Flashback Walk September 2019: The Kentmere Horseshoe. . .

If there's one good reason to be happy blogging again, it's to be able to post about this fabulous walk.  

I often use the search engine of the blog to bring up a walk we've previously done, especially if the Liverpud is contemplating leading a walk in the same area, or if we want to remind ourselves of a certain route or terrain. And hopefully I can encourage you to try some of these hikes if you are ever in the area, or give you some vicarious pleasure if you just want to follow along online. Especially now, when we're all stuck indoors. 

Last September (seems so long ago now), we had a long weekend up in the Lake District and we each chose a walk we wanted to do.  The Liverpud chose the Kentmere Horseshoe which is a tough one, but if you have the glorious weather that we had, it's absolutely magnificent.  You need to start early because it's around fourteen miles with lots of elevation as it takes in nine Wainwrights!  There is also very limited parking near the Kentmere church where it begins and although this is a little off the beaten track of most popular Lakeland routes, that car park fills up very quickly.

It starts easily enough on a rough track, gradually going up. 

You then turn onto glorious moorland and already the views are incredible, looking west and south towards the majority of the Lake District.

You then start heading for the first Wainwright called Yoke.  Love the name, and yes, I was wearing a knitted yoke sweater at the time.

Looking back, that's Lake Windermere in the distance.

Below was taken, I think, from the top of Yoke.  Ahead you can start to see the shape of the Horseshoe which roughly bends around the Kentmere Reservoir.

You can see the ups and downs ahead of us. You climb Ill Bell, Froswick and Thornthwaite Crag which is roughly the half-way point. You can also continue up to High Street which we did for a little way before retracing our steps to complete the other side of the Horseshoe.

Looking back at where we've come.

And now we're looking ahead to the turning point or head of the Horseshoe.  Ahead of us we will be climbing Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts.

Looking back from the top of the fell in the previous photo.

And now we're on the other side, it's late afternoon, and we've got tired feet  but it feels so great to look at those peaks that we've been traversing.

Once down, there's quite a long walk back to the car park, mostly along a road, but you do get this beautiful shot of most of the Horseshoe curve.

We were so lucky with the weather. The paths are quite good, especially on the first half, but it would be a completely different kind of walk if wind and rain were a factor. On a good day, though, it's one of the best that the Lakes offers - definitely in my top ten - and I can't wait to do it again.