May 2008 - Langdale

After a long break (actually exactly a year since the last trip), May 2008 saw three days of walking, climbing and general jolliment in our first trip to the Lakes.

Jell, Alice, Patrick, Pete, Woody, Adam, Rachel, Ro,
Margaret, Allan and Jemma (the dog)

Thursday

Patrick, Ro, Pete and Woody arrived early and were off climbing when Jell, Alice, Frans, Rachel and Adam arrived mid-afternoon at the excellent National Trust campsite in Langdale.

We soon had our own tents and the big tent up and had a brew on by the time the climbers came down.

Friday - Scafell Pike - A grand walk to the top of England.

Jell, Alice, Patrick, Ro, Pete, Woody, Frans, Rachel and Adam set off after breakfast on the 12 mile round trip to Scafell Pike. It was a great walk, flat along the valley and then steeply up Rossett Pike to the col at Angle Tarn. From there the route carries on over several large lumps, never letting you see Scafell Pike until the last minute, when you realise that there is a steep valley to drop down and scramble up the other side. On the way back down Jell, Patrick and Adam decided to add a little variation, and went back over Bow Fell and down the Band, to meet up with the others in the Old Dungeon Ghyll. (OK - we sat in the ODG and drank a couple of pints, wondering where the others were, and then wandered back to the campsite!)

A communal supper of pasta with stuff in it was cooked up and as we were sitting enjoying the evening air, Allan, Margaret and Jemma joined us. We chatted and made arrangements for the next day.

Saturday - Langdale Pikes

Jell, Frans, Alice, Ro, Woody, Allan, Margaret, Jemma took a tour of the Langdale Pikes, which tower over the north side of the valley. The rest of the party went up to crags above the campsite for a day's climbing and lazing.

Sunday - Helvellyn

After a slow start and a very uncoordinated drive, we all met up at Glenridding for an assault on Helvellyn via Striding Edge. Jell, Alice and Ro decided not to go all the way up (partly due to Alice's disintegrating boots!) and returned via an easy amble back to the waterside, where they listened to the rumbles of thunder rolling round the valleys.

The others had a fine walk, with a couple of hairy moments of route-finding on Striding Edge!

Monday - Home

A slow pack up after breakfast, and then a walk in the woods and over hills the giving the sun time to dry the tents before packing up and going our separate ways.