A Hike in the Fells: October 30

Sleeping with the windows open on a rainy night is bliss—but even greater bliss to see clear sky in the morning. After a good breakfast, Ruth and I checked the AllTrails app for a fell walk nearby. Eskdale has many scenic walks right out of the village, and we found one near our parking spot. The map led us up Giggle Lane. Passing by old stone cottages, we climbed a hill crowned with trees in glorious color.

I’m standing to the left of one tree, which gives you an 

idea of their height. I love English trees.

The path led out of the woods and into the wilder country of the fells. As we climbed, the valleys spread out below us, with more fells rising in the distance. The ascent was steep, and I had to stop a number of times to catch my breath, while Ruth went merrily up. I am learning that 73 is quite different from 63. My lungs and knees are not what they used to be. But I was glad for a fearless leader to push me onward. The views were surely worth it.

Some of the path was virtually a bog or stream, due to recent rains. We had to pick our way carefully to keep our feet relatively dry (even with waterproof hiking boots). 

We hiked up to a tarn (pond), set high above two valleys—a popular place for wild swimming in warmer weather. It was deserted now, as was the trail we’d ascended. The only person we saw on this fell was a runner in the distance. 

After reaching the tarn, we started our descent. The gradient was steeper than our climb up, and we were hampered by a rocky stream that claimed most of the path on the way down. My knees were not happy. However, the views were worth it, and we eventually descended into a valley where we crossed the track of the Ravenglass steam railway and followed the road for a short while to Dalegarth. Along the road were pockets of jewel-like fall color.

The level path was bliss to my knees after the steep climb and descent of the fells. Now we walked along woodland paths and met other walkers on this easy and beautiful trail. We somehow missed the trail’s connection to the main road through Eskdale but gradually found our way home. Ruth made grilled cheese sandwiches, and we took advantage of the DVDs in the cottage to watch The Producers—a good laugh after a long day.