16th October 2008 -- A Rydal and Grasmere circuit

Area:	Lake District	Ascent:	958 feet
Walk No:	216	Time:	3h 40m
Date:	16th October 2008	Parking:	Pelter Bridge (NY364060)
Distance:	7.00miles	Weather:	Cloudy with occassional sunny spells

Route:

Pelter Bridge - Loughrigg Cave - Loughrigg Terrace - Deerbolts Wood - Grasmere - Rydal - Pelter Bridge

For those of you that are thinking of going onto the hills I would strongly recommend that you read the advice given by the Mountain Rescue organisation of England and Wales. To read this advice, which will open in a new page please click HERE. If you would like to make a donation to the Mountain Rescue organisation which is purely voluntary please click HERE. Please make the time to read the advice page.

We were a little late away today as I had been waiting for the Rheumatology Clinic to phone me with the results of a recent CT Scan. For those who have contacted me via e_mail and other means asking how things are I'll post here to save my fingers on individual e_mails. I was told that the CT Scan had shown there was a "problem" with my chest and that I should stop taking the Methotrexate immediately. They could not, or would not say whether the "problem" was caused by the Methotrexate or was due to the Rheumatoid Arthritis or even some other unrelated condition but they have arranged for me to see the guys who specialise in chest problems at a date not yet known. I have an qppointment at the Rheumatology Clinic in about 5 weeks by which time the Methotrexate should have cleared my system and they will decide on which course of action to follow next. In the meantime I will have to rely on anti-imflamatory tablets and painkillers. I was told to take it easy in the meantime but b*gger that.....I love my walking, be it on the tops or in the valleys so after the phone call we set off for the Lakes. The route is quite simple, from Pelter Bridge to Grasmere via Loughrigg Terrace and back via the old corpse road.

We arrived at Pelter Bridge to see the last space on the car park being filled. However there is room for a few cars near the cattle grid as long as you leave the track around it clear. From the car we walked up the lane towards Rydal Water.

At the top of the lane we turned left on the higher path to the old quarries.

There were one or two light showers passing nearby but fortunately missing us.

Loughrigg Cave.....A group of young ladies and leader had ignored the sign to keep out.

And I always ignore it.

On leaving the cave we stayed on the higher track of Loughrigg Terrace. Here I am looking back towards the cave.

A funny day for photography, for me anyway as there were areas of quite dark shadow and other areas in bright sunlight. Here is a close up of Dunmail Raise with Steel Fell in bright sunlight but Helm Crag and Seat Sandal in shade.

From the end of Loughrigg Terrace we took the big zig-zag path down through Deerbolt Wood to the shores of Grasmere.

Seat Sandal and Stone Arthur across the water

Boathouse

Helm Crag, better known as "The Lion and the Lamb" on the left of Dumail Raise with Seat Sandal to the right.

Helm Crag bathed in sunlight

First cafe stop of the day at Faeryland near Grasmere

Gorgeous colour as we enter Grasmere

Stone Arthur from Grasmere. The village is not one of my favourite places. It's in a beautiful location but far to overcrowded.

The Gingerbread shop

The Wordsworth family graves.

Inside St. Oswald's Church at Grasmere

St. Oswald's Church

Leaving Grasmere our route took us past Dove Cottage to follow one of the Cumbria's corpse roads. This ran from Ambleside to Grasmere and forms the bridleway from Grasmere to Rydal.