Panorama from Blencathra

A big tick on the list of ambitions with an ascent of Blencathra to round off the holidays.

Our second day out this week with friends Adam and Jane who live in Keswick. We went up the Scales Fell route to the summit which gave great views over the fells to the south and west.

We sat just below the summit for lunch looking north to the fells Back o’ Skiddaw and over the Solway Firth to Dumfries and Galloway. Great weather, sunshine and cumulus cloud and a lovely cooling breeze.

Our descent was over Atkinson Pike to the hause of the River Glenderamackin which we followed to Mousethwaite descending back to Scales and the White Horse for a couple of well earned pints.

My one regret was that we didn’t continue along the whole of the summit ridge and back for the full Blencathra experience. It’s given us a reason for another ascent. And there’s still Sharp Edge to do as well.

After the pints we followed Adam and Jane into Keswick for tea and cake and to see their new home that they moved into only 8 days ago. They sent us away with a bottle of wine for my birthday and a copy of the local paper to encourage us to move to Keswick! By rights we should have left them something for their new home.

A beautiful clear sunny evening in Glenridding. A fine dinner, now on the coffee. We’ll potter here in the morning, driving back to reality in the late afternoon.