The 1st of August is Yorkshire day apparently… we only heard about it on the drive out of the shire to Cumbria for a few days fell walking no disrespect to Yorkshire but “Lakeland” is something else again..love the place. We have a couple of nights booked at the Stonethwaite pub, the scene of much hilarity bordering on hysteria 12 months ago when we rocked up at the bar after an 18 mile mountain climbing walk in cloud and pissing rain.. we were just so relieved to get there alive and just before last light. The hilarity came from the fact that a bunch of 8 other walkers had managed to get themselves lost on the high ground, more humerous to me because one of them was a Virgin pilot.
Anyway after a 3 hour drive we parked at the Honister slate mine café for a cup of tea and shortly after set off for a walk past the slate mines down a valley to Gatesgarth then a racking climb up to the well known peak / rock formation known as “Haystacks” and then back to Honister a 12.6 km stroll. As luck would have it, it was again pissing rain and cloud covered the fell tops again. Haystacks is one of the most loved peaks in the Lake District, made more so by the Legendary walker / artist / author Arthur Wainwright. At the top of Haystacks is a famous tarn (lake) which was marked as “Unnamed Tarn” in early OS Maps. In modern Maps it is marked as “Innominate Tarn” innominate meaning unnamed..so is it named or unnamed? You tell me. Anyway like I said this tarn is legendary, made more so cos Alfred Wainwright chose to have his ashes scattered there.. well we got there and lo and behold there was this muddy puddle barely bigger than the centre quagmire that was the old Footscray footy oval.. ok I exaggerate but it really was not big nor impressive, it is just remote and lonely.. That friends is why this “body” of water had / has no name! Alas we only had glimpses of the outstanding views to be had at Haystacks as, although the rain had ceased, thick tendrils and thicker layers of cloud blotted most of the vista out. Navigating our way back I was distracted from watching where I put my feet as I rummaged around my backpack pocket looking for my compass. This moment of inattention caused me to slip on a pointy round stone, lose my footing and fall on my arse,, (those that read last year’s blog my come to the conclusion this is a regular occurrence for me). To add injury to insult (yes I did get that right) that round pointy stone I slipped on served to break my fall, arresting my gluteus maximus at a carrier landing rate of descent, driving the pointy end of my ischium (bottom of pelvis) through the muscle to (I am sure) to touch said stone!.. Ok nothing broken , no blood but jeez it hurt and I have difficulty sitting especially so on the crapper as I have to lean 30 degrees to the left with a 20 degree dive angle to keep the pressure off the sore spot! If I have no wall on the left to brace me, my left leg has to provide the buttress. Enough of me on the crapper.. all in all great day, great achievement, a few rewarding pints and excellent meal in the pub (whilst gingerly sat) finishing typing this out and then to bed.. Helm crag and Grasmere tomorrow.
Alas no pics, finger trouble with the go pro
cheers
wal