19th June 2021
This was my first visit to the Lake District – and what a treat! I left the South coast in pouring rain and flood warnings and after a shocker of a 9 hour drive I arrived at the beautifully sunny Lake District!
The next morning dawned bright and it was great to be in the first start wave at 06:50. The first wave is always my preference so I can get out and along the course before the sun gets too hot. I walked and chatted with various folks on this hike – I started out with Sue Shakespeare, had a chat with Diane Blackburn after lunch, and crossed the finish line with Claire Green.
I didn’t find the elevation on this hike too challenging and was waiting for the horrendous hill near the end which I had heard so much about but when I crossed the finish line I realised it had been what I thought was a fairly gentle climb up to Askham.
What I did find challenging was some of the terrain underfoot with a lot of stones, rocks, and tree roots in different areas along the way with some difficult descents where great attention has to be paid to where you are putting your feet.
The scenery on display along both sides of Ullswater makes it all worthwhile of course and this is definitely a hike I will do again at some point.
