July Meet – Great Langdale, Lake District

Friday 27^th July

Four brave adventurers headed north on Friday Graham, Lizzy and Alan W during the day and Juan in the evening. We were in the far field and as Alan W arrived he saw Lizzy’s colourful tent and Graham waving. We’ll miss your tent Lizzy now it’s gone to the great campground in the sky!

Friday was such a lovely evening cooking at the tents and making plans to climb on Pavey Ark, which we could see from the tents. As darkness was settling in out of the gloom walked the familiar figure of Juan. Unfortunately, he was on another site as ours was fully booked. We pointed out our intention for Saturday.

Saturday 28^th July

So far this summer the weather forecast had been wrong when it said there would be rain during the hot spell. This was the exception to that rule! We all visited the shop as they had hot drinks and breakfast rolls, a cheating start to the day. With the arrival of Juan, he Lizzy and Alan W set off for a walk following the Cumbrian Way up the valley. The rain stopped before they ascended the path beside Stake Gill; at the aptly named, ‘Pile of Stones’, on the map they followed the path west to Angle Tarn. On this leg the rain started, again; just before arrival at Angle Tarn they came across a group of teenagers enjoying/enduring a British summer in the hills. One of the leaders recognised Alan W from last year’s Alpkit’s Big Shakeout (see a later report from this year’s). The wind and the rain convinced out team the best option was to return to the tents and answer the call of the cafes in Ambleside!

Graham, who was suffering an injury, decided to stay at the site and was planning to go for a gentle leg stretch on the valley floor. Being the most sensible member of the team he decided to spend most of the day in his tent – warm and dry. When reunited the team headed into Ambleside and, after a little retail therapy, revived themselves with hot drinks and cake in the Apple Pie café.

Dinner was taken sitting outside in the rain at the Old Dungeon Gill, well it did have a canopy, that an a OS waterproof map to sit on did keep most of the rain off.

Sunday 29^th July

We all awoke and thought of a 1980s Scottish group – Wet Wet Wet. After a brief discussion everybody decided to head home. Juan via Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm. Alan W was so glad he has a big orange survival bag in each tent bag; bundling a wet tent into it save getting all your kit wet!