Back in the Lakes for walk 204, Newlands

WALK 204: Ard Crags (1906 feet above sea level, number 305 of my second round) and Knott Rigg (1824′, no. 306). 12.75 miles, 2,500 feet of ascent.

It feels like a long time since I was in the Lakes, and this is because it is a long time, at least by my standards. Nearly three months have passed since walk 203 took me up Wetherlam in late November. I hadn’t missed out on a whole January, Lakeland-wise, since starting this blog in 2009, but in 2023 it didn’t happen, partly though not entirely due to my trip to St Helena in the second part of the month. Although my last walk was a chilly one, the glorious weather didn’t make it feel like winter and it certainly didn’t feel like it on 23rd February either, as the picture above suggests; so perhaps I have missed out on the whole winter season this time. Never mind.

Walk 204 is quite a long one, at 12.75 miles, but most of it is fairly easy going in beautiful surroundings. The two Wainwrights bagged, Ard Crags and Knott Rigg, are never going to be considered major players in the ensemble but they definitely play fine supporting roles, offering great views of nearby fells and of the valley of Newlands, all seen from narrow, heathery ridges which apart from steepness in parts, cause no difficulty. Read all the details and look at the usual crop of additional photos on the walk 204 page.

Looking down into Newlands from the descent off Knott Rigg.

As of today then, I have bagged 306 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, thus have 24 to go. After today, only one of these, Robinson, now remains from volume 6, The Northwestern Fells.

I know that I have made frequent promises to get on with rebagging Helvellyn, but here’s another one. This plan does depend on Trans Pennine Express deciding that it is, after all, going to run an 8am-ish service from Preston to Penrth — and in the UK rail network at the moment, nothing is certain. But as long as they do keep it, that’s currently my next target, for a walk in mid- to late March.