Fri 20 Sep 2002
I caught the 08:11am train from Chorley to Preston then change for the train to Oxenholme then change again for the Windermere train but I actually got off at Staveley. The station here is very small and is just a platform. I arrived on time at 09:42. Steep steps took me down to the road where I walked with full backpacking gear through the village and then along the Kentmere road. The weather is fine and mild and thin cloud but no sign of rain. I'm heading for the Haweswater area so am fairly tied to one route. After 3or 4 miles I arrived in Kentmere and headed along Lowfield Ln and High Lane and then the track to Hallow Bank. Here was the start of the climb but with a good trail and not too steep it didn't seem to take too long before the view of Kentmere Reservoir below was vanishing and the summit of Nan Bield Pass appeared before me. Shortly before the summit a lone walker was coming down. As I passed over the summit I got my first view of Haweswater, who's level was down quite a bit compared to the last time I was here.
I took the steep descent to Small Water steady, as a full pack is harder on the way down. Before me I could see helicopters taking bags of stone from the fellside and moving them over to the Angle tarn area where the trail is particularly bad. Before reaching the car park I took the track along the west shore of the reservoir intending to camp at the first suitable pitch. At Randale beck I noticed the water looked particularly clear so I stopped to fill my water bag ready for a suitable pitch. Just as I set off again I stopped to chat to a resting walker who was doing the Coast to Coast walk in bits, based on day walks from his car. He'd just come off Kidsty Pike and he was the one who told me of the dumping location of the rocks that the helicopters were moving. I was heading for Castle Crag to a point where the trail climbs to a low summit. As I arrived at 3:30pm I found to my delight that there was a nice flat grassy pitch and a good view over the reservoir. So this is where I pitched. The lone walker I'd seen earlier came past and gave me a surplus pear he was carrying then headed off to the north. I saw him later, about 5:50pm as he came back to return to his car at the south end of the reservoir.

My GPS gives:

NY 4709 1264 alt 274m at 6pm.

Sat 21 Sep 2002
A calm clear night. It seemed like full moon or very near and shone through most of the night. Later I saw the constellation Orion for the first time this end of the year. It was a rather leisurely packing up session and I didn't leave till 7:15. The bracken was wet from the morning dew making for wet trousers but they soon dried. As I approached the point where Measand Beck feeds into Haweswater I missed the branch path to the NW. I didn't see any sign of and it should have been just before the bridge over the beck where the waterfalls are. As I'd crossed the beck I tried to climb up the fell-side toward the higher bridge but I got into an awful mess in the deep bracken and had to eventually give up and return down the hill and back to the track. A little further on I came across a track that did eventually take me up to the footbridge at Fordingdale Bottom without any problems. I'd originally planned to head for Four Stones Hill and look at the Standing Stones but I couldn't find a trail and certainly didn't fancy wading through head high bracken again.

So as I was quite high I decided to continue up to pick up the trail to Bampton Common. There was still thin cloud but the walking conditions were good with hardly any wind. A good track took me up to the Roman Road at High Street where I turned north and over Loadpot Hill. From here I could see Arthur's Pike to the North. I'd seen it on a previous trek and wondered what I would be like for a campsite. It was still early but I decided to give it a try. I arrived about 12:00 and decided to camp as the views were magnificent and the sky seemed to be clearing. The only snag was having to walk about half a kilometre to the east to find water. But I left my pack by the Pike so the walk was easy.

The rest of the day was spent wandering about in the patches of sunshine, taking pictures, reading or looking through binoculars. The sun set through the clouds and reflected on Ullswater. It was a beautiful evening and although people visited the cairn during the afternoon by 6pm I had the whole fell to myself.

The GPS position is:

NY 4612 2066  528m 

Sun 22 Sep 2002
There was a little more cloud around during the night but the moon still shone through. A bit of a wind had got up which was good as the tent was dry inside and out when I packed it away. I was on the trail by 6:50 and heading down towards Pooley Bridge. It was quite cold when I set off but seemed to warm, or be less cold, as I descended. Eventually I joined a well-used track that was mostly horse tracks. It came to a shut gate at ‘Woodside’ that didn't look like a public footpath so I headed NE, passing Hollinthwaite and joining the road down to Howe Hill and Pooley Bridge village. The newsagent was open and I was tempted to buy a paper but decided against due to the weight. I marched on stopping briefly at the ferry landing stage to take a photo then on along the main A592. It was a bit dodgey keeping out of the way of the speeding cars as there is no footpath. I was glad to reach Watermillock and turn off uphill following the minor road and no traffic. Passing the Church on the left I took the path SW under Priest's Crag and on through Swinburn's Park. The wooded bit wasn't very enjoyable but when the track reached the open fell-side at Gowbarrow Park the views of Ullswater were very good. A short shower didn't last long and sunny spells followed. The trail then descended to the bottom of Aira Force where I started to climb again. I kept to the east side of the river all the way to Dockray then followed the minor road steeply up to Red Moss and the start of the Old Coach Road, which is also part of the cycling Coast to Coast route. Part way along some cars were parked and I noticed people  carrying their hang-gliders up the hillside but I was out of view by the time they assembled their gliders. I carried on along a not very interesting track but at least there were some nice views of the Blencathra range. I was on the lookout for a suitable campsite with water and at least found water at Mariel Bridge but the pitch didn't have much in the way of views. But it was 13:15 and I'd been on the go for 6 and half hours so I thought I'd pitch camp anyway as the next bit of flat with water was an unknown.

The GPS gave:

NY 3492 2271  251m

Mon 23 Sep 2002
A calm still night but some low cloud as I got up. I was packed up and away by 7am heading along the Old Coach Road in a westerly direction. Although there was the occasional spring crossing the track I didn't see any suitable pitches for a tent so it looks like last night's site was the best to be had. The track was not particularly good to walk on due to loose stones on the surface. I was glad to reach the B5322 at Wanthwaite Bridge and some easy walking. By now most of the low cloud was lifting and some sun was shining through. I climbed the track to the church at St John's in the Vale dating back to 1843 or so. I had a quick look inside as I passed then on down to the west and across the fields to the A591 at Nest Brow. I wandered on into Keswick Town centre and did a bit of shopping then headed south on the B5289. The pavement soon vanished and was replaced by a trail through the woods on the west and along the lakeside. At Ashness Gate I saw the bus timetable on a pole It appeared one was due at 11:05 in 15 mins time I decided to cut my time road walking and wait for the bus. When it didn't arrive I noticed the small print that said after Aug the service was hourly and not half an hour. I didn't fancy waiting another half hour so set off walking again. I walked quite fast on through Rosthwaite and left to Stonethwaite. I crossed to the NE side of Stonethwaite Beck and followed it the bridge and continued straight on up Greenup Gill. It had just gone 13:00 and I decided to look for a suitable pitch. Part way up I came across a man doing some work on the path. He was filling loose soil between some recently fitted stones, the reason being to give the grass something to grow in and bind everything together. After a brief chat I left him and continued up to a nice pitch a bit before Lining Crag. It was about 14:20 when I arrived. Patches of sun came out and warmed things up but when it went in things soon became chilly.

The GPS gives:

NY 2827 1152 433m  

Tue 24 Sep 2002
In spite of a very bright moon it was still possible to see an incredible amount of stars. The sky was totally clear but the temperature didn't drop as low as I would have expected. My planned day wasn't as long as previously so I was fairly relaxed about getting on the trail. But even though did some reading before setting off I was still on the go by 7am. The sky above was clear but the valley still in shade. The trail by Liming Crag was very steep in places but very well made. I stopped briefly at the top of the crag then made my way slowly across patches of moor and dryish bog to the summit of Greenup edge. Without stopping I turned SW and steadily up towards Low White Stones and then on towards High White Stones and High Raise. The clear sunshine was incredible and I didn't want to leave this fantastic place too soon. I'd intended walking to the Lingmoor Fell area but then started to consider staying here. Water was a problem as there wasn't any. I left my pack and went off with water bag down the west side of High Raise. I had to descend quite a way before finding a trickle in a gulley. It took ages to fill the bag but then I was off up again to regain my pack and continue on to the Trig Point. Just to the east I found a level and grassy area and chose this for my pitch. The panorama of the biggest mountains in Cumbria was incredible. Hardly a cloud in the sky and hardly a breath of wind. It all seemed too good to be true. The first walker appeared a bit after 9am and during the day a succession of people visited the summit then on their way to other summits. I was surprised by the number of people, considering it is a Tuesday. I busied myself taking pictures, wandering about and chatting to some of the walkers passing by.

The GPS gives:

NY 2810 0949  769m

Wed 25 Sep 2002
Last day on the fells. A fairly calm night but the sky wasn't as clear as the previous night. I packed up and was on my way just after 7am and as I left the summit, descending towards the east, I looked back and saw clouds rolling over the summit. I carried on easily down, taking my time. A short way past Sergeant Man I decided not to descend directly to Easdale Tarn due some steep bits. I carried on along the top on Blea Rigg above before starting the descent just after Blea Crag. The trail kept coming and going and could be difficult to follow in mist. At Easdale Tarn I was on the main track and followed it down to Goody Bridge and Easdale Rd. Once in the Village of Grasmere I checked the bus times and wandered about until the 9:55 bus arrived for Windermere. The fare was £3:40. At the Railway Station I read until the 12:15 train arrived then it was just over an hour before I arrived in Chorley and a 45 minute walk to get home.