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14:14:17, 17/02/09
Im planning a wild camping trip for the next couple of months.
Basicaly i will be hiking in a huge U shape, starting at Coniston and ending in Grasmere visiting Wast, Ennerdale, Crummock, Derwent and Thistlemere water.
This will be my longest hike and wild camp in the lake district so my questions are....
Practicality?
Any tips?
Anyone actully done this route before or similar?
Were is the best water source for drinking purposes in the lakes?
Anything i should know?
Thanks to all that reply!
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15:36:55, 17/02/09
Sounds like it might be fun. There should be plenty of places for wild camping along your route but officially you're not supposed to wild camp below the 1,000 ft contour (I think). The popular spots are generally around the tarns but a lot depends on your chosen route. Styhead tarn is a popular spot, so is Angle Tarn (more limited for pitches).
If I were doing it I would probably have an interim camp on a site (say at Buttermere).
And I may be wrong (has been known before) but presumable you're last lake will be Thirlmere (although I do like the sound of Thistlemere). There's a campsite I think up near the north end but little scope for wild camping around there unless you detour off to Grisedale Tarn perhaps.
I think we've covered water before in your earlier post.
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16:35:32, 17/02/09
Quoted from the NT site:
The Trust does not generally allow camping on non-recognised sites without permission. 'Wild camping', where permitted (for example in the Lake District, in upland areas above 450m), should be out of sight of the public highway, entail only one-night stopovers with a maximum of two campers and leave no trace of their presence.
Im just using that quote above and wild camping werever may deem suitable alongside respecting what the site says. Ive seen that enough people do it to not to!
Were both wrong about the name of my last lake stop, it's actully 'thitlemere'
Tar for the reply!
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17:48:29, 17/02/09
Not all the land in the Lakes belongs to the Naitonal Trust, of course, although qute big chunks of it do.
Generally, you'll be OK wild camping on the fell above the intake wall if you're discreet about it. Its pretty much accepted that people camp in the Cumbrian hills although you're not saying if your route is a high level one going over the tops, or if you're intending to link up those lakes using the passes between the valleys.
If you're intending a low level route, then your wild camping opportunities are more limited and you'll be walking past campsites near pubs, which could well pose a challenge to your resoluteness!!
I wouldnt recommend the big tarns such as Angle Tarn by the way as they're too popular and your health may be at risk there (IMHO). Too many people and too much poo...
I suspect you really do mean Thirlmere by the way, there's nowhere called Thitlemere
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19:59:04, 17/02/09
Thanks for the reply.
The map i have got says Thitlemere, but when i check others it's different, i stand corrected it seems! Not that it matters
Im just in the stage of working out the best route for my camping, hopefully it will incorperate both high and low level traveling. The lake district is a huge area, in the past were i have camped for just one night in high level areas and lower down in woodland but i will be visiting some places i havn't been to before, for example Crummock Water.
Has anyone got any good, flat ground places they have visited that are perfect for pitching?
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20:35:14, 17/02/09
Well, your objectives seem to be the lakes rather than mountains so my route would be:
Day 1. Coniston - Walna Scar - Dunnerdale - Grassguards - Eskdale - Camp near Burnmoor Tarn.
Day 2. Wasdale - Black Sail - Ennerdale - Scarth Gap - Crummock Water. This misses out Ennerdale water which is a minor tragedy but it’s a long haul through the forest and I don’t really know anywhere to wild camp at that end of the valley.
Day 3 I wouldn’t go over Newlands Hause but the valley to the north, Sail Beck, has a really good path. This willl take you to Derwent Water. From there up to Watendlath and over to Thirlmere/Thistlemere.
It’s a while since I was there but I’m sure there would be good camping at Burnmoor Tarn. You might find a small pitch in the Sail Beck area. It’s fairly quiet over there.
Just out of curiosity iI Googled ‘Thistlemere’ and came up with this
www.graemema.....fotopic.net/ not a million miles away, but not quite the same scale. Which map were you using Stag?
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12:57:28, 23/02/09
Nuff said
I think OS or Harveys, might just be a better choice for route planning though.
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13:09:49, 25/02/09
I'm getting the feeling this tread is just one big send up
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Are you serious Stag? Do you know what those brown lines on the map mean? Have you even been to the lakes before?
Sorry, but the routes suggested (even if they are
rough) and the maps used, display either a stunning lack of awareness and preparedness or maybe you are just 'havin a larf'.
Get yourself a proper map, work out what the symbols mean and start again.
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15:13:40, 25/02/09
Well it's not something I do everyday lets put it that way
, Ive never really planned a route before ive just ventured out or departed the 'beaten track'.
The brown lines im looking at show the height levels of the hills/mountains.
Any tips you could give me would be much appreciated (and by the sound of things much needed)!
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15:53:21, 25/02/09
As I've said earlier, a good map, Have a look at these.
www.harveyma.....d_North.html or
leisure.ordn.....explorer_OL6They will show you the paths which are absent from the online maps you've used so far. The paths generally take the most sensible route. For example your proposed route up High Seat is Ok but there's only steep fells and forest on the descent side. Whilst you don't have to stick to paths, you really don't want to get stuck in the forests. You can go off the beaten track in many places but not here.
The other thing I would consider is deciding where your overnight stops are going to be first then planning a route between them.
Still best of luck with it. Let us know how you get on.
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22:05:05, 25/02/09
Thanks for your help i will be going in 2 weeks on sunday.
Following some advice on some good locations to wild camp i have made the following route, ive also ordered a a map from on of Kirbstones links to help me on my way!
i83.photobuc.....h/route1.jpg [nofollow]
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09:52:34, 26/02/09
Looks a pretty good trip to me. I'd be tempted to go through Mickeldore in between the Scafells rather than flog round to the south, but I'm a masochist.
The temptation to cut out the Ennerdale loop and jst head through Scarth gap would be pretty great! Having said that, it's a while since I've been in lower Ennerdale, I remember it as a sea of dark trees, like Mirkwood. I understand it's better now?
Your map shows a descent into Langstrath where I would stay high and go round by Sprinkling Tarn, but that might be what you intend to do anyway and it's just the sketch nature of your route planning map that makes it look different.
And instead of going down the Stake pass into Mickleden I'd stay high and go among the Langdale pikes. All assuming reasonable weather and not waist deep snow, of course!
You could vary the return route by going through Little Langdale, over to Tilberthwaite, and then accross the Yewdale fells back to Coniston. That's a lovely walk
Have fun, and let us know how you got on
Ian
www.mountainfreedom.co.uk
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13:47:40, 26/02/09
Thanks for the reply
The route is rough at the minute so all the advice people have been posting is a real help for me to amend the route, i want to get the most out of the trip as it's going to be the last one for quite a while!
The plan is basicaly to stick to the path as much as possible and just cut across areas of forest and mountains to camp high above and away from the paths and out of sight.
Im hoping to extend the route when i have time to amend it, but as i approach the Keswick area i would assume there is much less places to wild camp.
Any more tips and tricks are greatly appreciated!