Late afternoon sun lighting up the Langdale Pikes
Penny Rock Wood
So often in autumn, as I drive through the valleys or
wander along a dale on my way to higher ground, the
glib expression “ridiculously pretty” springs to mind:
a scene unfolds that so typifi es everything we’ve come
to expect of the Lake District – all those idyllic images
we’ve been fed since Thomas West’s 1778 A Guide to The
Lakes – it seems too good to be true.
For years I’ve wanted to immerse myself in this
wonderland, staying low to fully appreciate the annual
revolution that the changing seasons brings. Finally,
in the second half of October, a three-day window of
opportunity presents itself and I head for Grasmere.
The fi rst few miles are plagued by high cloud, but
there are hints of brighter times ahead. As I leave
Loughrigg Terrace and head through the trees on the
western side of Loughrigg Fell, the eponymous tarn
appears through the transmuting beech leaves. This
tiny body of water, sitting at an altitude of less than
100 metres, occupies an idyllic location that has the
Langdale Pikes as its immaculate backdrop. Wordsworth
described it as a “most beautiful example” and gave it
its nickname “Diana’s looking glass” after the Italian
Lake Nemi, said to be the mirror of Diana, the Roman
warrior goddess of nature and fertility.
Three photographers with tripods line up along the
southeastern side of the tarn, waiting for the Pikes to
shake free of their morning blanket of cloud. They’re
following in a long tradition of artists in search of the
‘picturesque’. Ever since the Cumberland cleric and
artist William Gilpin, inspired by landscape painters,
fi rst began espousing his principles of aesthetics in the
late eighteenth century, people have come to places
such as Loughrigg Tarn to capture this beauty within a
single frame. Earlier artists would’ve been armed with
Claude glasses – small, tinted mirrors that allowed
the viewer to turn their back on the scenery and view
it in the glass. “Where the objects are great and near,”
writes West, “it removes them to a due distance, and
shows them in the soft colours of nature, and in the
most regular perspective the eye can perceive, or science
demonstrate.”
I push on, dropping into the valley and past Skelwith
Force. By the time I reach Elter Water, the Pikes have
appeared, rewarding those patient photographers
undoubtedly still waiting up at Loughrigg Tarn. At
Elterwater village, I’m joined by my partner Heleyne
and our terrier Jess, and we head up into Great
Langdale together. Lunch on a bench beside the beck is
accompanied by a repeated popping sound, which turns
out to be acorns dropping from the trees.
From Chapel Stile onwards, the Langdale Pikes
dominate the view. They loom imperiously over their
valley, Harrison Stickle the haughtiest of the bunch,
seemingly well aware of its status as a Lakeland icon
and the knowledge that, at any given moment, there
are always dozens of people pointing a camera at
it. Eventually, Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell appear as
well, adding a little more nobility to this increasingly
dramatic scene.
We climb south out of Great Langdale to visit Blea
Tarn. I was intending to follow a quiet trail around the
southern base of Lingmoor Fell, but I’ve been staring
straight up at the high fells since entering Langdale
and, despite my original intention to stay low, I can’t
resist the temptation of one teeny weeny top to end the
day. It proves a good decision. As we near the summit of
Lingmoor Fell, the sun begins breaking through the dark
banks of cloud that have amassed during the afternoon.
The surrounding fells, bathed in golden light, stand
out against the bruised-looking sky. The cool October
breeze wakes me from my valley slumber, reminding me
that, as much as I love being in the dales looking up, I’d
always much rather be on the hills looking down...
Highly Commended
Judy Armstrong
Riding Lines in the Mountains of the
Gods
‘Who knew? Skiing in Greece! A lovely style
and reads very easily - an excellent report of an
unusual skiing destination. The pictures showed
good contrasts between snowy landscapes and
ancient ruins’
The Outdoor Travel Feature Award is sponsored by
OS Pathfi nder Guides. Published by Crimson Publishing,
they are Britain’s best-loved walking guides. Long-
established, these high-quality walking guides off er in
total more than 14,500 miles and circa 6,000 hours of
walking in 94 UK titles.
winter 2018 | Outdoor focus 25