Last week the wife and I, along with our two dogs went to the Lake District, staying at The Travelers' Rest near Grasmere. For the first few days the weather was pretty good, even hot on Monday, but it deteriorated as the week went on, with fairly heavy showers on Friday although that was the only day with no respite. Oddly, our room in the hotel was absolutely tropical throughout and we slept with a big fan blowing, and the windows open. Not sure why it was so hot there, but had I known, I might have chosen somewhere different. The Travelers is a funny place - benefitting from a great location, and seemingly very well presented, but the place is not really very comfortable in some respects, with lumpy beds, no armchairs etc. It is saved by the lovely staff who are mostly foreign, Romanian, Spanish etc and who make the difference. I must say I have been using the Travelers and its sister Hotel, The King's Head at Thirlmere for about three years now, particularly as they are very dog friendly, and the menu is becoming a bit tired - and its not always that brilliantly cooked at the Travelers either though it seems to depend on the dish. Anyway, I suppose I will stay there again, but if I'm honest, it was a bit if a struggle for a full week.
We did a little walking, though less than I hoped and I can tick off another three Wainwrights, having climbed Seat sandal with Leigh and the dogs, which I found a struggle as it was so hot. Leigh got to the top before me - when I didn't appear for ten minutes, she went looking for me, and headed along the North wall, whereas we had ascended by the East wall, so when I went looking for her, she couldn't understand how I'd got to the top without her seeing me. Her sense of direction and navigation skills are zero, so I need to help her become more familiar with maps and GPS etc. On Thursday, Jocky and I went up back o' Blencathra to climb High Pike (Caldbeck) and Carrock Fell. These were a real pleasure to climb and a nice breeze kept it cool enough to enjoy as the sun was out for the late afternoon - we started at about 4pm and got back to the car at around 7.40. It was nice starting late as we saw only a glimpse of one person the whole walk.
In other news, I have more or less decided now that I will attempt the Pacific Crest Trail, probably in 2017 if I can work out the financing of it - and bearing in mind I will need to leave work to do it, and hopefully get another job when I return. That is not to be sniffed at. I am in terrible physical shape right now, so this is a great way to get back to some sort of fitness in preparation for the walk.
I will make occasional posts about this as things proceed.
