Text and pics contributed by Rachael.
Day 1: Keswick YH to Buttermere YH, 11.5 miles
The route took us out of Keswick along a stretch of the Cumbria Way to Portinscale, then over meadows and along small lanes to Braithwaite.
We reluctantly decided to alter the route in favour of the Coledale valley route rather than the exposed ridge route over Grisedale Pike, owing to the morning forecast of 50 mph winds on the summits.
At the top of the Coledale valley, we passed Force Crag mine, which once extracted lead, zinc and barytes from the area. It was the last working metal mine in the Lake District prior to its abandonment in 1991.
The planned route was rejoined at Coledale Hause and we continued on up to the summit of Grasmoor.
We realised that we had made the right decision about the route when it was difficult to keep upright against the strong winds at times as we approached the top. We had lunch in the shelter on Grasmoor.
We didn’t linger for longer than necessary as our fingers soon started to feel numb with cold and the clouds were beginning to descend. The route down to Lad Hows was very steep and we were severely buffeted by wind on the first section.
The views opened out across Crummock Water and Buttermere to Loweswater in the distance.
The final section took us up through Rannderdale and into Buttermere, where we met Heather for a lovely evening at the Bridge Inn.