Wansfell and Troutbeck  | - Click on the image above to view gallery
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We’ve stayed in Ambleside three times now and we’ve looked at Wansfell Pike each time thinking we really must go up there one day. We could actually see the fell out of the kitchen window of our cottage too so it seemed a perfect walk to get us going on the first day of our holiday. The day was as overcast as it could be so we knew we wouldn’t be seeing any distant views and it was also incredibly humid which makes it hard work for a couple of unfit souls who rarely get the chance to walk steep hills.
I had got a new lens just before we went on holiday - a Nikon 18-200 with vibration reduction which meant it would be possible in theory to take shots in lower light levels that would still be sharp. I think today was going to be a good test of what I might be able to achieve.
It would have been impossible for me to actually walk past the waterfalls of Stockghyll Force without going to have a look, and after all the recent rain, like many other waterfalls they were looking impressive. It’s not much of a detour however and we soon found the path that would take us up the slopes of Wansfell Pike.
There were quite a few people huffing and puffing and all complaining about the humidity on their way up to Wansfell Pike. A delightful place with what should be good views on a brighter day and it’s only once you reach the summit cairn you see Windermere. We were however the only two to take a left turn and make our way to the true summit of Wansfell. Being our first fell walk in a while we are always just so pleased to be there, so not much was going to take the smiles off our faces and we enjoyed our walk along the ridge although at one stage felt quite perturbed when crossing an area of moss that bounced like a trampoline because of the amount of water underneath it. We were never quite sure what was keeping us from sinking as we bounced our way across it.
Onto the summit then and we looked across at views of Red Screes, little realising that Andrew Leaney had plans for taking us up there in a few days' time. There was quite a breeze blowing so we found a more sheltered spot to eat our lunch. Just for a few moments a few patches of blue sky appeared but sadly not for long. We sat for a while just enjoying being there taking in what little view we could see.
Not long after lunch I spotted a young frog hopping about in the damp moss I managed to catch him and he sat on my hand for a while allowing me to take a few pictures. Before I let him go, I blew him a kiss but he didn’t turn into a Prince. Nigel is now convinced that among froggy mythology on Wansfell there is talk of some mad woman who is out to kiss them all  .  Nigel crossing the stile into Nanny Lane  Looking back up Nanny Lane, Wansfell summit can still be seen Our next place to find was the delightful sounding Nanny Lane. We had both always liked the sound of the place but one look at Nanny Lane soon told us that if there were a lot of reeds growing, then it’s going to be pretty wet. It was only the higher levels of the path however, and it was easy to follow the path into Troutbeck.
Troutbeck is a delightful village and yet another place we hadn’t been before. Our return path to Ambleside would follow Robin Lane and take us through Skelghyll woods. A quick detour to the viewpoint of Jenkin Crag but I’ve a feeling that even on a good day the view is very much obscured by the height of the trees.
It’s always very satisfying completing a walk from door to door and not needing to use the car and this walk fitted that perfectly - I think it was around 7 miles and perfect for our first day. I'd Like to thank Rachel Bastow from the Online Fellwalking club for pointing out to me that the cows we passed on our way back to Ambleside were in fact Simmantels and not Charolais which we though they were at the time. We can all learn so much from each other and I was very pleased to now know what they were.
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