Monday at Whinlatter
Monday, the third day of the holiday, and we were back to an early start. The plan was to do some sweeping up over at Whinlatter and see what the fells there had to offer. I parked at the Whinlatter Forest Centre, rucksack loaded, ready for another round of Wainwright-bagging. From a previous trip we still had Broom Fell, Graystones and Whinlatter to do, so that was our plan.
The first leg was up through the woods, a pleasant climb on clear tracks, which eventually delivered us onto Lord’s Seat. We’d visited there before, but through the woods is the easiest way up, and Lord’s Seat is a fine spot to start the day.
Broom Fell: Geocaching with Strangers
From Lord’s Seat, the walk over to Broom Fell is straightforward — an easy grassy trudge with little drama. Near the summit we found a group of walkers settled down with their lunch. Conversation flowed, and I ended up introducing them to geocaching, as there happened to be one tucked away on a nearby fencepost.
Broom Fell may not be the grandest name in Wainwright’s catalogue, but it has its charms. The top is marked by a sturdy stone cairn and a small wind shelter, standing proud above the rolling pasture. From here the sweep of the Lorton Valley opens out below, with the bulk of Grisedale Pike dominating the skyline to the south-east. It feels like a quiet, tucked-away summit, more about gentle grassy ridges than dramatic crags.
It was midday by the time we reached the top, so we joined them for our own sandwiches. Sunshine, easy company, and another summit ticked.
Graystones: The Steep Way Down
The onward route to Graystones stayed gentle underfoot, though the rolling ground had a little more rise and fall than the grassy stroll from earlier.
The cairn of Graystones sits above the northern end of the Whinlatter slopes, with views that stretch right down into the Lorton_Valley and across to the Solway Plain. It’s a place where the high fells start to relax into farmland, offering a mixture of ruggedness and approachability. On a clear day you can sense both the pull of the mountains behind and the lowlands opening out ahead.
The descent, however, was another matter. None of the sensible options looked appealing, and rather than backtrack, we took the very steep slope straight down to the road. It was exactly the thing we’d promised we wouldn’t do — knees burning, calves protesting, the constant fear of slipping, squished toes. Both of us were glad to reach the bottom in one piece.
There was time to pick up an earthcache in a quarry at the bottom (though a traditional cache eluded me). By chance, we bumped into the same group we’d met on Broom Fell. By this point we were tired, thirsty, and running low on energy. Salvation came in the form of a lift back up to the Forest Centre — two miles of relentless uphill avoided. Sometimes it’s wise to have a casual conversation with somebody in one place, because you never know when you might want to ask them a favour in some other place.
Ice Cream
Back at Whinlatter we collapsed onto chairs with cold drinks and ice cream, trying to restore some life into our legs. That was enough for one day — no more fells required. It was 3 pm by this time, and whilst we could theoretically have gone up to Whinlatter top, it was frankly very hot and we were both pooped. So we decided to give up and go home.
Oh Dear Me!
A final puzzle cache on the drive back rounded things off, but then came the sting in the tail. A wrong turn onto the narrow road beneath Catbells sent us bumping along Borrowdale’s lower slopes. That detour eventually funneled us into a 40-minute traffic queue, all thanks to a single missed turning off the A66. An hour lost to tarmac — frustrating, but part of the adventure. Ami got so frustrated that she fell asleep in the car.
Once back in Keswick, we cleaned up and strolled out for dinner at Casa Bella, conveniently close to the flat. Good food and a short walk home — not a bad way to end the day after all.
Wainwrights Completed on This Day
