Tag: Bowscale Tarn

Bowscale Tarn and Bowscale Fell 300411

Got up early and over to Tod by 8 to collect Chris. Left promptly, stopping at Lancaster services to stock up at M&S. A quick coffee and off to Mungisdale. Parked up, did huge amount of pfaffing and set off for the tarn. Quite windy but sunny and dry. Lunched on tuna nicoise, very nice, and watched a very foolish person going up the side of the tarn on a very difficult route where there isn’t really a path. They seemed to manage it though. We also watched a couple of other people take the route we were planning to do which looks much steeper from the bottom than when you are on it.
A little while later, we tackled it, it’s a short sharp way to the top and was fine except for being very windy which was a bit unnerving. However before long, we had reached the top and it was then a fairly short step up to the top of the fell. We came down on the other side which kept us out of the wind a bit and landed us right in the village next to the pub.
After a mix up with a cyclist taking Chris’ beer, we headed back along the road to the pub. On the way there was a national garden open so we popped in and had a lovely time, with me not knowing any plant names and Chris knowing quite a few. Mr had put various quirky sculptures round the garden so it was a bit like a treasure hunt. He clearly had an obsession about wood piles which was fine with me.
Finally got back to the car, drove round to the Bradley’s farm at Low Cock How and put up our tents in the garden on a nice flat bit of grass that wasn’t too dry so a bit springy.
Then we cooked up chicken green Thai curry and rice for dinner and ate this in the campers’ kitchen which suffered from an attack of hair, possibly dog or even horse.
A quick trip to the Shepherd’s Rest Hotel for beer, this turned out to be the wrong pub and we should really have gone to the Fox and Hounds as the Shepherds doesn’t review well. Our beer was fine. 
Totally knackered so back to the camp for tea with Chris’ special rum. 
We both did more sleeping than waking so perhaps not too bad a night really for camping.

At the tarn
Before the ascent
Bowscale Tarn
The tarn
Riding the wind

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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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