Thursday 9th April 1998

Leave the village on an easy but scenic stroll along country lanes to Ennerdale Water. The lakeside path over Anglers Crag is undulating and rugged but nevertheless excellent walking in remote terrain with good views over the lake and surrounding mountains. A forestry track (I didn' t find this half as bad as reputed) alongside the River Liza with good views of Pillar follows for those not attempting the High Stile Ridge. The route then emerges from the forest to the valley head surrounded by mountains. A steep climb out of the valley is followed by a crossing of the plateau between Haystacks and Green Gable with good views into Buttermere. This is then followed by a steep drop into the Honister Pass and Borrowdale followed by stroll to Rosthwaite/Stonethwaite.

Route: Ennerdale Bridge to Stonethwaite via Ennerdale Water, Ennerdale Forest, Honister Pass

Distance: 14 Miles

Grade: Fairly Strenuous: along rugged, undulating lakeside path with a steep ascent out of the valley alongside Loft Beck. Steep descent into the Honister Pass.

Facilities: My accommodation was at the Gillercombe guesthouse in Stonethwaite, adjacent to Rosthwaite. The room was very small and they did not do packed lunches, otherwise it was comfortable with a good breakfast. I ate in the bar of the Scafell Hotel in Rosthwaite in the evening. There is also a pub in Stonethwaite. There are various B&B's in and around Rosthwaite and also a shop. There are four Youth Hostels on this section at Ennerdale Forest, Black Sail Hut, Honister Pass and Longthwaite.

Day Two

The day had started badly. Two businessmen from the north-east, one of whom had only one arm, joined me at breakfast. We chatted amiably as I watched the one-armed man out of the corner of my eye cleverly buttering a slice of toast. His companion then started telling me a story about someone he knew with a fascination of the nearby Sellafield nuclear power plant. He told me that he still continued to visit the plant as a tourist long after leaving his job there. I then made a crass joke about him growing extra limbs if he carried on with his obsession. To this day it still leaves me cold with embarrassment when I think about it. I looked at the man  buttering his toast with one arm but if he had heard me he showed no sign. His friend tried to help me out by making other jokes in a similar vein but it was too late. We ate the rest of our breakfast in silence and I beat a hasty retreat.

Once I began walking my embarrassment subsided and I began to assess the situation. There was a very strong, bitter wind blowing and a local weather forecast on a blackboard in the pub the previous night had forecast gales on the tops. Because of this I decided that I would take the lower level option through the Ennerdale Forest which was a deviation from my original intention to attempt the High Stile Ridge. I was a little surprised and pleased at the roughness of the path alongside Ennerdale Water (pictured) and was thoroughly enjoying the scenery and peace. A light aircraft burst into the valley flying low over the water only temporarily disturbing my reverie before disappearing between hills at the far end. The rest of the path proved a delight and I saw no walkers until I reached the other end of the lake where I picked up the forestry track alongside the River Liza. The forest wasn't as dense as I had imagined from some descriptions and I had excellent views across the river to Pillar.Eventually, the track ended at a gate and I was once again out in the open surrounded by a bowl of impressive mountains, the most prominent of which was Great Gable  standing guard at the head of the valley. I passed the remote Black Sail Hut youth hostel and found a hollow in the ground where I sheltered from the wind and I felt quite warm in the spring sunshine as I ate my lunch admiring the mountains. After lunch I climbed steeply out of the valley alongside Loft Beck and was rewarded with good views into the Buttermere valley.  From here I descended equally steeply in a squally snow-shower into the Honister Pass and from there on to Rosthwaite and Stonethwaite, where I had a room booked for the night