With the weekend off work and some sunshine I decided it was a great chance to walk to Scaffel Pike, England's highest mountain. I did a little research and got some maps and set out alone just after breakfast at around 8.30am. I was guessing it was going to take me around nine hours to get there and back but I wasn't exactly sure.
I started off walking over the Langdales up to the beautiful Skittle Ghyll. Then I walked down to Dungeon Ghyll and from there reached a path passing over about six peaks before I reached Scaffel Pike. At one point I almost gave up and turned back because of the time but the conditions were perfect and I was not sure I would get conditions that good again. Each summit had stunning views and there were hundreds of people out enjoying the great weather. I did not reach the summit until just before five and wanted to just sit and enjoy the view but my hours of daylight were decreasing so I headed down. The summit is 978 metres and you can see all the way to the ocean. As you reach the summit you have to clamber up rocks and there are many tracks leading to the top. in my excitement of reaching the top I had forgotten which path I had come up. So I walked around for about thirty minutes before finding it. I found my track and walked back to Dungeon Ghyll following a slightly shorter track and reached the road just before dark.
Luckily I had a torch because I still needed to get over the Langdales and back to Grasmere. I walked up and from the top I could see the lights of Grasmere. I had never been so excited to see the village lights.
I made it back to Glenthorne about 10pm, thirteen and a half hours after setting off. I had quickly stopped along the way for photos and food but I had basically walked non stop the whole time.
I have now summited two of what is known as the three peaks. I walked up Ben Nevis last month, now Scaffel Pike. I still have to do Snowdon in Wales.
Today was another day of sunshine so I went to support a new friend Molly and her friend Holly who were swimming in the Great North Swim on Lake Windermere. The one mile swim on Englands largest lake is held over two days. This year there were 6000 competitors making it the largest open water swim in the country. The conditions were perfect and it looked very inviting until I was told the temperature of the water was 16.3 degrees Celsius. Wetsuits are not compulsory but highly recommended.
Tonight I plan to head to the pub for a Sunday night pint before a few more days work then I am catching a bus back to London, then a bus to Munich for a weekend of beer drinking for the opening weekend of Oktoberfest.
I started off walking over the Langdales up to the beautiful Skittle Ghyll. Then I walked down to Dungeon Ghyll and from there reached a path passing over about six peaks before I reached Scaffel Pike. At one point I almost gave up and turned back because of the time but the conditions were perfect and I was not sure I would get conditions that good again. Each summit had stunning views and there were hundreds of people out enjoying the great weather. I did not reach the summit until just before five and wanted to just sit and enjoy the view but my hours of daylight were decreasing so I headed down. The summit is 978 metres and you can see all the way to the ocean. As you reach the summit you have to clamber up rocks and there are many tracks leading to the top. in my excitement of reaching the top I had forgotten which path I had come up. So I walked around for about thirty minutes before finding it. I found my track and walked back to Dungeon Ghyll following a slightly shorter track and reached the road just before dark.
Luckily I had a torch because I still needed to get over the Langdales and back to Grasmere. I walked up and from the top I could see the lights of Grasmere. I had never been so excited to see the village lights.
I made it back to Glenthorne about 10pm, thirteen and a half hours after setting off. I had quickly stopped along the way for photos and food but I had basically walked non stop the whole time.
I have now summited two of what is known as the three peaks. I walked up Ben Nevis last month, now Scaffel Pike. I still have to do Snowdon in Wales.
Today was another day of sunshine so I went to support a new friend Molly and her friend Holly who were swimming in the Great North Swim on Lake Windermere. The one mile swim on Englands largest lake is held over two days. This year there were 6000 competitors making it the largest open water swim in the country. The conditions were perfect and it looked very inviting until I was told the temperature of the water was 16.3 degrees Celsius. Wetsuits are not compulsory but highly recommended.
Tonight I plan to head to the pub for a Sunday night pint before a few more days work then I am catching a bus back to London, then a bus to Munich for a weekend of beer drinking for the opening weekend of Oktoberfest.
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