Kentmere Horseshoe
10 Wainwrights in one hike!
Summary
The Kentmere Horseshoe is located in the valley of Kentmere, south of the lake district and only a few miles from Kendal. The hike is apparently one of the longest and most remote in the Lakes, at just shy of 13 miles the route takes you along long exposed ridges and covers 10 wainwright peaks (Yoke, Ill Bell, Frostwick, Thornthwaite Crag, Gray Crag, High Street, Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts). It is a long day out on your feet, but if you are lucky enough to have great weather, you will not want the day to end.
Note: I might have explained earlier that you can see great views, however, this was not the case for me. I spent most of the day in the clouds, I didn’t see a thing, but I feel I should write down a few notes on how my day went. At the bottom of this page are links to other websites, where people have hiked the route on glorious days and what should be expected to see. I will definitely be back to tackle the great horseshoe.
The Hike
I should have known it was going to be a miserable day as I drove closer to the lakes, clouds began to cover the mountainous peaks. I was hopeful it would pass; I was reluctant not to give it a go. As I arrived at the town hall and parked up, I didn’t realise how deep in the valley I was. I didn’t have any signal; I didn’t have a clue where I was going. I had a vague idea looking around and decided to just set off, hoping I would get a signal. I followed the road for quite a while before I ended up on any sort of path, and eventually found a signal. I was feeling annoyed, I should have brought a map really. The weather didn’t help either. I wanted to see epic views of giant mountains and lakes deep in valleys, but instead, I saw rain and cloud, and lots of it!
Whilst I carried on, the terrain seemed to be relentless. It was a lot harder than I expected, probably because I couldn’t see anything to keep me motivated. Some steep sections, some flat, more steep sections, more flat, steep downhills, more cloud. It felt never-ending. I was walking into nothingness and felt like I was on a rollercoaster. I remember when I reached the highest point of the hike (High seat) I sat down and had my lunch, but then afterward because it was so misty, I ended up walking back in the direction I had already come. It was very frustrating. Eventually, I picked up on the correct route again and proceeded through the thick cloud.
The wind was howling at this point, I knew I was high up, and as I began to descend the ground beneath me began to fall away quite steeply. It was a bit tough on my legs and my mind as I wasn’t sure what was around me, also I was conscious of time as I had to be back for a table reservation that I had booked. Quickly, I bolted down the hill as quickly as I could without falling over. The terrain was horrible. It was full of shale, loose rocks that were quite slippery! It wasn’t until I began to descend, that I saw what I was walking through, I just wanted to end it now. I was soaked and hadn’t seen anything.
As I grumbled my way back to the car, I had to think I can’t always have perfect sunny weather all the time. I’ll just have to come back. Maybe next time I’ll get it right.
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