First walk of 2015 and we didnt venture far. The beauty of living in Lancashire is that there are so many options practically on your doorstep. A couple of good leg stretchers mins away in the shape of Pendle & Boulsworth Hills a little bit of a drive takes you into the Yorkshire dales and then a bit further and your in the glorious Lake District.
Today however it was Ingleborough that was our leg stretcher of choice. The weather was set to fair with a cold frost to start the day and there was no rain forecast so that was a bonus. Parking at Clapham we set of up the track that would take us past Gaping Gill and then onwards to Simons Fell. On the first path we encountered this little chap. I've not seen as many robins this year as I usually do but perhaps that's because over the past 6 weeks we've not been out as much as we'd like, never the less this little chap gladly waited to have his photo snapped.
Lisa and Damian joined us on the walk today and Lisa was trying out her new walking boots. Chris and Lisa are like 2 peas in a pod in this picture all decked out in RAB........Rabtastic !
The path takes you up through a pass where the ground is rocky but luckily due to the frost the ground was hard and we had no major boggy bits to contend with.
Through the pass then on the path past Gaping Gill where a group of ramblers had stopped for their morning coffee. Hoards of them all huddled around the Gill with their knapsacks and walking sticks out enjoying the countryside as them rambly type folks do. Are we ramblers? I tend to think not but then again who knows!
Our first stop was Simons Fell as it was such a nice day and a pity not to wander over there as Lisa and Damian hadn't been there before. The views were amazing and although there wasn't much of a sky for pictures it was still bright enough to get a few shots. The top of Simons Fell is pretty boring, not much to speak of but a pile of stones but we had a drink and a snack and then headed off for the main attraction, that chiseled looking devil, Ingleborough.
The views were getting slightly better and I couldn't resist this shot of Pendle Hill. The trek up Ingleborough was uneventful and was a bit blowy on top. Obligatory visits to the trig and then a huddle in the shelter for a moment and it was onwards back down to the car.
The light was fading fast and even at 3pm the suns rays were dwindling. There are several paths off Ingleborough and due to too much chatting we headed off on the wrong one, oops! It meant a slight detour once we'd got down a bit but nothing too drastic as to dampen a somewhat lovely day.
Ingleborough never fails to make me smile and today was no exception. Its a lovely hill and even moreso when its not accompanied by hail, snow, rain, wind and the likes as it seems to have done on previous visits.
First walk of 2015 done, bring on next weekend and hopefully calmer weather and the glorious lakes.
