Regular visitors to this site will know my other half is no walker. While she loves Scotland and other outdoor destinations, she likes to admire them from the comfort of a tent or cottage.
However, once or twice a year, I manage to ‘encourage’ her to venture out on the fell. Previous tramps include the grueling slog up Ben Nevis and the equally dispiriting trudge up Snowdon alongside the railway. She wanted to climb them because ‘they were the biggest’, having little interest in the aesthetics of route choice. If we ever get around to Scafell Pike, we’ll follow Wainwright’s round!
A few weeks back, we celebrated our anniversary in the Lakes and stayed at the quite lovely, if pricey, Overwater Hall. En route, I couldn’t resist a clamber up a hill and plotted a short circular route up Ullock Pike from Longside Wood.
The round made it an easy ‘sell’ for my other half, while the promise of a hotel and hot bath sealed the deal: Pain, then pleasure.
The day was mercifully clear, although a determined wind from the north blunted the appeal of lengthy snack stops. Views opened out across Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent Water, and the fells remained quiet on this Friday afternoon.
Our descent on Carl Side behind Dodd was steep and madam soon had ‘jelly legs’. Within the hour, she was in bath soothing those aches and pains and pretty happy… I think (!)
Northern Walker 