Fairfield

The second full day of our August break in the Lake District was forecast to be fine and sunny. So I was keen to do a fairly long walk and when Denise suggested the Fairfield horseshoe from Rydal I thought it was a fine idea. Unfortunately the day did not get off to a good start. We took longer getting ready than we should have done and it took over an hour to drive the relatively short distance from Boot to Rydal. Although the Hardknott and Wrynose passes are steep and narrow, and a challenge in terms of the steady nerves required to accelerate around steep hairpin bends, they are nothing compared to the frustration of fighting through the narrow, hedge lined lane of Little Langdale, especially when one comes face to face with a foreign driver of a BMW on his mobile phone (grrrrr). It was therefore getting on for 11:00 before we were ready to set off from the car park at the west end of Rydal water. Coincidentally this was the same car park we used on the first day of ML assessment as the base for our river crossing and micro nav.

From the car park we crossed the road and followed the signposted footpath to pick up the coffin route that runs along the base of Nab Scar into Rydal. At one point I saw a flash of red fur scamper along a wall and into a tree. “Red Squirrel” I called and we both used our smal cameras to snap a rare photo of the elusive creature.

We had seen Red squirrels in Scotland but that had been at a feeding station, especially set up for them. Here was one, in England, that was truly wild! Reaching the end of the bridleway we followed the track North out of Rydal before heading North West up the footpath on to Nab Scar.

While heading out of Rydal we encountered a father with a couple of young children, who we walked with for a while. Little girl had a play spear, little boy had a play sword and Dad was laden down with a rucksack and was carrying a large bag full of bit and pieces. He was talking about looking for a plunge pool in the valley, so I was quiet surprised when he tried to go through the kissing gate leading on to the ridge path. Some synapse must have fizzed because he asked to look at my map as he could not remember exactly how to get to the plunge pool. I suggested it might be the other track as that appeared to lead to a waterfall. He agreed and off he went. Then another young family, Dad, Mum, two little kids also approached us. At least they admitted that they had stupidly come out with a map, could they look at mine. They too realised that they should be taking the other path and off they went. Once wonders how far up the path they would have got before they realised their mistake?

Looking down onto Rydal Water from Nab Scar, with Loughrigg Fell in the background.

The route to Fairfield was easy to follow, basically up Nab Scar, onto the ridge, head North and keep going. Being close to Ambleside it is easily accessible and it is therefore relatively popular. Unfortunately this also means there are more people who have no idea how far Fairfield is from Rydal, nor how long the journey is going to take them (we have to be back in Ambleside at 4.30pm said one as the time approached 13:00). “Oh yes I have a proper map, but it is in the bottom of my bag”, said another member of the same party.

We made fairly good time, reaching the twin peaks of Heron Pike before moving on to Great Rigg. The original intention had been to do the horseshoe but time was now against us and an attempt to do that would leave us the wrong side of Rydal with a long walk back to the car park and a late return to the car park. Denise knew that I was keen to get to the summit of Fairfield so she suggested that I push on by myself while she turned back. Once I got to the summit I would also turn back, retracing my steps and hopefully catch up with her somewhere along the return journey. We set a meeting point and off I went.

Me on the summit of Fairfield with St Sunday Crag in the background.

It took about 50 minutes for me to get to the summit of Fairfield and back to the summit of Great Rigg. I then set off on my return leg, hoping to catch Denise somewhere. I finally caught up with here just before the path entered Rydal and we walked together along the coffin route back to the car park.

The view East from Fairfield summit.

Total distance 16km. All my photos are on Flickr.