Briefest of Borrowdale backpacks

It's early October and I've driven up to Cumbria in the van to meet Chrissie, who's finished a couple of weeks backpacking across the Lakes. You can read about her journey here in her blog.

We spend a couple of days meandering and enjoying walks with the dogs. I'm hoping to have a night out in the hills with our pal Peter but there's a big storm due by the weekend so that plan's shelved, sadly.

We're at the Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Borrowdale. It's a fabulous day. Clear blue skies. Warm. The calm before the storm. We take a walk along the shores of Derwent Water, returning to the van for lunch. I wonder about hopping up a hill with Islay for a camp. The weather's too good to miss really. So I pack my rucsac and we're off, skirting up the slope to Hause Gate and the col twixt Cat Bells and Bull Crag. It's around 4pm and everyone else is heading downhill as Islay and I plod steadily up the hill.

It's a beautiful view down over Derwent water, towards Keswick.

We pass over Bull Crag then drop onto Maiden Moor. I've no fixed idea of where to camp. Just being up here in the warm, late afternoon sun is enough.

As we climb towards High Spy I see a couple of ponds to my left, alongside flat ground with short grass. 'Looks ideal. We wander over and I find a perfect pitch. I drop my sac to the ground and attach Islay's lead to it. There are a few sheep around and I don't want her distracting. I give her a rawhide chew and she settles as I erect our tent.

In a few minutes, the tent's up and organised and, seeing her bed inside, Islay is happy to clamber in and curl up. She's really maturing. She'll be three years old in a couple of days. As I go to filter water and take a few photos she doesn't budge. It's the first time she's felt able to do this. I don't even have to tell her to stay. So good.

It's cooling. The sky is still completely free of cloud. I give Islay her dinner then prepare mine. Bla Band Goulash.Yum! And we spend the evening relaxing. I sip coffee and enjoy reading. Such a blissful evening.

The morning dawns, thick with mist. By the time we've breakfasted it's lifted and we set off, back down to the van. I decide on a descent I've not used before, down via Nitting Haws. Suffice to say, this is NOT a descent, or even ascent, I'd recommend to anyone. The first part is lovely, through a series of hanging valleys. But eventually it deteriorates into a 45 degree scree slope down a gully. Fecking atrocious. I curse. In an attempt to keep her safe, Islay is attached to my harness using her elasticated lead, leaving both my hands free for poles, thank goodness. She stays behind me, bless her, dutifully following my careful steps down the hideous slope. After around an hour we emerge at Hollows Farm and I'm forced to lift Islay over a low fence before following her. We return to the caravan site following the Cumbria Way.

Phew! Such fun.