Day 1: 4th April 2013
My eyes scan the small, electronic screens after I board coach 'C'. I'm sat at seat 23, next to a lady reading articles on her Macbook. The train flys through the countryside, stopping at a mere six stations before drawing into Oxhenholme, in southern Lake District. I delve into re-reading 'The Hunger Games' for the 4th time, after a year 7 boy refuelled my passion for the series by talking about it endlessly to me.
Together Nathan and I board a connecting train to Windermere. Our train journey takes us across hills, rural farms and snow capped mountains, straight into the heart of the Lake District. We converse of potential treks we want to do and reminiscence of our previous hikes in Edale, summer 2012.
On disembarkment, we're greeted by the sight of a large group of predominantly Asian tourists, fashionably dressed and cladding designer rolling suitcases. I couldn't help but wonder about the practicality of it all, in the rurality of the Lakes.
At the bus stop, we ask about departure times to Patterdale, where our youth hostel is situated. "There are no buses, they don't run in the school holidays!" said the ticket seller...
Don't worry, I'm sure there are other alternatives. We ask a taxi. "£28.00" (ridiculously priced). We wait for other people. Maybe we can hitch a lift and offer petrol money? No luck.
We go back to the conductor: "How far is it?" "Can we walk?". "It's long! At least yer get yer walking boots on, or you can hitchhike, I thumbed it a few times when I was a young-un".
We set off, in quiet optimism. Hugging the roadside where there was no pavement up the Kirkstone pass. Hours into walking, we take in the scenic views as we get higher and higher. My rucksack, at approximately 10kg, starts to dig into my shoulder blades. Four hours into walking, my knees start to throb in protest of carrying excess weight.
My motivation for walking quickly diminished as darkness gradually settled in. Our attempts at hitchhiking remained fruitless and unsuccessful. We dragged our feet up towards Patterdale, without wanting to 'give-in' and order a taxi.
Six hours later, at 9:00pm, we reach our youth hostel in a state of exhaustion. We passed mountains, deer, wildlife, and the highest pub in England. We saved £28.00. We walked 12 miles in the stubborn pursuit of "keeping it cheap". Despite the exhaustion, I was happy. We managed to see and take in more of the Lake District then I ever anticipated on the first day. I was reminded of a motto Matt, Emerson and I devised during our roadtrip: "Do it and It'll be Good".
Day 2: 5th April
Starting off the day with a sachet of rice porridge and banana cake, we proceed to ask the receptionist about the conditions for ascending Helvellyn. He advised: "No, don't do it without the equipment. It's in full winter conditions, you'll need crampons and an ice axe.
On the first instance, I felt crushed. There was nothing more I wanted to do then ascend a high mountain during my time in the Lakes.
Nathan and I exchange a side-glance. We pull out the map and plan an alternative route up to Helvellyn without the involvement of thin arete ridges. Lets do it. Lets try, How do we know we can't do it without trying?
With that, I packed a daypack with extra clothing, food and water and we set off on our attempt to ascend Helvellyn against the advise of others.
The first three hours of the trek were breathtakingly beautiful. We passed Grismere Tarn, frozen due to the adverse weather conditions, bright white hills and highlands immersed within the winter snow.
Towards the middle of the trek, the weather conditions intensified. The couple behind us turned back as the wind raged through clothing. The snow got deeper and the effort of treading through the thick snow combined with the steep ascent zapped at my energy levels relentlessly. I felt the need to stop every ten minutes. At this point, I was unsure if we would make it up to Helvellyn.
We soon sheltered behind a high pile of rocks, providing us with temporary relief from the wind that had already blown us off our feet on several occasions. We continued on despite the biting wind, motivated by the sight of a small group of hikers making their way down. If they could do it, so we could we.
We asked a hiker about the conditions at the top. In reply, he said that it was ok, just very windy and slippery in places.
We emerged over the hill at 884M at Nethermost Pike. Already this felt incredibly high. We saw a small aircraft flying around 300M below us, reaffirming our position at the topmost peaks of the Lake District.
Helvellyn, according to the map, was a mile ahead. We walked across the peak of Nethermost Pike, staying far away from the edge in order to avoid snow cornices and sudden gusts of wind that had the power to unbalance us.
We trudged on, pulling our feet out of the deep footprints we established. With a short final ascent, in the distance we saw a thin pillar of stones marking the top of Helvellyn (950M). We felt a massive sense of achievement, having made it up to the peak when others deemed it not possible.
We stayed as long as we could bare in the sub-zero temperatures. We sat looking out at Striding and Swirral Edge, both deeply covered in snow.
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| Striding Edge |
Our long descent started on 'Red Scree': Steep, snowy and slippery. Nathan managed to scurry down in quick, light side steps. I attempted to 'penguin step' down the ramp, however I quickly realised that this method was safe, yet very slow and inefficient. I changed tactics and sat down instead: sliding down the ramp-like path and using my feet as the brake and accelerator.
Energy efficient descent: mountain sliding!
The descent was icy and slippery, but manageable. We ended up descending into Glenridding, a town about a mile away from our hostel. We defrosted with hot drinks at a local pub and went straight back to our hostel for the evening after a 8+ hour day.
It was heavenly being back, where we spent the evening recuperating from our hike. With the adrenaline long gone, my knees ached and throbbed horribly, building upon the soreness of yesterday. I never experienced knee pain before, so I found it quite unusual that they hurt so bad. We relaxed for the evening: cooking dinner and chatting to other backpackers staying at the hostel.
With retiring to bed, I was faced with one final obstacle: mounting the top bunk without rousing Christen, the Canadian girl who slept beneath me. With tearing pain in both my knees, I gritted my teeth climbing the first rung of the ladder. Mid-way up, I attempted to propel myself onto the bed without the use of my knees, shaking the bed vigorously without intent. Oooops, so much for attempting to be graceful :\.
Day 3: 5th April
I woke up to just a dull pain in my knees, ready to embrace my last full day at the lakes. We decide to embark on a light 9 mile walk to "Aera Force", Lake District's most famous waterfall.It was a bright and clear day. White topped mountains, like ice-cream cones, reflected across the Ullswater lake, creating a sense of tranquility and peace.
We walked along the pebbled edge of the lake where we could, trudging through shallow water where the path ended. We passed a groom and bride on the way to the attraction, as they stood by the waters getting their wedding photography taken. We arrived at the attraction to a bustling car park and scrums of families.
Although described as the best waterfall in the Lakes, the sight was a little anti-climatic. It was comparable to a large spout of water, dropping ten metres below. The site was described as the area where William Wentworth first met the love of his life.
Trip Tips
- With Lake District 300+ miles away, you can get cheap train tickets by booking as far in advance as possible with lots of flexibility. I paid for x2 singles at £22.10 each from London Euston >> Oxenholme, Lake District. However, I did see train tickets for as cheap as £10.90 one way (very early trains). I booked via The Train Line, after researching National Rail, Virgin and East Coast trains.
- Lake District is notoriously expensive for accommodation, and even camping is quite pricey (around £8.00 per night). We stayed at a Youth Hostel (Patterdale:YHA), for £15.00 per night. Buy membership on arrival for 50% off at £4.95 for under 26s. (they don't advertise this on the website!). You get £3.00 off per night and a one year membership.
- The weather changes in an instance in the Lakes. Bring lots and lots of layers. At the top of Helvellyn I was wearing: x2 trousers, fleece, top, and x2 waterproofs. I was still cold. Hats, gloves and scarves make a big difference!
- FOOD IS EXPENSIVE. There are lovely little characteristic old pubs all around the Lakes but the meals are £10.00+ (mostly uninspiring: e.g. sausage, mash potato & peas type grub). Bring as much food as you can with you to avoid spending around £15.00 per day just on food. Windermere has a Morrisons, but other small Lake District towns such as Patterdale and Glenridding only had expensive corner shops.
- Public transportation is pretty bad.......and also expensive. A single bus ticket from Patterdale to Windermere is £6.25. Although buses are irregular (around 1 every 2 hours) they are definitely manageable. Just pick up a bus timetable and plan in advance instead of turning up at a bus stop. Taking public transport is ultimately cheaper then a car hire and you get to embrace more of the Lake District more then driving around.
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