Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club
Walk & Event Reports
Club Holiday to Coniston 22-29 April 2016
Report by Ken Halliday
Photos by an unknown photographer
Nineteen of us travelled south to Monk Coniston, meeting Carol, David and Liz, who had ventured north, and then joined on Monday by Madge, following granddaughter Mel's wedding.
We were most warmly greeted by the staff, who all week were charming, efficient and helpful under John, the excellent manager. Also there to greet us on arrival, and every morning, was a most vocal chiffchaff – either desperate to find a mate or anxious to defend the one he has
Walks were brilliant – greatly varied in length, difficulty and interest:
Saturday: Graham led us on a sunny morning down Coniston Water, then up to Torver and along the lower slopes of Coniston Old Man to Crowberry Haws, where some of the more intrepid members of the party took off for the summit and the others descended to the fleshpots of Coniston. Ken and Carol decided to stop above Low Water to watch the world go by and the intrepid scramblers on the crags opposite. They awaited the return of the others as the weather grew cooler. A pair of tiny dogs were better equipped than some of the human walkers, wearing panniers which clearly contained their emergency rations and wet weather gear.
Sunday: David, to whom many thanks for a very difficult drive, took us south, then east, then north into Duddondale, where Geoff, continuing his pursuit of Wainwrights, led us on a great, and sometimes challenging, walk up Harter Fell and Green Crag, on a mixture of good forest roads, faint paths, tussocky peat hags and open hillside. On the return Ken was a Very Naughty Boy and went off on his own, losing contact with the group. He claimed to have known where he was at all times! In any event, all returned safely to the car. David was persuaded that north over Wrynose was the best way home. No-one knew that there was a cycling event on. Apologies, David – hope you've recovered!
Monday: Day off! A sizeable group decided to stroll down to the water's edge and take a cruise on the steam gondola. We waited....and waited ….and waited. Eventually, deciding it wasn't coming we walked into Coniston, where Tourist Info confirmed it wasn't running. We bought tickets for the launch over to Brantwood. Skipper told us the gondola had blown a gasket – as indeed had several of our party! Lunch at Brantwood, and then some toured the house and walked home, while others enjoyed sitting in the sun outside the house (and inspected the beautiful tiling in the toilets!) before taking the next launch back to Coniston.
Tuesday: Stan led us on a lovely walk from Elterwater into Greater Langdale as far as Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, meeting en route a happy, laughing group of kids in helmets and buoyancy aids who'd been canyoning in Dungeon Ghyll itself. Rather them.. ! The Langdale Pikes and Pavey Ark were spectacular – pangs of regret at not being up there. We returned to New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel to have lunch under the trees, just in time for the snow to start. The high tops now seemed less appealing. However, the weather soon picked up and we had a lovely walk back to Elterwater and the welcome, and welcoming, tearoom.
Wednesday: South today to Broughton-in-Furness, where the walk began in the charming village square. Despite having been warned that this walk had been selected by Graham, and so was, of course, “nine miles”, and included “a very tiresome patch of mud”, “flat boggy pasture”, “a bit wet in the middle” and so on, fifteen brave souls set out with Anne and Ken on what turned out to be a quite charming and very varied walk. Little mud was in fact in evidence, and nowhere was too wet. The streams we had to “wade” were shallow and easy. Some of the carpets of bluebells were quite beautiful. Anne had a terrifying experience when she found herself among a rampaging herd of horses, but the noble Sir Graham, that Very Perfect Gentle Knight, saw them off and there were no fatalities. A cuckoo was heard, and Stan spotted his first merlin.
The weather was mostly bright and sunny, although of course we had a heavy fall of graupel about lunchtime. Importantly, we were back in time for the tearoom in the square, where, surprise, surprise, we met the other party!
Thursday: South again, this time to Grange-over-Sands, from where Nancy led us up through the woods on what she had warned was a steep path, with Bob conscientiously backmarking and administering oxygen as required. We soon emerged on to the lovely limestone top of Hampsfell with its “Hospice”, a quaint and unique viewing tower. As we descended the grassy slope towards Cartmel, the weather also went downhill. By the time we were down it was raining heavily, and an unscheduled visit to the Priory seemed a good idea! Lunch was partaken under a variety of arches and trees. Some noses were pressed against the window of Rogan restaurant. Would it be worth spending a king's ransom to get out of the rain....
A dripping trudge along roads, uphill, naturally, took us back to the wood and down into Grange, where the tearoom staff couldn't have been more welcoming and didn't bat an eyelid at the drips all over the floor! A fascinating walk, despite the weather..... and the fells had all turned white as we drove home – beautiful.
Evening Entertainments.
Varied as ever.
Friday: Ken's Fiendish Quiz. Fiercely contested, the result only settled on the third tie-break question.
Saturday and Tuesday: Geoff's Scottish Dancing. Thoroughly enjoyed by participants and spectators alike.
Sunday: Barbara and Graham's quiz: more diabolical than anything Ken could devise.
Monday: A most interesting talk on the history of Coniston Mountain Rescue.
Wednesday: Graham's Diabolical Dingbats.
Thursday: Ceilidh. More dancing with Geoff, poems by David, Stan, Bob and John. An unforgettable burlesque show from Madge and Bob and an equally risque “Joyce the Librarian” from Barbara and Graham. “I'm happy when I'm hiking” according to the men's choir, “My favourite Things” by the ladies' choir (which most of us could relate to!).
The week ended with a champagne toast to the group, for which many thanks to Stephen, and the traditional “Auld Lang Syne”.
Very many thanks to Graham for his hard work yet again.
Here's to next year!
Ken
