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The Stopfordian 2011–2012
managed the climb, having rests on the way up to take more
photos of the ducks. We were walking through a particularly
boggy area when I had the misfortune to step into a bog that
went up to my knee. After a quick stop to change my sock I
was ready to keep going.
Fortune was still on our side as the weather remained overcast
but without rain. We continued walking for the next few
hours without incident and were relieved to see the descent
down to the Slate Mine which was a welcomed change from
all the uphill we had done so far. At the Slate Mine we met
Paul (our supervisor) who gave us some much needed
encouragement. We followed the road for a few kilometres
before veering away up a small incline and on to our
campsite.
We quickly set up our tents on a small embankment as we
could see some ominous black clouds approaching. However
we were forced to cook
our evening meal under
a tree because of the
rain. We sat talking and
playing card in the tents
as this campsite was not
luxurious as the one we
had stayed in the
previous night.
DAY 3
DAY 4
We woke up to the sound of rain and were forced to make
breakfast and take the tents down in the rain. We made our
chocolate spread fajita lunch for the last time and set off in the
heavy rain on our lower altitude, bad weather route. For
about half an hour the rain continued and then it stopped to
be replaced by clear skies and sunshine, but we were not
complaining. We passed Rydal Water and High Close Youth
Hostel, where we had stayed the night before we started the
expedition. We had a rest in Elterwater before continuing on
for another 3km before turning towards Ambleside, our
finishing point; we were now on the home straight.
We followed a main road most of the way to Skelwith Bridge
were we had lunch and a well-deserved rest. There were a
few steep points but they could not dampen our spirits as we
continued on for the next few kilometres in the glorious
sunshine. We were now within sight of Ambleside and could
see the car park, which was our finishing point. Paul and
Steve were there to congratulate us in the car park while we
all took our boots off; we were ready to get home and have a
warm bath. Charles gave us our de-brief and we told him our
highlights of our expedition. We then went to the fish and
chip shop in Ambleside before getting on the minibus and
heading home. The four days that we spent together in the
Lake District were really enjoyable and I have many fond
memories.
Javier Sanchez-Capuchino (L7)
As with the previous day the first leg was relatively flat and we
had another huge climb of 420m on the second leg. We
managed the climb with little trouble but the last section was
especially steep and required a few rests on the way up. The
next few kilometres was very boggy and required caution to
avoid losing a boot.
We were now walking along a ridge and the wind was picking
up so we put on our waterproofs to avoid getting too cold.
We continued along the ridge towards Helm Crag where we
saw the Lion and the Lamb and took a very nice photo of the
ducks. We had our lunch and started the descent down to
Grasmere with our spirits high. The next few kilometres to the
campsite were flat and easy to navigate so we were able to
enjoy the scenery.
We had a little bit of difficulty locating Rydal Campsite but
were relieved to see its excellent toilet block complete with
showers. We were now experts at assembling the tents and
got them up in no time at all, which was lucky as the heavens
opened and we were again forced to cook our meal under a
huge oak tree. Our spirits were high as it was the last night
and we had all had lovely warm showers. However the rain
continued and we were told that we would have to take the
bad weather route on the last day as our original route would
be too dangerous in this weather. We got into our tents for
the last night content in the knowledge that this was our last
night in a sleeping bag.
Activities and Awards 49