From Glasgow we are heading back towards England. Our first destination is the Lake District. There is also a national park of the same name. The region is known for its numerous glacial lakes, many mountain peaks and picturesque little villages. We want to do some hiking, among other routes climb the highest mountain in England, but also relax a bit and enjoy the atmosphere of the small villages. Therefore, we finally spend almost a week here, but read for yourself what we experienced.

Carlisle

The city of Carlisle is only about 16km away from the Scottish border and therefore our first stop. Here we want to refuel and top up supplies again. By chance we pass the cathedral and of course Mimi wants to have a short look inside. Since the cathedral is only a few meters away from the pedestrian zone, we also stroll through the already pre-Christmas decorated alleys. If you like shopping, you will certainly be well served here.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

A little outside of Keswick, one of the larger towns in the Lake District, we visit the Castlerigg Stone Circle. The stone circle is in its diameter one of the largest in England. Unlike famous Stonehenge, however, the stones are much smaller, and the stone circle is freely accessible without entrance fee or park rangers. We step by early in the morning so that we are the only visitors along with a few sheep.
Unfortunately, it is quite overcast and the clouds obscure the view of the mountain landscape in the background. Nevertheless, we are already looking forward to the upcoming hikes.

Blencathra

Our first hike will be to Blencathra. The almost 870m high mountain is surrounded by numerous waterfalls. Unfortunately, the water comes down from the sky in the form of rain almost like waterfalls, so we replace the hike with a leisurely coffee in the village of Threlkeld. Briefly, we consider whether we should wait a day and consult the weather forecast. Unfortunately, the weather reports here in the UK have so far been rather bad than right, most of the time there is anyway different weather than announced. The most important thing for us at the moment is to have reasonably dry weather for the biggest hike we have planned. So that we don’t miss the time window with the best weather, we decide against holding out for a day for Blencathra and instead continue on our way.

Grasmere & Helm Crag

Grasmere is an English village out of a picture book. The fact that it drizzles lightly all the time during our visit underlines this impression. Small stone houses line the few streets and invite you to warmly lit coffee shops and small boutiques. We are here on the weekend and thus by far not the only visitors. To escape the crowds a bit, we decide to walk up the nearby local mountain, Helm Crag. With its 400 meters height it is a little bit exaggerated to call the hill a mountain, but the view is fabulous. As it is still drizzling, we meet only a few other people on our little hike.

Wast Water

On the way to our next destination, we pass the lake Wast Water and stop for a late breakfast. The lake is known for its glassy surface in nice weather and the high, barren mountains that run directly into the lake. We are here in late fall, therefore there’s not a bit of a smooth water surface and beautiful reflections of the mountains in the water. Still, it’s a beautiful sight and the view of a couple of England’s highest mountains astonishing.

Scafell Pike

The highest mountain in England, Scafell Pike, is our main destination in the Lake District. When we arrive we don’t see much of the mountain, because it is covered by a thick layer of fog. We hope that it will clear towards the top. With just under 980 meters altitude, Scafell Pike is not super high compared to our Swiss mountains. But still, who can claim to have been on the highest mountain of a country.
To get up Scafell there are three well known routes, from Great Langdale, Borrowdale and Wasdale Head. We chose to climb from Wasdale Head. This is the shortest route in terms of time, but it is also the most challenging, as it is the steepest and stoniest route. The route from Borrowdale is said to be the easiest, but also the most used.

The climb starts easy and becomes more and more demanding. The last 200 meters of altitude on the loose gravel are particularly strenuous. At the top we are stuck in the middle of the clouds. It’s so cold and damp that we only stay on the summit for a short while and quickly start our descent again.

Back we go again in the direction of Wasdale. Choosing another final destination is only possible if you are traveling without a car. There are no public transport connections between the valleys to get back to our Ben. We take a slightly different route and come down over a ridge. From here we have a magnificent view of the lake Wast Water. However, the wind gets so strong that we have to take breaks every now and then and Mimi anchors herself to the ground with her hiking poles. The descent is very steep and with the strong wind quite challenging.
Today we spend the night in the campsite Wasdale Campsite at the foot of the Scafell Pike, here there is a hot shower for us and electricity, so we can use our heater to have it nice and cozy warm in our Ben. It’s a good decision, because in the evening it hails for a good quarter of an hour, so that the ground is covered with a white layer of ice! So much for picking out the best weather of the week.

Honister Slate Mine

On our way further we visit the Honister Slate Mine. It is the last active slate mine in England and offers tours of one of its disused mines.
Equipped with helmets and headlamps, we take a 1 ½ hour tour of the mountain with a group of about 20 people. The tour follows the story of a former mine worker and the guide keeps telling little anecdotes with typical English humor. All in all, a well done tour and great insights into slate mining.
In the summer, you can also enjoy many other activities such as zip-lining and climbing.

All year, daily, 10:30, 12:30 and 14:30 (timeslots bookable ahead of time on website)
Admission: £17.50/adult, £9.50/child

Ambleside

Having driven roughly a circle in the Lake District, this is the second time we’ve passed by Ambleside, and this time we’re stopping here to walk around the little town. Ambleside radiates just as much charm with its old stone houses as already visited Grasmere, only a little larger and so we enjoy delicious late breakfast before we continue to Manchester and Liverpool.