C2C Day 3&4 Lake District NP

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Seatoller to Grasmere (Lake District)

July 16

10.7 miles

Today we were presented with another very strenuous Wainwright’s C2C ascent to fantastic peaks and clear vistas in the Lake District. It started fairly level for a while, but then the grade began to increase. Eagle Crag, which we looked up to for quite a while as we approached it started to become level with us, and finally we were above it, looking down on it from Lining Crag. It was really steep at multiple points, with frequent stops to catch our breath. We began the day at 250 feet, and not long later we hit 2,000 feet.

At one route decision-point further on we opted for the alternative higher trail along the ridgeline which eventually would descend into the town we were heading to. We took this route and worked hard climbing even higher to hit some fantastic peaks (Calf Crag, Moment Crag) with idyllic views of green farmland below, and more rolling hills and mountains to gawk at. At that decision-point to take the high path we bumped into Olga again, whom we hadn’t seen since the day before at the remote Black Sail youth hostel.
Magnificent, clear views included a hidden lake amongst the mountains across the valley.

 

As we undulated along the ridgeline, it seemed to go on forever, with the final peak getting no closer.  So, we decided to descend before the last peak (Helm Crag) on the ridgeline near the town below.  At first, we headed down along a lightly treaded trail behind a family who apparently decided to descend as well.  But after a few minutes we began trailblazing down the very steep mountainside. It turned out to be quite an epic descent. The family with kids descended in the same place but we passed them and never saw them again…we were hoping they made it down safely.

Grasmere

Once down, we hiked along a level path into Grasmere Village and found Tweedies Pub and Lodge, our inn for the next two nights as the next day would be our first rest day on the trek across England.  We ran into Morgan and Sarah from the day before.  Though they were wild camping along the trek, they decided that for tonight they would spoil themselves and stay in a warm, dry inn (it rained overnight the night before).  Well earned since they lost the trail the day before and embarked on an unintended 2-hour detour.

We had dinner at 6:00 PM at Tweedies pub.  Then we walked around to explore the quaint, historic town for a bit before bed.

Off to bed

Grasmere Rest Day

July 17

After 42 miles and three days of hiking  we had our first rest day here in Grasmere.  The Lake District is considered some of the most arduous hiking on Wainwright’s Coast to Coast path, and so far we are in no position to argue with that.  We were ready for the rest day as we continued to build our endurance.
Housekeeping at Tweedies did our laundry for us.  We just gave them a bag full of laundry and they returned it to our room…cleaned and folded.

The day began by exploring the two most famous things in Grasmere: Gingerbread and Wordsworth.  We had heard from several people about  Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread and its world-famous gingerbread.  It was about 3 minutes from our lodging (as was just about everything in Grasmere).  We lucked out when we got there because there was no line entering the very small building which appeared only slightly larger than a typical gingerbread house.  There is only counter-service, and room for two people at a time to purchase goodies.  The gingerbread is definitely distinctive in its flavor, but we agreed that it must be an acquired taste. On our way out we made our way through a line of about 15 people now.

We next headed to St. Oswalds church nearby to visit the grave of poet William Wordsworth, who lived for 14 years in Grasmere.  The church and cemetery are beautiful.  The church was built in 642 AD and holds a popular and very traditional annual rushbearing.  The picture below shows the rushes and reeds paving the main floor toward the altar.

We caught a mid-morning double decker bus to the busier tourist town of Ambleside about 15 minutes away.  Narrow streets and intermittent sidewalks weaved through the busy town full of tourists.  A big attraction here is the nearby home of Beatrix Potter.  There are lots of shops, cafes, outdoors stores, etc.  I got a haircut, and Emilie bought new hiking boots!  Em’s feet had been hurting and she knew part of the problem was that the rocky terrain we spent so many miles hiking (and would be hiking further) were just too much for her boots.  She bought boots made for the rugged English terrain…best money we spent the whole trip.  We got lunch in Ambleside then headed back on the bus to the bus’s turnaround point in Windermere (home of Beatrix Potter).  Along the way, we passed Windermere Lake, the largest lake in England. We just stayed on the double decker bus until it returned to Grasmere. It was a great way to see this part of the Lake District…beautiful homes, inns, lake, and Beatrix Potter everywhere.

We had a 6:30 dinner reservation at The Dove, across the street from our inn, Tweedies.  Good food, but as with most food we had on this trip, nothing great.  England is not a culinary destination (excluding London).  After dinner, back to Tweedies to prepare for the next day’s hike along Wainwright’s Coast to Coast.  Lots of blister healing and toe taping.
Off to bed.

Next: C2C Day 5&6 Lake District NP