For my 42nd birthday next week I want to go for a swim, but I am having trouble choosing the right one. So I need your help in making the decision. Below, find a selection of four swims, two from Snowdonia and two from the Lake District. Which one would you prefer?
Snowdonia:
Llyn Padarn
I attempted to swim in Llyn Padarn for last years birthday but found that it got busy later on in the day. If I was to go back again this year I would go much earlier. Perhaps see the sunrise?
Llyn Padarn
Llyn Idwal
Llyn Idwal
What better than to revisit the place where my wild swimming bug was born. Another one for an early start as the area gets busy. Do you know of any easy walks nearby? We’ve walked the circumference of Idwal and Ogwen in the past.
The Lake District:
Windermere
A perfect autumnal walk to Todd Crag would be a good accompaniment to a dip in iconic Windermere.
Windremere
Angel Tarn from Swimmingthelakes
Angle Tarn (Langdale)
I first saw this swim/walk on swimmingthelakes, I didn’t know there was more than one Angle Tarn! This tarn is not far from Stickle Tarn which we visited in June. It has a similar look to Stickle.
A while back I blogged about the Wainwrights David and I had inadvertently bagged while on our many swim/walks in the Lake District. You can read that post here. I thought I would follow up with a second blog which covers Wainwrights walked since 2017 up to the present. Many of the walks this time have been planned, except Beda Fell, which we discovered whilst lost en route to Angle Tarn. You can read about that exhausting adventure, here.
We took a walk to the viewpoint at Raven Crag during a short break to the Lakes in March 2017. Though the path was steep, Raven Crag was broached with no incident, and offered fantastic views of Thirmere. In spring the area is host to nesting Peregrine Falcons. We had the pleasure of seeing one fly over the tree tops.
We walked to Dodd on a cloudy, windy day in April 2017. After visiting the Osprey viewpoint and seeing no Ospreys, we walked through forestry towards the viewpoint at Dodd overlooking Derwentwater and Keswick.
Sadly I have no pictures of Beda Fell. After losing our way towards Angle Tarn and walking a good hour or so around the desolate fells, when we did come to a trig and viewpoint across a valley, I wasn’t in the best frame of mind to snap a photo. Though in hindsight I wish I had because the view was beautiful!
Though the smallest of the Wainwrights, David and I had difficulty in following the path towards Castle Crag. We ended up taking the direct route! We did enjoy wondrous views across Derwentwater once we got to the summit!
Our most recent visit to the newly awarded World Heritage Site, The Lake District, saw us visit Latrigg. Over the past two years we had tried to visit this popular fell but time and weather had prevented us. However we visited on a summer-like day in April 2018, where the sun shone fiercely and the views were breathtaking!
Though we are not actively seeking Wainwrights, we have accumulated eight of the 214 fells. I can’t see (especially) me walking the likes of Helvellyn or Scafell Pike but I am enjoying the views from the lower fells.
If you’ve bagged all the Wainwrights, which ones do you think I could tackle in the future?
I think 2017 has been a wonderful year for David and I! What an adventure 2017 has truly been! I will think back at all the wonderful places and sights we have seen and feel blessed we were able to share them together! Here’s my twelve pictures that sum up our 2017!
January:
2017 started with an eight mile walk around Coniston. We took a detour to visit Banishead Quarry.
Banishead Quarry
February:
Not everything was plain sailing in 2017. We suffered five deaths in our aviary. Poor Tarn, a Blue Faced Parrot Finch was one of the hardest to bare.
Tarn
March:
I treated mum to a special birthday afternoon tea at Liverpool’s Jam restaurant.
April:
Riley enjoyed many walks with David and I in 2017. None more so than at the beach!
Which way should we go?
May:
I embarked on my first wild swim of the season! Crummock Water, was choppy, chilly but exhilarating!
Swimming in Crummock Water
June:
June was all about The Wildlife Trust’s 30 Days Wild. Part of the month long celebration we took a trip to Claremont Farm on the Wirral to pick our own strawberries!
Strawberry picking
July:
July was a fun filled month. We went wildlife spotting at Mere Sand’s Wood, took a visit to Birmingham’s Big Sleuth and had a two nights stay in the Lakes. A ten mile walk around Beda Fell and Angle Tarn Pikes was exhausting!
Angle Tarn
August:
Following in much the same vein as July, August seen many more days out. Partaking in my my first Welsh wild swim was simply outstanding!
Swimming in Llyn Cwellyn
September:
The dawn of autumn saw David and I head towards Morecambe and Leighton Moss RSPB Nature Reserve in search of more wildlife.
Grey Heron
October:
I surprised myself by completing the #walk1000miles challenge some two months earlier than expected. I completed on the 8th October 2017. 1000 miles + has been walked to date!
Walk 1000 miles medal!
November:
The only highlight of this dark, dreary month was a theatre visit to The Liverpool Empire to see the 10th Anniversary of War Horse.
December:
December is again undoubtedly all about Christmas. This year David and I played host to family for Christmas dinner. I have to admit it’s been a very tiring month! Here’s to a more relaxing start to 2018!
Merry Christmas
I wish you all good health and happiness for the new year ahead! Let’s make 2018 a year to remember!
With a planned walk to Angle Tarn on the itinerary, David and I headed towards Patterdale. We parked the car opposite the Patterdale Hotel and paid the very reasonable £4 for all day. At 9.30am I was surprised at how busy the village was with walkers. With a grey leaden sky and a chilling breeze we headed down the lane and took a left turn onto Goldrill Bridge. We followed signs to the tarn and Boredale Hause.
Sign
Ullswater
I found information on getting to Angle Tarn rather sparse online, perhaps that was why we took so many wrong turns. What should have been a two to three hour walk ended up being a five and a half hour epic! Things started to go wrong when we reached the first of many forks in the path. We interpreted the walk featured on The How Cottage website wrongly and took a left turn instead of a right. After walking for half an hour, we found that we were heading out onto Place Fell overlooking Ullswater. I knew this was the wrong direction so we turned tail and retraced our route back to the fork, where we took the right-hand path.
After reaching a second fork we took the top pathway. In hindsight it would have been far easier if we had taken the lower path as this would have seen us directly to the mountain pass of Boredale Hause. Instead it was the beginning of our woes as the top path branched off before Boredale Hause and we ended up traipsing across mossy blanket bogs, soaking our tired feet in mud and water. I soon grew fearful as we seemed to be heading in the wrong direction to Angle Tarn. The sky darkened broodily causing my sense of isolation to increase. With map skills at a minimum, GPS not functioning properly, and David doggedly wanting to see what was at the end of a steep path, we walked for further than needed. Instead of heading south we headed east and ended at a cairn overlooking two valleys. However we had inadvertently bagged another Wainwright, this time Beda Fell. With my mood as morose as the weather I didn’t take a picture. Thinking back the scenery was impressive, I just wish that it didn’t look so desolate. I was not enjoying myself out on the fells!
Almost close to tears and wanting to give up, we retraced our footsteps back down the path. Some of the pathways were not clearly defined, but (luckily) we finally ended up at Boredale Hause and its cairn. There were numerous paths leading from the cairn and one that was sign posted with red flags (the coast to coast walk). We followed this path which seemed popular with other walkers. It was also aiming in the right direction for Angle Tarn. I had not given up totally of seeing it. The well defined path was gravelly underfoot with sheer drops in places. I didn’t look down! There were however stunning views of Brothers Water nestled among the Hartsop Dodd fells.
Brothers Water
Angle Tarn
We had been walking for three hours, our feet had started to blister when I saw David ahead of me jump for joy! Over a hill we spotted the dull tinge of cloud reflecting water. Angle Tarn spread out before us enticingly with its two islands and spit. We stiffly walked to the promontory and found a little cove where we set up camp and had lunch. I was too tired to be happy. I had found the whole experience underwhelming.
Even though I felt cold I decided to continue with the planned itinerary and go for a swim. It ended up more of a dip as I felt so exhausted! Terence said that the water temperature was 15°C. From our cove the main island was only a few metres away. Once in the water I decided to swim over and explore. I had always wanted to swim to an island and Angle Tarn’s island was not too far away.
Angle Tarn
‘I’m on an island!’
After my swim, we returned to Boredale Hause and thankfully our journey back to the car park was uneventful. Our descent took two hours. On the way down, David spied a huge golden ringed dragonfly at the side of the path. Out came the lenses and he managed to snap a great photo of it!
Golden Ringed Dragonfly
In calculation, we had walked for over five hours, ten miles in total and my Samsung Health clocked a whopping 26,000 steps! It was an eventful day, one I won’t forget in a hurry.
Have you walked around the fells of Patterdale? What were your impressions of the area?
This weeks Sunday Sevens, devised by Natalie at Threads and Bobbins, will be coming to you from the Lake District.
B&B: We seem to spend more time exploring the northern part of Cumbria than any other area. Keswick is our town of choice and we have been visiting the same B&B in Braithwaite (10 mins drive from Keswick) for the past three breaks. Hermiston Guesthouse is run by the lovely and welcoming Phil and Helen whose five bedroom establishment is situated before the grand Skiddaw range. This time we were given the quiet ground floor room, Whinlatter, with views of their garden. Hermiston has become a home from home and every stay is just as comfortable as the previous.
Whinlatter Room
Blea Tarn
Wild Swimming: We spent a few days in the Lake District to mainly do some more swim/walks. Swimming in Blea Tarn was a highlight of the break and one off the ‘to do’ list!
Angle Tarn
#Walk1000miles: I actually thought my mileage this week was going to be good, but I have only managed 27 miles. A big chunk of that was aided by a five hour hike on Friday around Angle Tarn, more to follow on that epic day! My annual total is now at 710 miles. Not long to go now!
Wildlife: While walking around Beda Fell David spotted this gorgeous Golden Ringed Dragonfly at the side of the path. He was a big one!
Golden Ringed Dragonfly
Food from the Lake District
Local produce: On the way home we decided to stop off at Grasmere to buy some famous gingerbread. Sarah Nelson in 1854 created the recipe which is still being used today. The gingerbread is a curious mix between a biscuit and a cake. If you like ginger then you will like this. I found it enjoyable with a cup of tea.
We also bought a couple of small bars of Romney’s Kendal Mint Cake but haven’t tried them yet.
Dinner at Derwentwater
Fish and chips!
Food: No visit to Keswick would be without visiting my favourite lake, Derwentwater, (sorry Buttermere.) We spent a lovely evening sitting on a beach, enjoying the views, with swallows somersaulting overhead, while eating fish and chips from The Old Kewsickian chippie.
Christine Lucas 