BB0837 : Back to Real8ty

Wednesday 26th November 2008

Oh! The joys of international fame.  

Just one exposure on Menton Daily Photo (see BB0836) of Jilly's excellent photo of us happy, colour co-ordinated BOOTboys meant Angela from Nice and Elaine from California were impressed with our sartorial elegance, whilst Karen and Virginia from Paris were more or less offering themselves to us. Guy from Natland, Tim from Dorset, plus Ian and Alan, both from Stockport, all saw fit to mark our new found celebrity.

Elaine also thought that she spotted BOOTboys officiating in another of Jilly's photos, this time on the Monte Carlo Daily Photo (Everything you imagined - and more).

Is our secret out at last?

Keith from Manchester, who has a place in Menton, had been told by the locals that the viaduct on the way to Sospel was in fact a Roman aquaduct and that there was a plaque nearby to that effect.

And then..... what next after all that five minutes worth of fame?  

Well, it was rumoured that we would have been invited onto the Jonathan Ross show had it not been cancelled.  And we are considering offers to appear on Strictly Come Clog Dancing next year.  But meanwhile, it was back to what we do best- deciding where to go to avoid getting too wet in the soggy old Lake District.

Plan A was to follow up from our circumperambulation of Thirlmere (BB0835) with the same of Windermere.  There is a Windermere Way that does just that, but at 45 miles it would need to be done in four stages.  Ambleside to Ferry House via Loughrigg seemed a good way to start until we discovered that the ferry is out of action.  As the WW guide leaflet says "Don't get caught out on the West side, it's a long way back."  Very true!

Plan B was the circumperambulation of Grasmere and Rydal Water via a figure of 8 (so that each would be circumdooferred separately).

We parked at the White Moss car park that used to be free for National Trust members but made so much money that Lowther Estates didn’t renew the lease and now charge everyone a fiver for the privilege of leaving your car in a muddy old quarry yard for the day.

Our first objective was Alcock Tarn so we needed to find the path that took us up to the minor road from whence we could get on the fellside proper.  We passed an unintimidated heron and found that at the entrance to the path were a couple of workmen’s portable huts and a warning that the path to Rydal was closed.  As we were not going to Rydal for a few hours we pressed on up by the stream to emerge by a bridge which was half heartedly half roped off with a typical Nanny State Health and Safety warning that the footpath to Rydal was closed for engineering works.

It was quite damp in the air as we climbed but there were very “atmospheric" views of Rydal Water and Grasmere.

Rydal Water and Grasmere

When we reached the Alcock Tarn Infinity Pool and saw the patterns on the water, I realised that actually it was raining quite hard and I was now too wet to put on my overtrousers!

Next, the steep descent to Greenhead Gill.  We were no longer in rain but rainbows were appearing.  Care was needed on the very greasy rock steps. 

Grasmere with rainbow on Greenhead Gill

We passed the Swan Inn and through the outskirts of Grasmere Village......

Helm Crag from Grasmere

.....before climbing up past Allen Bank towards Silver How.  

Similar view from higher up!

We had intended to take lunch on the top but Tony was threatening rebellion so instead we stopped on a crag with a fine view over Grasmere and a distant Rydal Water.  

After lunch, a rejuvenated Tony lead the charge on Silver How- well, for a short way!  We made our way across potentially confusing terrain, past a couple of tiny tarns.

I was getting quite worried because if we were unable to complete the figure of eight around the two lakes, it would quite ruin my title for today’s walk- Back to Real8ty!  

There was no need to panic. We found a different way up to the higher path- the coffin route from Rydal to Grasmere. This by-passed the closed bridge and we made the trip to Rydal Mount with nothing more worthy to note than meeting a couple with happy faces and a beautiful Gordon Setter.  I remarked on what a lovely dog it was and they smilingly thanked me.  Then, a few yards later, Stan asked if I had noticed the aroma.  I hadn’t but sniffed the air and there was a strange sweet smell hanging, definitely not perfume or aftershave.  No wonder they were so smiley.  They had been smoking reefers.  Or so Stan assured me.

Rydal Water

Tony was keen to see inside St Mary's Church, Rydal with all its Wordsworth connections.  Inside was remarkably simple with a nice stained glass window at the eastern end.

We crossed the main road at the bottom of the lake and made our way up to Rydal Cave.

I was quite taken aback to find that the entrance was barred by a wooden fence and a notice asking people to keep out as there had been rockfalls from the cave roof recently.

We headed along the terrace on the south side of the lake and back to the car to complete the second cirumthingy of the day.

On the way home we were discussing our next lake circy.  I suggested we did Windermere as in Plan A above- i.e. in four independent sections- but Bryan insisted that it would not count unless we completed the round in one epic.  He and Stan started reliving old triumphs.  The 45 miles was even referred to as a Bob Graham for pensioners. It would be no problem if properly supported.  Those not wanting to do the full round would have to join in as support crew for various sections.

Ho Hum.  What are these guys on?  No wonder Stan was able to recognise that smell referred to earlier!

Don, 26th November 2008

Statistics:

If you have Memory Map on your computer, you can follow our route in detail by downloading BB0837.

For the latest totals of the mileages, heights and Lakeland Fells Books Wainwrights see: Wainwrights.

If anyone wants to claim other peaks, please let me know and I will submit them to the adjudication committee!

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BOOT boys

This page describes an adventure of BOOTboys, a loose group of friends of mature years who enjoy defying the aging process by getting out into the hills as often as possible!

As most live in South Lakeland, it is no surprise that our focus is on the Lakeland fells and the Yorkshire Dales.

As for the name, BOOTboys, it does not primarily derive from an item of footwear but is in memory of Big Josie, the erstwhile landlady of the erstwhile Burnmoor Inn at Boot in Eskdale, who enlivened Saint Patrick's Day 1973 and other odd evenings many years ago!

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Archive

2008 Outings

• BB0801 :
  Avoiding the Graupel;  
  Wednesday 16 January
• BB0802 :
  Lyth in the Old Dogs;
  Tuesday 22 January
• BB0803 :
  That's Lyth;
  Sunday 27 January
• BB0804 :
  Tony's Memory Lane;
  Wednesday 30th January
• BB0805 :
  Fell's Belles!
  Thank You Mells
  Wednesday 6th February  
• BB0806 :
  The Langdale Skyline
  and a Fell Race!
  Wednesday 13th February
• BB0807a:
  An Outbreak of Common Sense;
  Thursday 21st February
• BB0807b:
  Askham Fell and
  the Lowther Estate;   
  Thursday 13th March
• BB0808 : 
  Thanks to the MWIS
  Wednesday 19th March
• BB0809 :  
  High Street and Kidsty Pike
  but no Fairy
  Friday 28th March
• BB0810 :  
  Prelude to Spring
  Wednesday 2nd April
• BB0811 :  
  Spring in Lakeland
  Sunday 6th April
• BB0812 :  
  Wet, Wet, Wet Sleddale to Mosedale Cottage
  Thursday 10th April
• BB0813 :  
  What's It All About, Tony?
  Thursday 17th April
• BB0814 :  
  The Hidden Mountain
  Tuesday 22nd April
• BB0815 :  
  The Bowland CROW
  Thursday 1st May
• BB0816 :  
  High Cup Nick:
  The Gurt La'al Canyon
  Wednesday 7th May
• BB0817 :  
  Travelling Light
  Wednesday 14th May
• BB0818 :  
  Pensioners’ Day Out
  Thursday 22nd May
• BB0819 :  
  The Northern Tip
  Thursday 29th May
• BB0820 :  
  The Bannisdale Horseshoe
  Wednesday 11th June
• BB0821 :  
  Black, White or Grey Combe?
  Thursday 19th June
• BB0822 : 
  Thunder on the 555
  Thursday 3rd July
• BB0823 : 
  We'll Give It Five
  Thursday 10th July
• BB0824 :
  Shelters from the Storm
  Thursday 17th July
• BB0825 :
  The Big Wind-Up
  Wednesday 23rd July
• BB0826 :
  Tony’s Third (and wettest) Alfie
  Wedmesday 30th July
• BB0827 :
  A Visit to Mud Hall
  Tuesday 19th August
• BB0828 :
  The Tale of Randy Gill
  Tuesday 27th August
• BB0829 : Mosedale Cottage Revisited
  Wednesday 3rd September
• BB0830 : Mist Over Pendle
  Wednesday 10th September
• BB0831 : Luncheon Chez Monty
  Thursday 2nd October
• BB0832 : Escape from the Madness
  Thursday 9th October
• BB0833 : Only on a Thursday
  Thursday 16th October
• BB0834 : YIFT
  Wednesday 29th October
• BB0835 : Reflections on Thirlmere
  Thursday 6th November
• BB0836 : Reet Grand Randonnées
  15th - 19th November
• BB0837 : Back to Real8ty
  Wednesday 26th November
• BB0838 : Ladies Invitation Day
  Thursday 4th December
• BB0839 : Why Mungrisedale Common?
  Wednesday 10th December
• BB0840 : Breast High in Bretherdale
  Wednesday 17th December

 The Comback Trail

• CBT01 : Helm, direttissimo
  Monday 22nd September  
• CBT02 : Cunswick Fell and back in the dark!
  Monday 29th September  

BOOTSKIboys

• BskiB08 : Bootski Boys in the Sella Ronda  
  23rd February - 1st March

Click on the photos for an enlargement or related large picture.

Wainwrights

To download a log of which Wainwrights have been done by which BOOTboy in the "modern" era, i.e. since the advent of BOOTboys click on Wainwrights. 

If anyone wants to claim other peaks, please let me know and I will submit them to the adjudication committee!

 BOOT boys