COAST TO COAST: ROSTHWAITE--GRASMERE--GLENRIDDING (DAYS 3-4)

Hiking Towards Grasmere 
Eagle Crag Above Path

 DAY 3:  ROSTHWAITE TO GRASMERE

The third day of our coast-to-coast trek across England was a relatively short but challenging ten miles between Rosthwaite and Grasmere. Before sharing the experiences of that day, however, I invite the reader to a sonnet by Wordsworth, the Lake poet and nature mystic whose name will always be associated with the Lake District, particularly Grasmere, where he lived and wrote for a significant period of his life.  The sentiments expressed in this sonnet explain why many of us are drawn to the rugged, pristine beauty of places like the Lakeland Fells.

            THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US

    The world is too much with us; late and soon,

    Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:

    Little we see in Nature that is ours;

    We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

    This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;

    The Winds that will be howling at all hours

    And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;

    For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

    It moves us not -- Great God!  I'd rather be

    A pagan suckled in a creed outworn;

    So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

    Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

    Have sight of Proteus coming from the sea;

    Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

                                    Wordsworth

Coming out of the Borrowdale Valley

Rosthewaite in Distance

Ascending Through Ferns Toward Greenup Edge

Continuing the Ascent

Greenup Edge and Lining Crag in Distance

Note Outline of Path on Slope Beneath Crag

The Path up Begins to get Muddy

Beginning Descent Toward Grasmere

Small Waterfall Near Lunch Site 

Continuing Towards Grasmere

Coming into Grasmere

Houses on Stream in Grasmere

DAY 4:  GRASMERE TO GLENRIDDING

Leaving Grasmere, we took a country lane to Mill Bridge and then followed a rocky path that ascended alongside Tongue Gill to the top of Grisedale Pass (aka "Grisedale Hause").  Near the top, however, the weather changed abruptly, shrouding us with fog and limited visibility. We pressed on, nonetheless, descending past Grisedale Tarn and ultimately taking refuge for lunch on the lee side of a hill near a monument known as the Brother's Parting Stone.  The monument marks the spot where Wordsworth last saw his brother, John, who drowned in 1805 when his ship, The Earl of Albergavenny, sank at sea.

After our brief lunch stop, we continued our descent through the Grisedale Valley, welcoming the improvement in the weather that came with lower elevations.  Late in the day, we reached the shores of Ullswater, England's longest and second largest lake. We then walked on to Glenridding, where we spent the evening after a fine meal at the appropriately named Ramblers Bar. 

The First Ascent Outside of Grasmere

Continuing the Ascent Toward Grisedale Pass

Climbing to Grisedale Pass

Hikers Seeking Refuge from Weather Atop Grisedale Pass

Pressing Over Grisedale Pass Through Fog

Lunch Break Beneath Brothers Parting Stone

Descending Through Grisedale Valley

Abandoned Stone Farmhouse

Old Farm in Grisedale Valley

Ullswater

The Ramblers Bar in Glenridding

Next Posting:  Days 5 and 6 -- Glenridding-- Shap--Kirkby Stephen