Bowscale 20th September 2010

After being roasted alive in our lovely bedroom, we partook of breakfast, full works for C and boiled eggs for me plus a few other bits and pieces.
It wasn’t actually raining but it wasn’t looking too promising either so we drove to Castlerigg stone circle which was surprisingly busy. I managed to take photos that didn’t include any of the other people there so the camera does lie. Back into Keswick for a pootle round the shops – gear shops, book shops, a whisky shop where I bought a half bottle of Caol Ila, don’t know how I missed this shop on previous visits, a nice cheese shop with a cheesy name (Fond Ewe) and we had some good coffee in Bar 26 (Illy coffee). This took quite a while.
It was getting late and by this time the weather had cleared properly so we took a spur of the moment decision to check out Bowscale Tarn as recommended by the man in the mist the day before. Fifteen minutes later we were scoffing various yummy things prior to setting off on the walk.
It’s a very easy walk up to the tarn and took us 50 minutes with no big packs on our backs. The route follows an old pony track used for carting Victorian tourists up to the tarn, poor ponies. The tourists don’t go there any more, we saw one other walker.
The tarn is pretty much enclosed and is thus sheltered from lots of wind. We identified 2 possible camping spots, one to the north and a bit wet and another in a slightly more public spot but drier, and both flat. And so we have a new wild camp site. Just keep it to yourselves.
We descended via the other end of the tarn and rejoined the pony track. 40 minutes down.
Home about half eight stopping only for more shopping at Tebay.

I think I look a right burk!

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Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Chris and Jak’s Lakeland Adventure Monday 170510





Both woke quite early after a somewhat better sleep with the window open but perhaps not open enough as I had been pretty hot again. Bloody hell, middle age seems to mean not sleeping and increasingly losing my senses, that’s in the plural.
Breakfast time again. We picked up the usual cereals and juices etc. and then both asked for food that wasn’t exactly what was on the menu. C for bacon and me for ham and poached egg. We were both half way through eating our cereal when the hot food arrived and got plonked down so we had to finish off the cereal holding the bowls up. I don’t know why we didn’t protest and send the hot stuff back, really we should have done but I was so surprised it didn’t occur to me! It was nice but not massive in the portion department by any means. We picked up some flapjack to take with us just in case we felt a terrible urge to eat at any point.
Chris went off to use the pool and associated facilities again and I had another lovely shower and then went down to try out the Wii machine. I played some tennis very badly, no change there although I could see how it might possibly make me better at it. Good fun and confirmed that I don’t need to buy one! It said I had a fitness age of 80 which was mildly disconcerting.
Then we packed up and checked out, and whizzed into Keswick. Parked up by the lake and had a not very strong coffee in an old fashioned lakeside cafe. Then off for a tour of the lake by boat. This was lovely, weather was great. Back to the town for lunch, funny how quickly one gets hungry. Went into Bar 26, this was a very fortuitous move, nice cafe, nice food, nice loo! C had soup and a baguette and I had a lamb and mint burger, very tasty and nicely presented. Also good strong coffee.
It was time to hit the shops, and although it felt like we went in every outdoor shop in the town the best one seemed to be George Fisher. And thus passed several happy hours until we were shopped out and it really was time to go home.
We set off but only got to Tebay services where we just had to check out the opportunities for more spending. Got back to Tod by 7.00 and I was home before 8.00. A really great weekend with lots done and good weather all through. Thanks Chris.

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=keswick&aq=&sll=54.52257,-3.381656&sspn=0.031383,0.104628&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Keswick,+Cumbria,+United+Kingdom&t=m&ll=54.601257,-3.134708&spn=0.014916,0.025749&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

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