Seize The Moment Loughrigg Fell

      A warm summer's evening! There hasn't been many of those of late, as I'm always saying; "seize the moment." Got my boots on and made my way up the Coniston road to Clappersgate. There's a path discreetly positioned just behind the telephone box that takes you up onto the lower slopes of Todd Pike. Of course it's a well trodden route and in time of floods there is often a beck flowing down the first part, so there's going to be a lot of loose stone under your feet and the path exists in name only. There's plenty of rocks and fallen trees to clamber over, but you're soon out onto the open fell and almost straight away you begin to get the good views Waterhead and Windermere Lake and the hills towards Hawkshead and Coniston. You are now on a path with a more gentle incline which zigzags it's way up the fell, the views just keep on getting better. There's a final short and quite steep piece towards the end, but suddenly you're out one the top and in the open and just in front of you in the short climb to the top of Todd Pike. Here you'll see one of the views which appears in every photographic Lakeland guide in the land.

      Time for a short break and then i'm off again on the trek to Loughrigg Fell, if you come to Todd Pike you may as well go to Loughrigg as well, it's a distance soon covered upon a variety of good paths. You soon come by Lily Tarn, which never seems to dry up, unlike just about every other water-hole up here.

"I say i say i say, my dustbin's full of lilys!"

"Then why don't you throw them out?"

"I can't...Lily's wearing em!"

(apologies to L Donegan).

      Loughrigg is just ahead, or so it seems, you must first traverse a few small hills and of course the main Ambleside to Skelwith footpath. The track up to the fell is fairly obvious, it's very heavily worn by the trudging of thousands, if not millions of pairs of boots. Often on this track I'm surprised to see the many parties of people struggling along in large boots and carrying heavy rucksacks, always seemingly on the point of exhaustion. For myself, I have a simple philosophy for all my days upon the fells and that is I never go out in wet conditions, I always wear the right footwear, i never put myself in danger. Of course I carry a telephone and some cash, if I'm walking in the high fells, then I'll take a pack and the necessary extras.

      If you look at the maps you'll see that there are very few "names" here, yet of course it's pretty obvious where you are going to end up. The summit of Loughrigg Fell is well worth the climb and there are more good views at the "trig point."