Youth Hostelling in the Lake District

Here's an account of the first day of my recent 3 day hiking trip to Buttermere in the English Lakes.

I left the bus at Honister by the Youth Hostel and made my way past the Honister Slate Mine to the open fellside beyond, following the wide path for Great Gable and Haystacks. It was warm and the Sun shone from a blue september sky that promised several days of good weather and it actually felt strange to be out on the hills and not getting wet - so bad had our recent weather been.

I had left Windermere railway station earler that morning and travelled through the Lakes by bus - first a number 555 to Keswick and then the 77A Honister Circular. It had been an enjoyable experience and not too painful on the wallet at £9.75 for a day ticket that covered the whole of Cumbria and Lancashire. I could actually have travelled all the way from home near Blackburn had I known though it would have taken rather longer. The Lakes sections are worth doing by bus just to leave the car at home and not clog up the narrow roads - the state of the traffic in some valleys - notably Borrowdale and Langdale is beyond a joke with lines of parked cars blocking the way and spoiling the view. It's something that the National Park authority should maybe be looking at.

For now though, thanks to the reluctance of most tourists to stray more than 100 yards from their cars - they will lose the ability to walk if they're not careful - I had the path more or less to myself. Most walkers bound for Great Gable would have left earlier. Soon I left even the path to branch off up the grassy slopes to the left where I made my way to the multiple rocky knolls marking the top of Grey Knotts. The isolation up here was splendid and the view stretched across the whole of Lakeland with the harsh ruggedness of the Scafell area contrasting with the rough tussock country where I sat and the lush woodlands and fields of the Buttermere Valley where I was heading.

Enjoying the warm sunshine I sat down and ate a banana. Somewhere I heard a faint drone - there he was - a microlite over Ennerdale. I couldn't think of anything much better than crossing the Lake District in a microlite on a day like this - except perhaps sitting here in the sun enjoying the view.

I set off again noting the Helvellyn Range standing out in the East with startling clarity as I made my way to the next fell - Brandreth. Here the plateau narrows and rises to the peaks of Green Gable and Great Gable beyond but not for me. It wasn't early and I still had to get to Buttermere. A glimpse over Beck Head showed me the Wasdale Fells in the West but I set off to follow the fence down towards Buttermere. The views ahead got even better bathed in the late Sun but presently I was following the Gable Path back towards Honister. I would leave it before then though and follow a mine track down to the left into a heathery hollow below.

Without crossing the beck (stream) I took the path that wound its way gradually around to the right with the river in its ravine on the left and the steep walls of Haystacks beyond. Suddenly I rounded a bend and there was the Buttermere Valley ahead. The path crossed rough steep slopes dotted with trees heavy with red berries and led me down to a level track that took me to Gatesgarth Farm by the end of Buttermere Lake.

A track soon appeared that followed the lake shore on the north side of Buttermere - I knew about the one on the other side but that would have been longer. This path followed the shore through trees and across water meadows and made a perfect end to a good afternoon's walk. The track is easy throughout and I noted that we'd get Daniel's pram along most of it if we all came camping at Buttermere. There were a few narrower or bumpy sections that would be short enough for him to walk over.

The track ended close to Buttermere village and I resisted the magnetic pull of the Fish Hotel - or more precisely the beer in the Fish Hotel - to walk back around to Buttermere Youth Hostel where I was booked in for the next 2 nights. I checked in and made my way back to the pub - well it was a warm afternoon!

I had stayed in youth hostels many times years before and things havn't changed too much though now you aren't locked out until the warden thinks you are wet enough and they no longer allocate jobs for the guests to do. Buttermere YHA even served tasty looking evening meals although they were not cheap and I'd brought food to cook myself in the well equipped self catering kitchen which is what I always used to do.

I did overhear quite a few guests moaning about the prices and Buttermere has no shops or cheap alternative for food. Even in Switzerland and Norway - neither country known for being cheap - I've always been able to get a reasonably priced meal and beer on my travels! Not to worry though, breakfast here at Buttermere was included and you don't pay much for accomodation with the YHA. Gone too - at least here - were the huge dormitories full of armies of snorers - the scourge of the alpine huts. I was in a quiet room on the top floor shared with about 4 others, none of whom snored.

The evening was a return to the Fish Hotel for a couple of beers with a party from Sheffield who were up for the weekend then head torch on for the walk back before deciding on which route I would do tomorrow. As the weather forecast was good I opted for the High Stile Ridge - one of the finest routes in the area and one I'd be doing for the first time. I went to bed looking forward to it.

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Part 2 of this story is now here and I will add some photos when I've figured how to get them on the page right!