As is always the way, it was a relief to reach half-term week in one piece. I am very aware that I'm just about managing to keep going at moment, but that is all set to change, moving forwards. There are seven more weeks until the school's summer break, after which my hours will be reduced, and my working days will become shorter. As much as I am looking forward to feeling more in control of my time, it will also feel bitter sweet, as I will no longer be taking Lily to school each day. Another milestone reached, but how fortunate I am to have experienced these early years with her.
Anyway, we're not there quite yet, but this week off school couldn't have been more welcome. I had, however, warned Lily that she wouldn't be enjoying a lie-in, that first morning. The weather looked good for Saturday, but rain had been forecast for the following two days, and I didn't want to miss an opportunity to complete a walk, which had been suggested to me.
Starting from one of the more popular areas of The Lakes, an early start meant we could avoid the crowds, as it can get incredibly busy here, especially on Bank Holiday weekends.
It was a lovely sunny start to the morning, and on our first ascent we enjoyed regular stops to admire the views. It was a steep climb but it wasn't long before we could see our first summit of the day, Loft Crag. It took me a little while to figure out my bearings, but I was soon able to recognise the outlines of the more familiar fells around us.
From here, we could see across to our next fell, Pike o'Stickle. And yes, we did need to use our hands as well as our feet on the final scramble to the top. I do enjoy a bit of variety on our walks :)
The next summit of the morning was Harrison Stickle. And this was where we encountered a rather large walking group. Not being used to busy summits, we quickly 'bagged' this one, before moving on towards the next, Pavey Ark. It was at this point that I realised, most people we came across were walking all the same fells, just in a different order.
After a brief stop for lunch, there was a short walk over to Thunacar Knott, and then along a grassy stretch, to take in the views from High Raise. Here, we could see right across to the Western Fells, and Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite to the North. Again, we didn't hang around, the hiking group was approaching from the opposite direction!
From here, it was all downhill, with the exception of a brief detour to bag our final summit of the day, Sergeant Man. The path then dropped down towards Stickle Tarn, which boasts the impressive backdrop of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle, which we had climbed earlier, before descending Stickle Ghyll, and back to the car park.
It was an invigorating walk, although the problems with my foot did cause me a lot of discomfort towards the end. Still, that's another seven Wainwrights ticked off, but more importantly, a very enjoyable day out on the fells.
J. X
