Area: Kentmere, Lake District
A bonus mini-break to the Lakes. The forecast initially suggested that today would be by far the best weather-wise so I had originally planned a long version of the Kentmere Horseshoe by way of initial preparation for the Snowdonian Marathon. But plans were altered a little due to my late discovery that a classic fell race was scheduled for tomorrow. So I didn't want to empty the tank today, but neither did I want to completely change my plans so I settled on a compromise solution. I parked halfway between Staveley and Kentmere, as the village itself is notoriously tricky to park in. I've done the proper Horseshoe three times I think, including the race itself. But today I jogged up the quiet road over Low Bridge to the lovely village, incredibly tranquil, and then took the ancient tracks towards the reservoir. The valley of the River Kent itself is to the right, with Kentmere Pike (the last peak on the race) rising above. The track was good, and so I made quick progress and that continued round the lake to a short-cut which led across to the vague North-East ridge of Ill Bell. This is very steep indeed, especially towards the top, and I took it very steady in order to save energy. Cloudy but great views down to Kentmere and over to High Street, Froswick and beyond. Towards the central Lakes it was a little more misty so I was quite lucky. From Ill Bell I took the easy path over to Yoke, where a wasp got under my shirt and stung my left shoulder, like a needle. I could still feel it 24 hours later, and the itching continued for days. I cut the boggy corner to the Garburn Pass (Windermere on the right) and then took this back to Kentmere, ancient, rocky and awkward: from memory the race route takes this at the start. A pleasant return to the van and then a late lunch from Booths before checking into the Grasmere youth hostel.
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