The Windermere Way 08 :  Claife Station to Bass Rock

Friday 2nd November 2018

One of the beauties of doing long distance walks in bite-sized chunks is that, not only do you not have to get up every day for the next stage, you don't even need to do the stages in the right direction or even the right order.  Consequently we make no apology for having skipped a stage (we will fill in the gap at some future date) or for reversing the direction of flow from the adjacent section to the north.

In other words, reassembling the letters, it's the Midway Renewer.

That is my excuse for us missing out the section going north from Lakeside and starting instead from The Ferry House.  The logic being that we are now in winter time and we wanted to optimise the use of the pre-noon sun within our time constraints.

We had a few hiccups.  Firstly I defrosted Margaret's car only to realise when we were due to set off that we needed to travel in mine as the child seats were fitted in the back of hers.

Then, after we met Ian & Cynthia's at Lakeside, I led them to Far Sawrey but I thought we were at Near Sawrey so headed off north alongside Esthwaite Water.  I didn't remember Near Sawrey being alongside the lake and as we neared Hawkshead I realised that I was right.  It isn't.  Believe it or not, my spell checker knew what had happened.  It, appropriately, changed Sawrey to Awry!!

So we had to turn round in order to leave Cynthia's car at Near Sawrey then take the combined party down to the Claife Viewing Station car park.

At last we were Renewing our MidWay.

It is a short, steep climb up to the Claife Viewing Station.  Over the years I have been there several times. BB1206 when it was a derelict and fenced off, BB1532 when restoration had started,  GLW1508 just before it opened to the public and another, unrecorded, visit sometime after it had been opened.

On a day like today, you can understand why the Georgians and Victorians thought it so magical.  And the night time parties must have been great fun!

The first climb was now out of the way.  For the next two miles we undulated gently along the lakeside track.....

..... until we stopped at the Bass Rock for a coffee.  Here I had another little hiccup. I spotted a watch lying on the planks of the jetty.  As I bent to pick it up, I realised it was mine.  Somehow the clasp had come undone.  Lucky boy to have seen it.

Next came our second, much longer steep climb up through the woods (as we had done on WW02) using what the official guide describes as "An old paved road and one of the best preserved paths in Lakeland.  It is the route of the road to Hawkshead from the old ferry opposite at Millerground."

The True Way heads over Claife Heights but Our Way takes a four tarns return route to Near Sawrey.  The first, somewhat secluded and reeded, is called High Moss but Ian renamed it "Drown yer Grannie Loch".  You probably could get away with it up there.

Two more tarns soon come into sight.  The map is not clear as to which is named Wise Een and I think that must be the much larger.  The other is a small reservoir, presumably constructed for mills at Near Sawrey.  

The view from Wise Een is spectacular.  I used to think that the view of the Langdales from Blea Tarn was the best in southern Lakeland but this severely challenges it.  

Lunch stop to admire from a slightly different angle.

There was one more tarn- Moss Eccles, quite large and very pleasant with the same fine autumnal colours that we had seen all along today's Way.  The only demerit was an unexpected light shower.

On reaching Near Sawrey the girls seemed anxious to call in the Tower Bank Arms for a drink so Ian and I obliged.  Strangely, Ian and I subsequently seemed anxious to stay for another so Cynthia and Margaret obliged.  Had commitments not been calling, we might well have been there yet; it is a fine old pub with no pretence of 21st century glamourisation.  There is a huge old open fire place and a Jonas Barber long case clock with a face quite like mine.  My clock, I mean.  Not my face. I was tempted to take it apart to get its number.  My guess is that it dates from about 1760.

We decided to return by the newly re-opened ferry.  As we arrived, the ferry was just departing so we had quite a long wait.  That was no great hardship given that full sunshine had returned. We gave a hearty cheer to see that the stupid pay machines had been decomissioned.  And a second when on board it was confirmed that the efficient, human system has been restored.

Thinking about it, Midway Renewer would be a good name for the ferry.  It is half way down the lake (or up if you prefer) and it has been renewed.

What ever you want to call it, it had been a superb section of the Windermere Way.

Don, Friday 2nd November 2018

For the index page and other stages click on:

The
Windermere
Way

Map: Harveys 1:25

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