Gummed up instructions to drive you up the wall!

Big Fat Frozen Hand on the How

Spot the Lake

We set out a few weeks back to do a circular walk up Gummers How. We usually follow walks either from Trail magazine or from a walking book but on the odd occasion we’ve downloaded a walk from walking britain or the great outdoors….and DISASTER….read on.

Finding the car park is easy, it’s just on the main road half way up the hill. Gummers How is easily seen from the road and is a hop skip and a jump over the road but the walk we’d downloaded took you away from the fell in a southerly direction then east and back west to the summit.

Our problem was finding the start of the walk!

It’s not like we’re stupid. We’ve been walkers for years and the Lakes is our back yard for all intents and purposes. The problem was that it stated the path was clearly signposted towards Staveley 500 m down the road from the car park. Well we went 500m and found what could have been a path but not signposted. Fair enough signs rot and fall over so we followed the path. It wasn’t anything which lead anywhere other than into a forest.

Pretty but pretty wrong.

We came back out onto the road and walked a further 500m down the road and found another path heading into the woods. We followed that this time for much longer until it too led nowhere other than to managed felling areas. We returned to the road walked a bit further then headed back to the car – now 1 and a half hours into a walk which hadn’t yet started and decided we’d head for Grizedale while there was still some light to enjoy the day. A guy in the car park suggested we just walk up Gummers How the easy route and 40 minutes later we were on the summit, but not before we’d seen this fella on the wall.

I love gloves like this. They remind me of my Grandad and more recently my Dad. Not that he wears them but he has that statesmanliness that would lead you to suspect he does, he should, instead of fighting rheumatism! But I’m as stubborn so I can’t complain!

It was an OK walk but we were all deflated. I should have known things were going to be rough. When we arrived in the Lakes I realised I’d left my coat and all waterproofs at home! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE????

Thanks God the sailing season starts soon, I’ve had good practice at being wet!

The sign we found as we left...some way more than 500m south of the car park!