It was a beautiful Saturday morning in April and most of the group set out from Rydal to walk the Fairfield Horseshoe. The weather was clear and sunny, with a light breeze. We had walkers of various levels of experience, and all were looking forward to a challenging but rewarding day.
The walk started off well, with the group making good progress up the path to Heron Pike. By this point there was already a division in the group between the faster and slower parties, and a handful decided that Heron Pike was achievement enough. The remainder, fast and slow, continued along the ridge to the massive bulk of Great Rigg, and then on to the flat summit of Fairfield. The scenery from the summit was stunning, with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, crags, lakes, and valleys.
A second sub-group decided that the call of the tearoom was too strong to carry on for the full horseshoe and decided to turn back after the summit. The remainder pressed on to finish the walk.
The final section proved the most challenging. After Hart Crag the path descended in a series of craggy steps, each taking you a little closer to the bottom.
The speedier party made it back to Rydal just in time for tea: tired but happy and rewarded by generous slices of cake. There was no such consolation for the slower group.
I was slow because my knee was sore. I took my time and stopped often to rest, determined to finish the walk no matter what. I was glad that I did. The views from the summits were incredible, and there’s no better way to spend a day in the Lake District.
Dave P with AI assistance from Google Bard
Post script: I was more than happy to keep Dave company. The weather was great all day, but particularly fabulous as it shifted into late afternoon. Even with the sun setting it felt like such a pity to be coming down off the ridge. Still, wouldn’t do to be late for Nick’s dinner.
Ali
There’s a Hole in My Pocket
It’s a true life lesson that when you are going to spend all day roaming the countryside, you should always check the condition your pockets. A holey pocket can really spoil your day. Tim had a minor disaster when part way up Fairfield he discovered that his phone had slipped through a hole somewhere on the ascent. Oops.
All group members returning by the up route were under strict instructions to look out for it, but it’s a big mountain and none of us were really that hopeful.
On getting back to base, Tim did the obvious thing and rang his own number to see if anyone answered. He was in luck! The phone had been picked up by another walker and taken back to Ambleside. The good Samaritan was called Alexa, which caused some amusement for those familiar with Amazon smart speakers. Alexa? Where’s my phone?
Lake District Memories:
- Colin and Lynn dancing a polka on Heron Crag.
- Tae in Rydal Water, swimming with toads!
- Chris (on skinny dippers at Loughrigg Tarn): “Full frontal nudity – that made my walk!”
- Dave: “Three portions? But it’s vegetarian. That’s not like real food.”
- Ali 2 pints at the Badger Bar: “I was buying for a friend”