Haweswater loop

The hinterland west of Shap is where the Yorkshire Dales meets the Lakes, or that's how it seems to me as an outsider. I have been here before - once to climb on Gouther Crag, and twice for mountain marathons based around Wetsleddale. This was a perfect way to break the journey to Borrowdale today - the weather was abysmal, the high tops out, and it gave a brilliant little outing. I remember running down the far end of Haweswater in one of those mountain marathons, most likely the Rab in 2010. Today I parked in Burnbanks and took the full 10 mile circuit of the lake anticlockwise, remembering that the valley is the site of the drowned village of Mardale Green, the Cumbrian equivalent of Tryweryn. The western shores are traversed by a little rocky path, flooded in places today, and have a wonderful wild feel at the far end, accentuated today by the weather conditions which remained dreadful, torrential rain throughout. The path gets quite narrow, surprisingly so, as Mardale Head is approached, all completely empty. The lakeshore twists and turns up here, until it finally reaches the road head. From here, it is quiet and undulating tarmac all the way back. Almost 17k/337m in 1.41. Then a leisurely drive to Borrowdale via Penrith as dusk gathered.