Friday 13 July - Final day out

And so, in the late afternoon and for the last time this holiday, we passed along the honeysuckle lanes in the Newlands Valley. From Little Town, we'd climbed Catbells - it's a ritual thing - and we were happy to stand on its bare, rocky top on a calm and quite beautiful morning.

We met a lady there who offered to photograph us together. "No thanks, we've got hundreds in various stages of ageing", replied Lynne. " Would you like us to take one of you?" She had lots too, taken over the years, and said she'd stick with the younger versions!" It transpired that she'd been at a conference in Kendal, had seen the good weather forecast, chucked the tent in the car and extended her stay to do some walking.

Of course Catbells alone would have been too brief a day, so we crossed to Maiden Moor, to the cairn on Blea Crag and then along the edge of Eel Crags. A large, noisy rabble of an 'organised' group had surrounded the High Spy cairn and showed no sign of moving while they variously screamed, made 'phone calls etc. It seems the ability to scream is a pre-requisite for 'group activities' these days.

Tomorrow we'll have a look round Keswick market where in the past we've found some old climbing books of interest.

Sir Hugh - I've never done the round from Buttermere, always from Newlands which I think is one of the loveliest of valleys and, as you say, the view from Dale Head is one of the best in the Lakes. I remember the post about your hair-raising dash back to Honister to collect your wallet.

AlanR - We've not done badly for tops on this trip despite the unpromising weather forecasts at the start of the holiday. Today after our walk we bought some Holts at Booths to smuggle over the border on Sunday!
Sent from my BlackBerry®