Wainwright Challenge: 17/214 Grisedale Pike

 

After finishing at Workington parkrun, I decided to nip up Grisedale Pike on my way home. Of course I was fully kitted out as its 790m of elevation to the summit. I had been part way up whilst videoing the Grisedale Grind in 2019 but hadn't made to the top (this seems to be a common theme!) so I knew the basic route up. It was a shock to get to the car park and discover it was closed! A lovely lady at the main Whinlatter visitor centre assured me that the footpath was still accessible and explained the route:

The trail is easy to follow as the Forestry Commission put in plenty of signs and maintain the access:

parkrun Tourism: Workington #19: 25/6/2022

Video at the bottom.

When I first attempted to complete all the Cumbrian parkruns, it was the two West coast ones that I didn't get to due to travel time. Due to all the lakes and fells you have to take a long way round and it took me well over an hour to get to Workington leisure centre to park my car. Signs then took me over the river Derwent to the start on the far side:

Being a long established parkrun (June 2013) there were was plenty of signage to show that you were in the right place:

Wainwright Challenge: 16/214 Baystones

 

On the 11th of June I was in Ambleside as I had taken part in the Lake District Challenge 10k around Loughrigg:

I decided to make the most of the included car parking to add another Wainwright to my list. This meant finishing what I had started a few years earlier when I had climbed Wansfell Pike and getting to Baystones which is just behind. My eldest joined me for a walk through Ambleside and up through the Stock Ghyll woods:

With Wansfell being one of the most popular fells the initial path way is well trodden and has been stepped. Its quite a slog up and my son's knee wasn't up to finishing it but luckily I fell in with a fellow solo hiker:

Wainwright Challenge: 14 & 15/214 Little & Great Mell Fells

 

As I was at the top of the county already for Talkin Tarn Country Park parkrun, I decided to add a couple of outlying Wainwrights: Little Mell Fell and Great Mell Fell. They are between Ullswater and the A66 and often only walked by folks trying to get the 214 set. I didn't do a great research job and missed the easy parking for Little Mell Fell and ended up much lower down than I needed to be. Undaunted I set off up the path to get to the 505m summit, when I saw the parking bay I so wished I had parked there and just had the almost straight up path:

parkrun Tourism: Talkin Tarn Country Park (Brampton) #18: 4/6/2022

 

On June the 4th, I headed up to Talkin Tarn Country Park outside of Brampton in the north of Cumbria. This was a bit of an adventure as I had only been up this way when visiting Hadrian's Wall. There was ample parking and a free parking permit for parkrunners. After over an hour of driving it was a relief to have plenty of decent loos too! I should have checked the parkrun's Facebook page to know that it was a special Jubilee event and they even had the Brampton town crier as starter and marshal:

The course is a two lapper and it starts inside the woodland. This made for quite a congested start as there was a large touring group from the NE. I had to walk for the first minute. My video of the run is here.