BB1119 : East Side Story

Wednesday 13th July 2011

Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something's coming, something good,
If I can wait!
Something's coming, I don't know what it is,
But it is
Gonna be great

Could it be this?  Could this be it?  

Not the continuation of the West Side Story but the inversion of last week's adventure: steamer south from Bowness to Lakeside followed by the East Side Story!

The day started with an odd dilemma.  Whether or not to shave?  Normally I prefer to go out onto the hills unshaven.  I can't quite rationalise this, maybe I kid myself that I am the wild man of the hills! However starting and finishing at the Linthwaite House Hotel made me wonder if this was sartorially appropriate.  But then I remembered Mike's slogan about it being the best unstuffy hotel in the world and that decided me.  Shaving equals stuffiness.  Unstuffy and hirsuite it should be!  I thought Stuart, at least would understand- as long as I have known him he has sported a beard.  To my surprise, when James and I arrived at his house to pick him up, he was clean shaven for the first time since I first met him forty years ago!

Last week, you may recall, Bryan had planned to cycle to the Linthwaite before realising he could not join us.  No such problem today.  So the five of us tucked into the sausage butties that Mike had had prepared for us as a precursor to our expedition.

The Linthwaite House Hotel

Suitably fed, we set off down to the Bowness jetty, passing through the Belsfield Hotel on the way as a short cut!

The steamer Swan duly arrived on time and was rather fuller than last week.  Maybe it was the nice day or maybe it was the large Japanese contingent, no doubt on a Beatrix Potter homage visit.

Looking north

Gummer's How

On arrival at Lakeside, it had been my plan to walk round the Newby Bridge end of the lake but, to be fair, it would have been a bit of a road slog and someone had a better plan.  Why not catch the ferry across to Fell Foot?  

The Ferry arrives

So we did, which also meant that Mike and James had time to wind up the proprietor of the Lakeside Hotel before our departure.

Gummer's How from near Fell Foot

At Fell Foot we found a climbing wall lying on its side on a lorry.  Even so, it seemed to provide a challenge for Mike and Bryan!

The climbing wall!!

At last, probably a BOOTboys record in lateness, our walk in proper started with the ascent of Gummer’s How. This is a hill that holds a special place in my affections.  It really is a mountain in miniature, especially when you start at the car park near the top of Fell Foot Brow. An excellent introduction to the hills for young children. Only just over 300 feet of climbing if you do it that way but you feel as if you have really achieved something.

Looking west from Gummer's How

Looking south from Gummer's How

Having explored the summit area for the view and a team picture, my plan was to find the footpath that ran north into Bare Allotment and then Blake Home Plantation.  However we seemed to be encountering some very boggy ground and, in circumventing it, we circled too far south.  I was not too disappointed as the map showed a reservoir, large but unnamed, and I was quite interested to see it.  

Once there (having passed through some Armageddon territory), we discovered that there was a permissive footpath through the grounds so we followed it into denser and denser woods.  It seemed to be going too far east for our liking so we needed to check progress and in so doing encountered a BOOTboys first.  The wood was too dense to rely on GPS so we had to fall back on old technology- a magnetic compass!  

This helped confirm our route and we negotiated our way successfully through the forest, out into open countryside and a proper footpath.  It was a good job Tony was not with us as it was now way past our lunch time, never mind his, so we stopped to eat with magnificent views to the west, north and east.

Lunch stop panorama

Thereafter, it was a relatively straightforward task to navigate broadly northwards past Moor How and, Ghyll Head Reservoir.

Next was the rather impressive development of Rosthwaite Farm, with its flowers, statues and pond.

After Bellman Ground we turned north east to Barker Knott Farm with a washing display photographed for Margaret!

Barker Knott Farm washing

Finally we continued northwards to Lindeth and back to the Linthwaite House Hotel where Mike kindly provided tea and cake on the terrace.

The East Side Story had been a good one; it had been an excellent day out and our thanks go to Mike for his hospitality.

Don, 13th July 2011

STATISTICS:

BOOTboys routes ares now being put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software. You can follow our route in detail by downloading BB1119.

To see which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing see
Which Wainwright When?

For the latest totals of the mileages and heights see: BB Log.

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Archive

2011 Outings

BB1101 :
Wasnfell Revisited
Tuseday 11th January

BB1102 :
Recuperation Scar!
Thursday 17th February

BB1103 :
A Promenade of Pensioners
Thursday 24th February

BB1104 :
The B Team
Thursday 3rd March

BB1105 :
A Little Bit Of Wind
Thursday 10th March

BB1106 :
A Linthwaite Round
Thursday 17th March

BB1107 :
Home From The Pulpit
Thursday 24th March

BB1108 :
Taking The Brunt
Thursday 31st March

BB1109 :
Up The Spout
Wednesday 6th April

BB1110 :
Not The Royal Wedding
Friday 29th April

BB1111 :
Kentmere Parts 1 & 2
Thurs 5th, Saturday 7th May

BB1112 :
Five Unknown Tarns
Wednesday 11th May

BB1113 :
Gurnal Dubbs Revisited
Thursday 19th May

BB1114 :
A March Through The Mist
Wednesday 1st June

BB1115 :
Brief Encounter
Wednesday 8th June

BB1116 :
Extraordinary and
Lesser Mortals
Wednesday 15th June

BB1117 :
Farewell David Daw
Wednesday 29th June

BB1118 :
West Side Story
Thursday 7th July

BB1119 :
East Side Story
Wednesday 13th July

 BB1120 :
All The Way From Barrow
Wednesday 20th July

 BB1121 :
Suitable For The Guests!
Thursday 28th July

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

 Wainwrights

To see which Wainwright
top was visited on which
BB outing see Which Wainwright When?.

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