Into the Twilight Zone
Is there a way of getting Lakeland’s superstar fells to yourself in the middle of summer? Yes, says David McVey – that’s what evenings are for…
ONCE I WAS on Loughrigg Fell, a hugely popular little peak between Ambleside and Grasmere. I had the summit to myself. In fact, there was no one else at all anywhere on the upper slopes.s Yet it was late June and the weather was warm and sunny.
The previous day I’d been on another of the Great Little Fells of the Central Lakes, Wansfell Pike. Again it was dry and sunny; again I had the summit completely to myself.
How did this happen? No, I’m not Royalty and my security team didn’t sweep the fells clear of the plebeian hordes in advance of my arrival. I just went to these places in the Twilight Zone: any time after about 5pm.
Most Lakeland walkers are creatures of habit. They breakfast, then they head for the fells, munch sandwiches in a sheltered spot for lunch and descend in late afternoon, thinking only of the evening meal, a pint and bed. The fells do not figure in their evening itineraries.
Which is a shame from May to August, given the long, lingering evening light. Start a walk at 4.30pm and finish at 9.30, and you’ve got five whole hours of broad daylight, which is often the exact same amount of time that ‘daytime’ walkers will spend in the hills anyway.
If I’m having a short break in the Lakes and I arrive at my accommodation at, say, 5pm, and the weather is good, I unpack as quickly as I can, get the walking gear on, and hurtle up the nearest little fell.
It’s always in the back of my head that this could be the last good weather of the trip, so it shouldn’t be wasted.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll point out that my solitary moment on Wansfell was coincident with England’s match against Iceland in Euro 2016, which might explain the reduced footfall on the fells that night. I’m of Caledonian DNA however, so the match was of no interest to me. (And given what happened in the match, I’m betting most England fans wish they’d been up a mountain instead anyway).
Next day it bucketed rain from the outset. I hopped on a bus to Grasmere
and scooted up to Allan Bank, the National Trust’s welcoming house on the edge of the village. I intended to just enjoy hanging around Allan Bank while it poured, but if there was a relenting, I could use the house as a handy springboard for the fells; just think how spectacular Easedale Falls would be after this deluge!
Allan Bank is a true haven. You can do your own thing, browse in the library, relax in front of a log fire, have a cuppa and soak up the Wordsworth, Rawnsley and Potter associations. There’s plenty to keep you occupied. Which was just as well, as there was no relenting of the rain. So I sat and wrote a poem.
By 4.30pm I was back in Ambleside, sitting in the lounge bar of the hotel reading and listening to the rain.
And then, about five o’ clock, it stopped. About a quarter of an hour later, the sun came out.
I hammered up to my room, changed into my hill gear (still wet just from visiting Allan Bank) and set off for Loughrigg Fell.
I’ve climbed Loughrigg many a time; I often make it my morning walk on the day I leave to go home. Loughrigg is always busy, whatever the weather, to the extent that there can be not one but severall school groups on the summit.
But that day, in benign summer evening sunshine that belied the horrors of the first two-thirds of the day, all I met was a mountain-biker, a fell runner and a few descending walkers on the bridleway to Loughrigg Tarn. And once I was out on the open fell, I had it completely to myself in perfect conditions. And this time, let me stress, there was no sporting contest to provide competition for walkers’ interests. It really was that quiet.
Other small Lakeland heights I’ve explored after hours include Helm Crag (above Grasmere) and High Seat (above Lodore Falls in Borrowdale).
It doesn’t have to be a summit, of course. You can aim for a tarn, a pass or a lower-level viewpoint, making it the object of your walk rather than simply a conduit for it. Easedale Tarn is a lovely one to have to yourself, especially as evening falls.
The only exception is Latrigg, above Keswick. No matter what time of day you climb Latrigg, there will always be someone else up there with you. Everyone knows how good its sunsets are.
Of course, if lots of people follow my lead and head for the fells during the Twilight Zone, they won’t stay empty for very long. But there are plenty of fells to go around, and perhaps we can operate an informal shift system to minimise overcrowding.
So, I’ll see you on a twilight peak somewhere. If it’s not raining, anyway.
All I met was a mountain-biker, a fell runner and a few descending walkers…”