APR 2018 – 13 Miles – KENTMERE HORSESHOE (LAKE DISTRICT)

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Total Distance: 13 Miles
Highest Point: 2565 Feet
Total Realistic Time: ~8 Hours

“The Kentmere Horseshoe, sometimes called the Kentmere Round, is one of the longest and most remote walks in the Lake District. Traversing all the fells bounding the upper Kentmere valley and its reservoir, it starts beside the village hall in the hamlet of Kentmere some 4 miles north of Staverley, near Kendal.”

https://www.walklakes.co.uk/walk_14.html

Kentmere Horseshoe
Kentmere Horseshoe

We got to Kentmere at 8:00am, no other persons in sight.  We managed to park at a local farmers field where you pay £3 for the whole day, near the church at the top.

The first part of the hike was very boggy and so relieved I had my waterproof socks, however I do need to invest in a pair of waterproof shoes/boots at some point to keep the precious feet from the wet and cold.  We started from the car and did the Kentmere Horseshoe anti-clockwise using the OS Maps app which I purchased for £20/year for use of all hiking maps, which we followed the route from.

As we went up the first hill, the wind picked up and also light rain.  This carried on throughout the walk with the wind not letting up.  It got particularly strong at the top with also very thick fog which we could not see much of a view.  Good that we had the OS Maps app to follow the route and also Memory Map app for emergency.  Very impressed with the OS Maps app as it will give you a notification if you veer off your route too much.

There were parts of the walk where the main path stopped for a little bit, a little section before getting back on the path was very boggy and my sister somehow managed to fall backwards on her bum in the bog, however she got up quickly and kept going, no permanent injuries.

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Some of the boggy areas which I did not enjoy as much
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This was halfway through, quite boggy at this point with the relentless wind

There was a section at the top where you could actually see the fog moving away with the wind blowing to see clear blue sky and see the view to Kentmere Reservoir but very briefly.  The uphill sections were challenging and had to do a bit of scrambling to get to the top, with loose stones which did not help.

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Getting a view of Kentmere Reservoir when the cloud slowly moved away
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A lovely clearer view once the cloud cleared

Did not see many walkers about early on apart from one trail runner, later on in the walk we saw a few more people hiding from the wind in the makeshift shelter having their lunches.  Not as many people around today, most probably due to the windy and wet weather.

With still the wind not letting go, there was a steep section down towards the car which was a path laid with loose stones which felt like it went on forever.  This did not help my knees at all.  Took 500mg of panadol to help with the knee pain, helped a little but it was painful coming down that hill.

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The on-going downhill back to the start

It was a relief to get to the bottom of the hill and relief for my knees, wish I had my knee support and some ibuprofen.  Once it got flat again my knees were working fine.  It was so nice to get back to the car, all of us with no injuries, well not permanent injuries.

It was a challenging walk due to the constant wind and light rain, it was a real achievement.

EQUIPMENT

  • Camelbak Backpack
  • Apple iPhone 7 with Apple iPhone Smart Battery Case
  • OS Maps app (signed up to 1 year auto renew at £19.99 to use the app with OS Explorer Map 1:25k – click here for more info)
  • Salomon Women’s Eclipse GTX Walking Shoes
  • Finisterre Thermal Long Pants
  • Sport Moisture Wicking Pants (emergency purchase from Sainsbury’s the night before the hike due to my lack of preparation and forgot my trusty North Face Walking Trousers – much needed on this hike)
  • Touch Gloves (so you can use the iPhone’s touch screen to take photos without having to remove your gloves)
  • SealSkins Waterproof Socks (worked a treat, my feet were bone dry throughout)
  • North Face Woolly Neck Scarf
  • North Face Woolly Hat
  • Buff Neck Scarf
  • Icebreaker Merino Wool T-Shirt
  • DHK Sport Zip Jacket
  • Women’s Montane Atomic Waterproof Jacket
  • Spare Finisterre Long Sleeve Merino Wool Base-layer

FOOD AND DRINK

  • 1 Litre of Water in Back Pack in a 2 Litre Bottle (did not have the right bottle)
  • 1 x 500ml Flask with Black Tea
  • 1 x Ham and Cucumber Whole Grain Sandwich
  • Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
  • 3 x Small Bite Size Jarlesburg Cheese
  • Pink Lady Apple
  • Lindt 85% Dark Chocolate
  • Walkers Salt and Vinegar Crisps
  • M&S Roasted and Salted Almonds
  • Dry Roasted Cashew Nuts with Skin
  • Waitrose Dried Pineapple
  • Waitrose Organic Dried Mango

WISH I HAD

  • North Face Walking Trousers (which I forgot to pack, needed in this walk as it is very good at wicking moisture and dries quickly when wet)
  • Extra Gloves
  • Modetro Sports Knee Support (for left knee)
  • 1 Litre Water Bladder (so you can easily take a drink whilst walking, especially in windy and wet conditions)
  • iBuprofen (help inflammation of the knees especially towards the end of the walk)

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