Patterdale to Shap

Tuesday 9 September 2008

(Walking Distance: 16 miles)

Ulswater from around Boredale Hause

Christine (half of the Aussies) and your man, at Angle Tarn

Haweswater in the rain from Measand End

Breakfast provided the necessary sustenance for the day, but little by way of pleasure.

Dad’s Army were set for the long walk around the High Street ridge along the shore of Ulswater and over to Shap by way of Askham and the Lowther valley. We’d used the same way on our first Coast to Coast walk for much the same reason: a foul weather forecast. Today though, as on our last C2C, it was to be the high route albeit, on this occasion, by way of a variation on Wainwright’s suggested path.

Patterdale is one of the places on the walk where differing schedules impact on the faces seen along the trail. Some take three days for the walk over to Kirkby Stephen, others two. Furthermore, a few walk over to Patterdale from Rosthwaite in one session instead of the two taken by the majority. The Californians and the Canadians weren't seen again.

I left Patterdale in the company of the Aussies, Christine and Peter, shortly after nine. The rain had just begun to fall. They’d been a loose arrangement to meet up with the Canadian ladies, but we assumed they’d either gone on ahead or would catch up later.

The conditions deteriorated as height was gained. When the ridge was crested, at the Straights of Riggendale, visibility was limited to twenty metres or less. The rain was driven into any exposed flesh by ferocious winds. Only once did the curtain of mist momentarily part to reveal the deep trench of Riggendale.

I’d decided in the planning stage that I didn’t want to repeat the steep descent from Kidsty Pike and the interminable trudge along Haweswater. Instead the drop to Measand End, a mile or so south west of the Haweswater dam, via High Raise and Low Raise looked more attractive. There isn’t a path recorded on the Ordinance Survey map. I knew, however, from internet diaries and forums (Sherpa and Walking Places), that a faint track exists on the ground.

In daunting, cold conditions we started along the clear path to the rocky, 2631' summit of High Raise (73' higher than Kidsty Pike). With the stony ground in the vicinity of the summit and the poor visibility it proved impossible to locate the beginning of the track down to Low Raise. We took a bearing over the rough and occasionally wet terrain, once or twice confirming our position by GPS.

I must confess to a fleeting doubt about the prudence of leaving the established route to Haweswater. After a half mile trudge across the trackless moor, however, we happened on the promised track: two shallow, parallel depressions in the ground heading along our bearing. The path guided us to the big cairn on Low Raise and thence, down the declining ridge, towards Measand End.

We passed an area of peat hags. Les Brunskill, at my Shap B&B, later told me that the track originated to service diggings on the moor when peat was taken for fuel. He remembered the moor was still being harvested in his youth.

Suddenly Haweswater appeared out of the gloom. After a short, sharp descent we followed the beck, passing the waterfalls, and onto the Haweswater shore. In stark contrast to the conditions on the hill the lake shore was still and calm. The rain, however, remained constant and heavy.

Burnbanks was built in the thirties by Manchester Corporation as a model village for the workers constructing the dam. It was redeveloped a couple of years ago, the houses remaining faithful to the original design; the prices for the remodelled homes, however, when checked during my last visit to the area in March, were well beyond this worker’s price range. We sat on the bench next to the ‘phone box eating a soggy snack before the final push to Shap. I wonder if the residents can get a Council Tax reduction…

I’d never walked between Burnbanks and Shap Abbey before. On previous C2Cs we’d stayed at Bampton Grange. Although the way appears intricate and complicated on the map, today it was merely a case of following the distinct, muddy trail through the pastures and woods.

It was along this stretch that we first met the Geezers, a couple of men, one with a strong London accent, powering along the trail. After a brief exchange they disappeared over a crest, only to be spied half a mile later trying to regain the path from an adjacent field.

The final miles of the day became a bit of a plod in the rain. My boots gave up any semblance of water resistance. The jacket design had long since been probed for weaknesses and found lacking. Shap Abbey was a welcome late highlight.

I left the Aussies in the village at about 17:00hrs and went looking for my digs. Brookfield House is the last house in Shap. On the long walk down the village it could be mistaken for the first house in Kendal.

The welcome at Brookfield was efficient and thorough. I was directed to the yard to swill the mud off my waterproofs, deprived of my wet clothing and shown my room, a free upgrade to a large, comfortable, en-suite double. After a shower my mucky washing was handed over for laundering and I settled in the lounge for cake and tea.

I watched the local news on TV: the flooding in Gosport had got worse...

The nearby Greyhound provided a tasty supper before I settled down for a great nights sleep. It had been the toughest day so far.

Accommodation:

Brookfield House
Shap
CA10 3PZ

01931 716397

The Brookfield has got to be just about the best value accommodation on the walk. Large comfortable bedrooms, an excellent lounge, terrific food and a drying and laundry service combine to make this a "must have" stop.