Ennerdale Bridge to Rosthwaite

Saturday 6 September 2008

(Walking Distance: 14.5)

Ennerdale

Ennerdale from Loft Beck

Haystacks and Dubs Bottom

Two further guests had arrived late at The Cloggers last night. Two Israelis, in their early twenties, had turned up at 20:30hrs after spending the best part of twelve hours walking from St Bees. They’d been carrying over-heavy packs and navigating, not too accurately it seems, from a guide book. Still, they were young, fit and cheerful.

The weather forecast wasn’t good but proved accurate. The only positive spin was that it would be even wetter in the Northeast.

The walk started at about 09:00hrs accompanied by lashing rain and strong winds. It stayed that way much of the day. I strode out of the village with Dad’s Army (the blokes from Cheltenham) but gradually pulled ahead: the waterproof hood, noise from the elements and my incipient deafness weren’t conducive to conversation.

I took the less demanding path along the north shore of Ennerdale Water and made reasonably quick progress along the valley. The views to the high fells were limited by mists but Steeple Rock was impressively displayed. Ennerdale is not as heavily forested in the past and is much more attractive for it.

I’d been looking forward to a break at the Black Sail YHA but it had been taken over for the weekend by a private party. I’m not sure why I still pay the YHA a subscription; their new commercial ethos seems at odds with that of the organisation I joined many years ago. They’ll soon have all those unprofitable hovels in remote places sold off to finance nice, big, shiny, city hostels.

I sat outside during a lull in the rain eating my apple and banana.

Climbing up Loft Beck, still ahead of the pack, I found that the old loose, slippery path has been improved. It is now a much easier, if no less steep, proposition. It lead into the wind and mist below Grey Knotts, with only occasional views over to Haystacks and down to Buttermere.

Honister Hause has a café at the slate mine. It has a mixed clientèle of hikers, passing motorists and tourists taking a tour of the old workings. I sat chatting for half an hour to a car-borne, elderly New Zealand couple, eating my sandwich and supping my tea, whilst watching an ever expanding puddle of water drain from my clothing and spread across the slate floor.

Despite the fun I eventually went back into the rain. In any weather, however, Borrowdale is superb. It must be the most beautiful valley in England. On the bridleway down to Seathwaite I was passed by four mountain bikers heading down the hill at speed. I walked passed the group 100 yards later, just before where the path was blocked by a recently fallen tree. They were repairing a mangled and punctured wheel (or were they fixing water wings?).

I was first in at the B&B, arriving by 16:00hrs. Mrs Dunckley, no stranger to the needs of wet walkers, had my sodden clothes dried before I’d finished showering and a pot of tea and cake organised in the lounge shortly afterwards.

I wandered into the village in the evening for a tasty trout at the Scafell Hotel before another early night.

Gillercombe

Stonethwaite Road End

Rosthwaite

Cumbria

CA12 5XG

01768 777602

Gillercombe is a great B&B. It offers a warm welcome to comfortable rooms, has an efficient drying and laundry service and is reasonably priced.