🧙♂️ I’VE SPENT MANY WEEKS patching up the Lake District in the past but I’ve NEVER seen anything like this!
Oh my goodness – a risk of tripping and a wobbly handrail on a bridge at least, oh, six inches or maybe a foot above the swamp below. Yikes!
But seriously, folks, good for the good old Brits for warning you well in advance of possible mishaps to come. Personally, I and my wandering companions, Kate & Alison, made it across with neither a scratch nor a stumble to add to our collective trailblazing experience. I was almost disappointed.
If I compare this to coming down the surprisingly hairy Cat Gill from the very tame Walla Crag in the descending dusk, I can hardly see what the fuss is about. Maybe grannies sue if they trip over a misplaced pebble in these parts, I don’t know.
Anyway, we made it over the cupboard-sized chasm with our recently consumed scones and jam and lashings of cream from the café at the north end of Derwentwater perfectly in tact in our replete tums, ta v. muchly.
Here’s Alison trying her best to hide behind a leaf but successfully traversing the dodgy crossing. Kate was in the picture above, also having accomplished the feat.
OK, I admit it, Alison had to give me a piggyback ride across, my knees were trembling so… that’s what friends are for, right?
Talking of conservation work, I contacted the Friends of the Lake District with a friendly message offering to support them with links on The Lakeland Chronicles but haven’t heard back from them.
The do continue to try and flog me their old calendars at half-price and get me to support their petitions and such like. If only they realised how much I’d love to, but they’ll have to write back first!
I won’t be able to help them ‘on the ground’ by repairing footpaths or rebuilding stone walls or killing bracken (do they still do that?) as I don’t have much time available, living in France as I do.
Spreading the word is something I might be able to help with, though, and maybe even organising photo competitions or something, who knows?
Well, that’s enough rambling for now. Next job: write another fell-felling story so I can get my Wainwright’s tally up-to-date before my next trip planned for the end of May. Until then, tally-ho!
Safe stepping!
The Laggard of Lakeland 
(Lakeland Chronicles No.33)
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Wainwright Log: 9 of 214 Fells Felled / 0 Books Bashed / Visit
