Lake District Walk

Eskdale is the part of the Lake District that my parents used to take me to on family holidays when I was a small child. My mother and father knew a farmer who used to let out one of his old houses and we used to stay in this very basic cottage; it was lovely in fine weather because I could play in the farm with the dogs and cows but when it rained it was a bit restrictive.

The morning after my arrival I woke up fairly early and was served a wonderful, large traditional English cooked breakfast. In fact the landlady seemed to relish offering me the challenge of her enormous pile of food. Realizing that I was going to be expending a lot of energy that day, I ate the lot!

I was also supplied with a packed lunch of sandwiches which I was very glad of later in the day. I had also furnished myself with a whole load of snacks purchased from the little store in the nearby village of Eskdale Green as well as a couple of bottles of water. 

From Wha House Farm I walked up the road a little to join a footpath which took me towards Hardknott Pass, meandering through some really beautiful, ancient, mossy woodland, the type of which is rich in wildlife. 

I walked rather slowly, taking in the birds and plants around me; I was very pleased to discover a family of Spotted Flycatchers in a shady spot, with the young noisily flitting around in an attempt to get the parents to feed them. This seemed like a very good spot for small birds to feed as I also observed a small flock of mixed species including a juvenile Redstart, 2 Song Thrushes, 5 Coal Tits and a family of both Great and Blue Tits all of which looked very beautiful against the lush, green, mossy background.

By the time I reached the bottom of Hardknott Pass the rain had stopped so I followed my original plan of walking along Upper Eskdale to where the biggest mountains of England are situated. My memory from walking up there with my father was of spectacular scenery so even with the threat of further rain I was eager to press on. 

From this point the footpath followed the stream closely and I stopped to watch a Grey Wagtail. The stream here was still lined with beautiful open, oak woodland; still impressed with this scenery I took another photograph.

Birdwatching at this spot revealed 2 Garden Warblers, a Mistle Thrush and more Spotted Flycatchers. The abundance of this last species was nice to see. When I was in my early teens, Spotted Flycatchers were so common back home that I would hardly stop to look at them, now they are mostly gone, but it was nice to see them so common here - if only British woodlands were always this good. 

Heading further up the valley the woodland began to disappear and I gained height quite quickly with the scenery dominated by rocks, crags and streams rather than trees. The open aspect meant that I started to see different wildlife; lichens on rocks, aquatic vegetation and one of the commonest birds of British uplands put in its first appearance of the day - Meadow Pipit. 

As one goes further up Eskdale the number of species of birds thins out, but the views become progressively more spectacular with waterfalls and high mountains all around.
 At this small waterfall I watched a Grey Wagtail busily feeding two very recently fledged chicks - a scene typical of this valley. Wheatear, Yellowhammer and a juvenile Whinchat were all nice birds that I was pleased to see too. 

The only problem is that getting to all this great scenery involves hiking up loads of steep and wet trails, by this time my feet were already soaked so that I was simply taking the shortest route to where I wanted to go, whether that was straight through a bog or not. I had to spare a thought for an old friend of mine who used to accompany me on hiking trips in the past. I was very fit at the time and used to leap up the mountains while he huffed and puffed away; now that I am not quite so fit I have some idea of how he felt. Bogs and steep climbs aside there was still some time to stop and look at the birds with a pair of Ravens calling from some crags and a male Stonechat amongst the bracken.

Towards the upper limits of Eskdale there is a waterfall and an old stone bridge - Lingove Beck falls and Lingcove bridge. I remember this area vividly from a walk with my father; he called the area "Throstle Garth" which I think means "Thrush Gorge" and refers to the area just below the waterfall.

The waterfall itself is quite nice but by this time I was ravenously hungry, tired and made very hard work of getting to the top of it!

Once at the top of my climb, the valley opened out into one of the most spectacular views in England. Here the valley is wide and boggy, with a rocky stream through the middle and high mountains all around, like an ampitheatre - I felt very small sitting there on my own. This was a good place to have lunch and an even better place for those wishing to overdose on Meadow Pipits, although anyone wishing for more than fabulous views and Meadow Pipits should stay away! Here are a few pictures from my lunch spot, but they hardly do the area justice.

Despite my extremely large breakfast my exertions of the morning had made me very hungry indeed. I sat, taking in my view, eating my sandwiches. Then I ate some of the snacks I had packed. Then I ate some more snacks. Then I ate some fruit. Then I realized that I had brought nowhere near enough food for the length of walk that was before me. Anyone who has ever been on a hike with me will know that this is not the first time my provision planning was left in tatters; an ascent of Skafell Pike with just a single chocolate bar, 3 days in the bush in Australia with just a cheese sandwich per person per day and 2 days hiking on the Isle of Skye with only a cake baked by my mother and a bottle of whiskey between two people immediately come to mind.

Thoughts of another ascent of Skafell Pike were scrapped due to the lack of sustenance that the exertions would require so I took a long look at my Lake District Ordnance Survey maps of the area to find a route whereby I did not have to retrace my steps. I found a suitable route over a pass and down Mosedale which would take me to the opposite side of Hardknott Pass to where I was staying, from there I could walk the hair-raising road that crosses the mountains back to my accommodation.

Searching for the trail towards Mosedale I came across a Skylark, which I usually think of as a bird of the lowlands, and a distant flock of 15 Ravens swooping around a mountain top. Watching this airborne flock I noticed that the weather had changed for the better and now there were blue skies and sunshine to brighten up the beautiful mountains - an unexpected bonus.

After finding the way I began slogging down Mosedale which was pretty rough with no real track so it was a case of splashing through more bogs. By this time I was fairly tired and I even stopped looking at the birds, knowing that every last one that flew away from me was either a Meadow Pipit or Wheatear.

The walking along the Duddon valley was easy, along a nicely marked footpath through fields and alongside the stream. The scenery was very beautiful in the sunshine. The boggy meadows I was walking through made me look down and I found some nice plants growing, including yellow Bog Asphodel and pink Heath Spotted Orchid (pictured left).

The birds along the stream were also more abundant than in the higher areas and a male Redpoll landing on a fence in front of me was very nice. A Grey Heron fishing in the River Duddon, a pair of Buzzards mewing on a crag, many Swallows, 4 Wheatears and a party of Long-tailed Tits all did their part to create a peaceful and beautiful scene although 5 Carrion Crows feeding on a dead sheep in the river was perhaps less idyllic.

My fresh interest in wildlife did not make me immune from feeling very tired from my extended hike and I was not relishing the very long walk around Harter Fell to get back to Wha House Farm and a shower. With this in mind I decided to take the more direct route via the summit of Harter Fell, which in hindsight wasn't the best choice I've ever made. The trail was horribly steep and difficult to follow and I had to constantly consult the map and try and work out where I should be heading. Somehow I eventually made it to the right place, but not before making several stops to admire the fantastic views of the mountains in the sunshine. I have been up here many times in the past with my father but I was still mesmerized by the scenery.

However, by this time I was so knackered that the birds could be damned, particularly the, by now, quite tiresome Meadow Pipits and Wheatears. Although a Buzzard being chased by a Raven did make me pay attention in one weary-free moment.

The view from the summit was great, particularly the view down upon Mediobogdum Fort, an old Roman encampment. From this height all the rooms of the fort could quite clearly be seen in the soft afternoon sunlight.

After my stupendous shower I made the journey to the George IV Inn further down Eskdale. I have vivid memories of my parents taking me to this pub on a bright sunny day; they drank their beer and G&T whilst I sipped very sophisticatedly on orange juice.

On this occasion I sat in the rear garden in the evening sunshine and ordered steak and kidney pie with chips, a traditional English pub meal, and a pint of Sneck Lifter, the local ale.

By this time it was about 8.30-9pm but still pleasantly light and I was sufficiently rested to watch a Black-headed Gull cruising over a recently cut hay field, catching emerging insects.

Carefully calculated quantities of beer
I mentioned previously that a carefully calculated amount of beer was to be consumed. I lied. I drank just as much as I felt like and after such a crippling walk I felt like drinking quite a lot!

A walk in Upper Eskdale
This page describes a walk very similar to mine into Upper Eskdale and back. It contains a lot of wonderful photographs of the area including Throstle Garth, the Roman Fort at Hardknott, Lingcove Bridge and the waterfall of Lingcove Beck.

Eskdale Valley from Boot
Map and route description available for download plus photographs from along the walk.

Sca Fell from Wha House Farm
A long walk which follows many of the same footpaths as I walked on my trek. Maps, instructions and photographs.

Eel Tarn from Boot
A nice little walk away from the crowds and some spectacular scenery. This is the first lake District walk that my father took me on that I can remember in detail. This page describes the route and supplies an OS map.

Khao Yai Elephant Attack

My sister came to visit me in Thailand and wanted to see a wild elephant. She got a lot closer look at one than she expected.

Hardknott Pass - Driving Adventures On A Roman Road
Driving up this extremely steep road can be quite a challenge; read the stories of three of my trips up the road.