shattered by a team of workers with tarmac-breaking drills… oh well, they have to do road works sometimes!
From Ashness Bridge, I walked onto the fell, along Brown Knotts to Falcon Crag, and over to Walla Crag. There were a few other people enjoying the views from Walla Crag, and I don’t blame them – even in the low cloud it was superb.
My route back involved descending to Castlerigg, past a closed tearoom (shame!), and down to the edge of Keswick, before doing the brief additional climb up to the viewpoint at Castlehead Wood.
The 6.5-mile route was another one of those Lake District hikes with a very high-satisfaction rating but not too much of a drain on the energy reserves. It used decent paths with an ascent that I could feel but didn’t hurt, and provided me with fantastic views and even a sense of wildness. As such, this is the other route that I’ll share more about another day, because it ticked all the boxes. Watch this space for an adventure journal post.
And Home
I finished my time in Cumbria with a really fantastic lunch at Lake Road Brunch. I went in because there was a lady sat outside eating what looked like fantastic pancakes when I arrived back in Keswick. I’m glad I went in – I had the fried chicken pancakes special, washed down with a pot of tea, naturally. It was so good, and I will absolutely be back the next time I’m in Keswick.
Thank you very much indeed to friends Fiona and James for hosting me for the long weekend. I very much appreciate you sharing your house, your food, your firewood, and your favourite local spots with me. Morris can have his spot on the sofa back, now.
Gear Review: Water-to-Go Filter Bottle
I met up with the person behind Water-to-Go in the UK at the National Outdoor Expo, and they were kind enough to send me one of their bottles afterwards so I could try it out for myself on my hikes and motorcycle road trips. I have the 750ml Active Bottle, which is squeezable so you can filter water fast enough to drink whilst exercising.
The list of contaminants that Water-to-Go will catch and eliminate is a long one; the filter in this bottle removes 99.9999% of all microbiological contaminants from any non-saltwater source – making it safe to drink. There’s a full list and more information on their website. But in short, it’s a very clever bit of kit, which makes staying hydrated when hiking or travelling much easier, cheaper and safer than it might otherwise be.
Because the filter is part of the bottle, you don’t have to have separate containers – you just fill the bottle from your chosen water source, screw on the top, and drink filtered water through the spout.
Water-to-Go are doing good things, too, supporting a number of charitable projects and causes to provide clean drinking water where it is needed.
Carrying Less Water
Personally speaking, I want the fact I’ve now got an excellent and convenient way to filter water on the go to mean I carry less weight on my hikes. I’ve been known to carry three or four litres in various containers, which I would say is not that unusual for hikers in the UK. But water is heavy, even when most of it is in a bladder, and I would love to feel confident to carry less. I could ditch the bladder completely and carry a full water bottle, a flask of tea, and my Water-to-Go bottle – and then refill as I go. This would be quite the habit change, but might be worth the effort.
I gave this idea a test run on the Coledale Round hike mentioned earlier. I started from Braithwaite with a little over two-litres in three containers, drank all that on my way up and down Grisedale Pike, and then refilled from a fast-flowing stream half-way through. It was such a hot day, I was very glad to have this option – I could drink as much as I wanted without worrying, and start again with full capacity.
The fact the bottle is squeezable meant I could easily decant filtered water from my Water-to-Go bottle into my other bottles. It didn’t take long at all, just enough time for a little boots-off break by the stream. Of course, it helped that Fiona knew there would be a decent water source midway through our hike, but adding a bit of water research into my planning for future hiking days out will mean I can plan ahead.
Good for Travel
I also rather hope this reusable bottle will mean I need to buy less bottled water when I’m travelling. It pains me, but as someone who has been known to get quite sick from drinking tap water in countries where they treat it differently to the UK, I have to buy water to make sure I keep well. The Water-to-Go filter should mean I can fill up from tap water sources abroad, and not worry about getting sick. Or at least I hope that will be the case… Something to test on a future trip. I’ll let you know!
I’d love to know if you use a water filter – either when hiking in the UK or (and) when travelling. Let me know in the comments below.
And if you don’t have one but would like to try it out, or if you are not happy with your current water filter, then I would recommend Water-to-Go. I even have a discount code to make it more appealing…
Use Splodz15 in the coupon code box at checkout to get 15% off your Water-to-Go bottles and replacement filters. This is the one I have – the active bottles are the squeezable ones.
That’s Entertainment
After last week’s large set of mini book reviews, I’ve got just one for you this week…
Audiobook: Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman
My most recent listen on Audible was unusually from the self-help genre, chosen as it was recommended by my Comms Unplugged friends. In Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman sets out to realign our relationship with time – and in doing so, to “liberate us from its tyranny”. It seemed an appropriate listen considering my recent ramblings on productivity versus success, and my constant anxieties about time passing far too quickly.
Burkeman starts the book by outlining the following incredibly true statement:
“The real problem isn’t our limited time. The real problem […] is that we’ve unwittingly inherited, and feel pressured to live by, a troublesome set of ideas about how to use our limited time, all of which are pretty much guaranteed to make things worse.”
He’s right. And I found myself nodding along as Burkeman worked his way through the stories and advice on my drive home from Cumbria a couple of weekends ago. Less of a time management book and more a philosophical and analytical response to time. And while it is a musing on the passing of time, there are also loads of self-help, organisational and productivity tips, some of which seem worth taking on board.
I guess I can sum up the book in a sentence I have used a number of times before… You can do anything, but not everything. The issue is, as always, how to choose.
Audible | Amazon | Waterstones
Week Three of National Walking Month
I’m very sorry to say that this week’s walk-a-day-in-May to celebrate National Walking Month have been much less interesting than the ones I included in my last weekly blog episode. And I have had one failed day. Last week had something of a head start thanks to spending most of it off work and in Cumbria; this week has been a little less varied.
But if you look at the story behind Living Streets’ National Walking Month, it is much less about big hikes and more about short walks; the kind we could all do with more of in our lives. I included a bit more about the background to this important month-long campaign in weekly blog episode 151.
Keeping that important fact in mind, here is my roundup of my daily walks over the last seven days, very much inspired by National Walking Month…
Tuesday 14 May: Running Errands
Running errands on foot is one of the easiest ways to incorporate walking into your daily life. I headed out of the office in my lunch break to do a little top up shop and get some fresh air. That’s all it takes.
Wednesday 15 May: The Doctor’s Surgery
Today’s walk took me to my doctor’s surgery for an appointment. It was first thing, so I headed into town early and went for a walk beforehand, which was an excellent decision as it turned out the rest of my day got derailed and there was no other time for wandering. Oh, and let this be your reminder to get your smear test booked if you’re due one… uncomfortable, yes, but oh so important.
Thursday 16 May: From my Front Door
It was a working-from-home kind of Thursday, and so I went out for a walk from my own front door before I fried some eggs for lunch. I am fortunate that I live somewhere reasonably quiet, and so a lunchtime walk around the block is a pleasant experience without too much traffic noise or lots of other people. A very simple yet very effective One Hour Outside.
Friday 17 May: Alnwick
When we are on motorcycle road trips, unless we have stopped at an attraction or viewpoint that requires a bit of a walk, we have very little time on two feet (because we are on two wheels instead…). We do, however, try and make sure we have at least a brief walk in the evening to see a little of where we are staying and to get some dinner. On Friday, this involved a wander around the beautiful Alnwick.
Saturday 18 May: Too Short to Count
My first – and hopefully only – fail of National Walking Month, as I really can’t count the two or three five-minute walks I did on Saturday. Time for walking was incredibly limited thanks to both the lengthy day ride, and because we were staying over three miles our dinner reservation. We did at least spend all day outside, it just wasn’t spent walking.
Sunday 19 May: Callander Craig
A shorter riding day meant we arrived at our overnight stop with time to explore a little – and we chose to go all in with a hike up Callander Craig for some exercise and views. It was a hard-going mile-long slog through a steeply sloping woodland to get to the top, but as is normally the case, it was very much worth the effort. The way down through the middle of the woodland was so very pretty, too.
Monday 20 May: Around the Village
On Monday we had 360-miles of motorway to ride to get home – not our favourite way to spend a day. So boring (and tiring)! That evening, we went for a walk around our village to stretch our legs. Some days include fun walks, other days don’t, but it’s good to get out anyway.
With only two of my seven daily walks this week being ‘interesting’ (Alnwick and Callander Craig), it would be easy to feel like it’s been pointless. But it really is those less exciting walks that are the ones that make the most difference to my daily mood and productivity. Those are the ones that get me moving when I wouldn’t otherwise, mean I get some fresh air and natural light, and have me use my feet instead of jumping in the car. Yes, I’m hoping for more interesting walks this coming week, but it simply cannot be that way all the time.
See You Next Time…
I think that’s enough for this weekly blog episode. I’m late publishing it as it is… well, by my own self-imposed deadline, anyway. I’ll be back soon with those promised hiking adventure journal posts, and will talk a little about the motorcycle trip I’ve just been on in my next weekly blog episode.
In the meantime, I recently published a post all about how it took me two years to hike a two-day trail here in the Cotswolds. Give my Winchcombe Way adventure journal a read next.
See you next time.
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