Fixing Scarth Gap

looking down to Peggy's Bridge at the start of the path

I have been volunteering with fix the fells for about six months now.  It's a great way to get outside into the Lake District without the need for an epic adventure.  It can be as tough or as easy as you want to make it.  There are plenty of stops for refreshments and refuels though.

Fleetwith Pike

 The people I have met are very friendly.  There is a real mix in terms of ages and background.

Today, we met at Hassness in Buttermere and the task in hand was the Scarth Gap Pass.

Scarth Gap Pass is a very popular route.  This is probably because it is the easiest (and prettiest) way of getting up to Haystacks which was Wainwright's favourite fell and famously, his last resting place.

Ironically, one of the main reasons that Wainwright was so fond of Haystacks was its remoteness and relative quietness.  It is now probably one of the most visited fells.  I doubt he would have seen the funny side.

the path going down to Buttermere Lake

 There was a good group of us out today, some old hands as well as newbies like me.  After working out the car sharing logistics, and loading up with spades, brushes, a mattock and some grass seed, we headed off past Gatesgarth Farm towards Peggy's Bridge before heading up towards Scarth Gap Pass.

The path was in pretty good condition. Somebody said they had actually done this path three weeks ago, which would explain the condition.

We did take the opportunity to put some additional steps in at one or two spots where it was needed.  Now this is a real art.  First you have a look at the path and work out where to put an additional stone, where the step down is too high and where people would be likely to leave the path for easier walking along the side of the path.  Next you have to find an appropriate stone.  Big stones are favoured.  I think different styles have been used over the years and for those that are really interested, there is some history to pitching paths.

 It was in working one of these big stones to the path that I managed to get my finger in between two big rocks.  Ouch!  I'm pretty sure I am going to lose a fingernail in the next few days.  I took a bit of a back seat after this but there were many hands and some good work was done making the path more appealing to walk.

One of the most important tasks is clearing the drains on the path so that water runs off the path rather than down it.  The drains usually need clearing out and sometimes repaired.

Haystacks

It's really nice walking back down the path with your spade, admiring your work on the way.  The people walking up the path were all really lovely and appreciative of the work we did.  A pact was made not to visit Scarth Gap for some time and then we packed away the tools and headed off.  Some people went for a cuppa in Buttermere but I headed up to Whinlatter to pick up my bike which had been serviced.

Now I have tomorrow to plan something epic!

Here is a link to the run I did the last time I was in this area

And here is a walk we did in snowy conditions

Things I learnt from my first triathlon

it doesn't matter who has the biggest muscles for the swim

 THE SWIM
This was the part of the triathlon that I was most worried about.  I had worked hard to get my swimming to a level that I thought was acceptable and held back from entering events until this time.  What I learnt was that there are all different standards of swimmers and that you are put with a group of a similar standard.  Sitting on the side of the pool, watching the groups swim before me, I was relieved to see people doing doggy style or stopping for a rest after a few lengths.  The main thing I learnt here was that I could have entered an event much sooner.

I estimated a swim time of 13.30 for the 500m swim.  I had timed myself in the pool and came in at 13 minutes and so I thought that a time of 13.30 would allow me to take it easy, saving some energy for later in the triathlon.  I was actually much faster than that.  my swim time was 12.39 and felt really really easy.  I was held up a bit by someone who was running out of steam.  Probably the occasion and the support made me go faster and so the next time I will take this into account when estimating a time.

now, where did I put my bike?

 As I am not an elite swimmer doing flip turns, I was employing the method of grabbing the side of the pool and then pushing back off.  As this was a pool I was not familiar with, I was a bit thrown by the different edges to the end of the pool.  At the deep end there was a shelf to hold onto before turning around.  At the shallow end, it was the top of the pool.  This seems like a minor thing but I think it really swallowed up some time.  20 lengths means 20 opportunities to get this wrong.

TRANSITION
Probably the second most nerve-racking element of the triathlon.  I had remembered to put my helmet on before touching my bike.  I had laid things out in the order that I would need them.  My transition was very very slow.  I wasn't rushing.  I probably need to rush a bit more.  Not being able to afford, and partly not feeling at all comfortable in, a tri-suit was always going to mean that I would take longer changing from swim to bike attire.  The biggest thing I learnt here is that it's really hard to put a top on when you are wet.  The other main thing I learnt is to work out where you will enter and exit the transition for the bike and run.  I had a walk around the transition area before the event and noted the exit and entry parts but this was before an elaborate system of cones and traffic tape was laid out on the course to funnel competitors into the area.  I relied on some very helpful marshals to point me in the right direction.

support vehicle

THE BIKE
It's probably worth knowing the bike course.  I didn't which meant I had to slow down a few times until I saw a helpful marshal point me in the right direction.

My strategy was to refuel on the bike and I had a bottle of sports drink to take in.  It worked really well, I had a very slight slump of energy on the run but overall felt energised throughout the event.  I really didn't feel as though I needed a drink on the bike but took it on board as I was sure I would be feeling low on the run.

cool, a medal

 THE RUN
The run is where you see what energy you have left.  For the last part of the run I felt very very strong to the point where I thought I should have put more effort into the bike.  I suppose this is always going to be a process of estimating and adjusting and I felt great having such energy at the end rather than struggling back to the finish.

OTHER STUFF:


Nobody really knows how slow you are.  Because everyone sets off at different times, you will not be the last to finish.

It's a great workout.  I had fallen slightly into the trap of thinking that, I can swim 500metres, I can ride my bike for 20k and I can easily run a 5k so there should be no problem doing one after  the other.  It actually is a little bit harder doing one after the other.  It's probably a good idea to remember this.  It is a great workout though.  I needed two chocolate brownie oat slices at the cafe in Whinlatter forest afterwards.

It's great fun.
It really is great fun.  I got such a sense of achievement from completing the race.

It's addictive.
Yep, next triathlon is in about four weeks time.

Wray Castle

Following a fun morning at Allen Bank, we popped into the National Trust shop in Grasmere and had a real life chat with twitter buddy @cragchris.  It was lovely to meet with Christine who is something of an oracle of  Lake District events and attractions.  She was excited that we had such a great time at Allen Bank and she suggested we also check out Wray Castle.  So, after a quick lunch stop in Grasmere village, off we went.

Wray Castle is another National Trust property that has not been wrapped in cotton wool and roped off.  It's very child friendly and interactive.  It does have an interesting history which is detailed here.  This blog post is all about the fun you can have there.

like building a castle

making a coat of arms

exploring and dancing 

looking in empty cupboards

princess chairs

building more castles

drawing

making a princess crown

  

blackboards

dressing up as a princess

Knights in shining armour and kings also available...

making shiny fish

Then back down stairs for some much needed castle repairs with new friend Charlie.

  

a story about a fish 

time to make another fish

  

refreshments

then back to being a princess

We didn't spend that much time outside, partly because the weather wasn't great, partly because there was lots to do inside and partly because we were both quite worn out by this stage.  There is a lot more to do outside and Wray Castle is on edge of Windermere Lake so you can combine a visit with a boat ride or other activity.

looks like the real deal eh?

great views from the front of the castle - this is the Langdale Pikes

 Of course, Hannah snored all the way home and then had lots of energy when she got out of the car.

Allen Bank, Grasmere

I would like to recommend the National Trust to you, especially if you have a young family.

I originally became a member of the National Trust because the membership includes parking in the various car parks around the Lake District that are owned by the National Trust.

"swiper?"

Previously, my experience of the properties owned by the National Trust were old, dusty buildings with roped off furniture where you were 'allowed' to walk around, as long as you kept quiet and didn't touch anything.

The whole idea of it all really grated me.  I would find myself wandering around quite disgusted at the opulence and planning to overthrow the occupants, perhaps beheading them in the process.

Recently though, it seems that the National Trust has been undergoing a bit of an image change.

I'm sure this has been a necessity as the upkeep of these historic buildings is expensive and the type of people interested in the type of properties described above are getting less and less able to get up the crooked stairs.

So it's great to see some properties being given an alternative treatment.

Allen Bank in Grasmere is one such property.  Yes, there is some history, Wordsworth's house blah blah, Canon Rawnsey blah blah.

I'm glad to say that the National Trust seem to be taking a light touch approach to the historical aspects of the house.

It's there if you want it but it's not stuffy.

"I wandered lonely as a ..."

The Georgian architecture is there to be admired, you can stand at the windows and enjoy the same views as the famous ex-residents.

You can sit in a chair in front of a roaring fire and read or compose poetry.

There is information on the history of the building and the famous occupants.

But there are no roped off areas.  You are encouraged to touch things.

and best of all you can play.

You can write on the walls,

play with toy farms,

doll houses,

giant draughts,

painting

and making stuff.

make your own garden

write a letter to a love

write on a blackboard

run around

play in the dolls house

make an idea for the idea tree

make a bee for the garden

play with magnetic poetry

paint the view

show off your work

draw a portrait of your family

and then there's the outside

follow the big trail

that has lots of steps

and a tunnel

refuel ready for our next adventure