Glenridding Dodd and Sheffield Pike  | - Click on the image above to view gallery
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The second week of our Lakes stay was spent in Glenridding, and the first day we arrived here was a perfect opportunity to visit a couple of small fells close to where we were staying, which were another two new to us: Glenridding Dodd and Sheffield Pike. The forecast was once more for an improving day and in fact we had left our apartment in Ambleside with the sight of a lovely rainbow. Sadly it wasn’t quite so good once we arrived in Glenridding but this didn’t put us off and are we glad we went on the walk as eventually the day turned out gloriously sunny but with a wind that added a significant chill factor. We started our walk along the Greenside Road and kept a close look out for the footpath that would make a direct ascent up the steep slope of Glenridding Dodd. There was enough rain in the air for a while for us to put on some waterproof trousers although I’m not sure they were really needed, but it did give us another layer to protect us from the strong wind so we never did take them off again. The really annoying thing was we could see plenty of blue sky in the distance but it was a bit shy of reaching us for a while. Once we had got our breath back from the short but steep ascent it was a simple matter of making our way to the summit cairn and what a view it was from this point. It’s always very satisfying when you get views for not too much effort and Ullswater looked as delightful as it always does; Glenridding was being highlighted by the sun too and it was hard to leave this viewpoint but we knew there was better to come. Our next objective then was to find the ridge route up the side of Heron Pike: this route is just a delight, winding through the rocks and heather. When the sun finally came out and all of a sudden everything looked so different and the colours more vibrant it brought a huge smile to my face. It’s such a shame then that this delightful part of the climb doesn’t last very long and soon we were on the boggy top of Sheffield Pike. The detour to the Heron Pike viewpoint over Ullswater is definitely worth a visit and the views were just wonderful especially as the sun was now shining and Ullswater looked delightful with blue sky above it. The full force of the wind seemed to be hitting us at this point and we could hardly keep still once we reached the summit of Sheffield Pike. A few pictures were taken of the views but we quickly sought what shelter we could get from the stone shelter beside the summit cairn for a quick bite to eat. This was no place to linger today as we soon got cold.
Our route back to Glenridding took us down the Glencoyne Valley, somewhere I had seen in many pictures before so was looking forward to seeing in person. I’m really glad we chose to do this walk this way round as the views ahead towards Ullswater were just wonderful and even a faint rainbow was visible for a while too. It was also great to finally get out of the strong wind. A lot of bags of stones for path repairs were scattered beside the footpath. I have to say we were surprised by seeing the stones as the path didn’t really appear to be that eroded to us. On this afternoon however they made a perfect place to sit out of the wind, enjoy the view and have a drink and something to eat.
Another landmark I’ve seen in countless pictures before was the row of cottages known as Seldom Seen. Once cottages for quarry workers they are now holiday cottages and what a location. Soon we were back on the Ullswater shore and completing the short walk along the shoreline to where we were staying.
Not a long walk today, I think it was almost 6 miles, but we didn’t have long as we wanted to get ourselves unpacked and settled into the hotel.
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