Great Walks around Grasmere

Grasmere is a victim of its own success - it's a gorgeous little village, right in the heart of the Lake District, crammed full of history and the perfect starting point for dozens of walks.  This all means that it can get very busy so we generally visit outside of the main season (when there's more chance of finding a parking space!) but as a birthday treat for me we headed up there last week for a night at the lovely Lancrigg Hotel to enjoy some great food and a few relaxing walks.  Not all the walks from Grasmere are relaxing mind, one of them scared the wits out of me (and Wainwright apparently!) so here are three of my favourites.

Helm Crag

Steve on the Howitzer

Let's start with the infamous Wainwright that Wainwright himself never made it to the top of - Helm Crag.  Most of the walk is a pretty straightforward hike, and the views from the top are glorious...

At the top of Helm Crag you'll find the Howitzer which is a huge lump of rock that only the brave, the skilled or the slightly bonkers attempt to climb.  You can decide for yourself which category to put Steve in but this is as far as I got...

The route back down into Grasmere goes directly past the Lancrigg and it would be rude not to stop in for a coffee and a delicious scone the size of your head...

Easedale Tarn

We both love Easedale Tarn - it's almost the perfect tarn to visit.  The walk up out of Grasmere is varied but straightforward and it passes the fabulous waterfalls of Sourmilk Gill where you can pause, cool down and maybe dip your toes in the water.

Although it's a straightforward route right next to Grasmere it's usually surprisingly quiet, especially around the tarn itself.  It's definitely the perfect spot for a picnic and if you need sustenance on the way back there's always this...

A lap of the lake

This is definitely a walk of two halves with the first half skirting the shores of the lake and the second half following an ancient coffin route back into Grasmere.  Along the way there are stunning views, museums, historic relics, more stunning views and, if you're up for a short detour, enormous caves.

Just a short detour from the route

There aren't many walks that pack so many different things into such a short space of time.  Although not too far in terms of miles it's a walk that could easily take you all day as you enjoy the many distractions along the way - and watch out for the water trough dedicated to Wordsworth as you head back into the village - most folks miss it.


Lancrigg Hotel

As I mentioned, we stayed at the Lancrigg Hotel and would certainly recommend it - both to stay at or to visit at the end of a good walk.  The rooms are spacious and the food is spectacular - a perfect birthday treat for me!  If the walks above all sound a bit more than you fancy then you can take a gentle wander around the hotel grounds, visit the memorial where Wordsworth used to work, or let the more adventurous folks enjoy the adventure playground while you put your feet up with a drink.

Lancrigg Hotel

Wordsworth Memorial

Gorgeous walks around the grounds

Lovely short walks nearby

Stunning views from our room

There are LOADS more ideas for things to see and do in our books.  I know you can find them all on Amazon, but we make next to nothing that way - plus if you buy from us we'll be happy to sign them just for you.  Click the pictures below to find out more.  Cheers! 😀

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Samuel Johnson was wrong

I've been travelling a lot for work lately and, last week, I was in London for a couple of days working in a trendy hotel which had lots of quotes around the wall and no visible reception desk (I appreciate it makes the foyer look larger but why on earth do away with a reception desk?  A couple of folks in suits perched at a table tapping away on their laptop could be anyone. Would you like me to go around pestering all of your guests until I find the one who happens to be on reception duties or simply hang around looking lost until someone takes pity on me?  But I digress...)

The quote which dominated the wall in the dining area was this "Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford" - well known words from Samuel Johnson.  He was speaking to his biographer James Boswell, trying to convince him that he wouldn't miss his native Scotland if he moved to the big smoke, but I couldn't help thinking that however leaned the man may have been, he definitely got it wrong with this one.  London is lovely in so many ways but it definitely doesn't have dibs on "all that life can afford" - for starters here are just a few of the things which Cumbria has that London doesn't.

Hills

London has plenty of places named hill but no real, proper, hills.  Primrose Hill is 65m high, Notting Hill isn't even a hill (it's only 36m above sea level) and the highest point in London, Betsom's Hill, is only 215m high and surely only counts as being "in London" on a technicality.  And, have you noticed how so many place names in London (and other cities for that matter), have retained the name of the thing which was flattened in order to make way for whatever is now built on top of them?  Places like Waltham Forest (although there are still a few small parks left), St Martin-in-the-Fields (which is on a busy junction right next to Trafalgar Square and miles from the nearest fields) and Wood Green which, despite having been both woodland and a large green space in the past, is now a "...busy urban activity centre with sizeable shopping area..."  I'm guessing updating those names would be bad for business; "St Martin-in-the-middle-of-a-crossroads" doesn't have the same ring to it.

So, Mr Johnson, London definitely appears to be lacking hills; the soaring peaks of the central Lake District, the comfortable familiarity of the Langdale Pikes and the gorgeous rolling hills around the Duddon Valley for starters...

View from Great Gable

Langdale Pikes

Orrest Head

Duddon Valley

Lakes

There may be a few small lakes in London but anything you can walk around in under an hour without getting your boots muddy doesn't really count in my book.  Up here we have so many lakes they named an entire national park after them "The LAKE District" - in fact they are SO fab that we even got UNESCO World Heritage Status - tell that to Mr Boswell next time you see him.  As a comparison the Serpentine in London covers an area of 16 hectrares while Elterwater, the smallest "lake" in the Lake District, covers 17 hectares.  We are also home to the largest and the deepest lakes in England - Windermere and Wastwater respectively.

Windermere

Wastwater

Grasmere

Peace

When I'm away in London on my travels, this is the thing I miss the most.  There is nowhere in London where I can find true peace and quiet - granted there are some lovely parks and quiet back streets, but at no point can I escape the distant hum of cars or take a deep breath knowing that there is no-one else for miles around.  To be fair, back in 1777, when Samuel Johnson muttered his now infamous words to his friend and biographer James Boswell, London probably did have a lot of really quiet corners (Wood Green was probably still woody and greeny for a start) - but these days it's hard to find true peace there.

Of course on a busy bank holiday it can be hard to find true peace in Cumbria too, but there are still plenty of quiet nooks where you can escape the crowds and the drone of the motor engine and enjoy the tranquillity and solitude that is so hard to find in London.

The Eden Valley

Smardale Gill

Black Combe

Unlike Samuel Johnson, people are not going to be quoting our books in 250 years time but, then again, you never know!  They are full of fab photos and fun facts and we are happy to ship directly and cut out the Amazon middle man.  Click the pic to find out more & order yours.  😀

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Spirit Trail Day 9 - Going our separate ways

Don't worry - we haven't had a major falling

out - it's just that today I took one route to Keswick and Karen took another.

We've always said that this trail should be a hike for those who want to hike but for those that don't there are buses, boats and Twizzies (more of these tomorrow!) Today the weather forecast was foul so Karen (who doesn't enjoy hiking in the rain) gallantly offered to check out the bus route while Beth (who is clearly unhinged and thought a 13 mile hike in the rain would be a "fun adventure") yomped the whole way from Grasmere to Keswick.

I was driven by 2 main things - firstly I knew the route would pass 4 of my favourite viewpoints in Cumbria (Thirlmere, Surprise View, Ashness Bridge and Friar's Crag). Secondly I have a very odd desire to remind myself what it was like for folks "back in the day" - when "hiking" wasn't a thing but "walking over the fells whatever the weather" was.  I am strangely fascinated by it - today the weather was inescapably vile but I was snug warm and dry in my Aku boots, Montaine waterproof, Arcteryx down jacket, Berghaus "legs" and Sealskinz gloves - I can't even imagine how challenging it would have been for folks in basic animal skins and rough wool clothes braving the fells to sell produce in a neighbouring village or bury their dead (I love a good coffin trail too!)

Thirlmere

Surprise View

Ashness Bridge

Friars Crag

I also decided that we have been lied to about the origins of the word "fell".  History books insist it goes back to the vikings but I disagree.  Having landed on my backside twice on the descent to Wantendlath (if you've done it, you know the part I mean) and skidded/ glisaded along for 100m or so I reckon the word "fell" derives from the verb not the noun.

Descent to Wantendlath

Picture the scene: Cumbria circa 1100 - a man in an ancient village sees his friend arriving after a long walk over the hill, but he's looking a little dishevelled. "What on earth happened?" he asks. "Fell" replies his friend, gesturing to the hill behind him. I rest my case.

The plus side of the foul weather was that I got to see some beautiful rainbows and Ashness Bridge was deserted!

Rainbow over Blea Tarn

When I finally squelched into Keswick I headed straight for my fab friends at Keswick Boot Company who immediately sat me down & bought me a coffee (Alex, you are a SAINT!). I also drooled a little over the new Aku boots they had in but was too tired to even try them on.  I'll definitely be back! (I'm wearing Aku boots from Keswick Boot Co for this trip & they've kept my feet toasty warm & dry!)

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I also got to pick up a couple of fab mementoes which the Twig Pen People had made for us - I adore their pens & keyrings and knew they'd be the perfect reminder of this wonderful trip.

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"Where's the gin today?" I hear you cry? Well, no distilleries visited today but I did buy a small bottle of Lakes Distillery Damson Gin to help ease my aching bones. I also took a couple of pain killers so, if I don't finish this blog very soon, things could get interesting. And that's another thing about our ancestors - imagine hiking in the days before ibuprofen and codeine? Scary stuff!

You know what's coming next but PLEASE, if you haven't done so already, spare a moment to "like" and "follow" our supporters. They had faith in us when this was nothing more than a mad idea. 😀