England - Lake District - Not Quite Summer On Gummer
England - Lake District - Not Quite Summer On Gummer
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Walk Summary
Walk Summary
A short walk to the top of Gummer's How with wonderful panoramic views over Lake Windermere. Pleasant approach through sparse woodland accompanied by a variety of birds and Hardy Luing cattle.
Date: 21/04/2023
Length: 1.38 miles
Height Gain: 110 m
Terrain: Stony tracks, easy rocky scramble, muddy tracks
Navigation: The whole route is well signed.
Start: Gummer's How Carpark
Route: Gummer's How Carpark, Gummer's How
Map: OL7 South Eastern Lake District
Weather: Sunny and blue skies; very windy
Walkers: Nun, Cabin Boy, Kapitan Mo
Captain's Log
Captain's Log
Schools Out
Schools Out
We'd had a hard day's walking yesterday (see Scafell Slight Delight) and so we were after something a bit easier today. I decided to have a trip to the Fell Foot National Trust site on the south end of Lake Windermere. As a precursor I thought we'd also visit the nearby hill of Gummer's How. The good thing about Gummer is that the car does most of the work on the ascent. The summit is about a mile's walk from the carpark and includes a small climb. Three mini busses arrived at the same time as us and a gaggle of youngsters jumped out. It looked like we'd be making the climb accompanied by a school outing.
Approach To Gummer's How
Looking North Along Lake Windermere
Summit Trig
Gummer How
Gummer How
We managed to beat the boisterous kids to the gate access to the fell. Much to the distress of the Cabin Boy we were met by a herd of Hardy Luing cattle on the other side. A couple of them were even sitting on the path. Despite there being a calf, they were actually quite placid. I'm not sure how they'd react when the noisy school trip arrived. We decided not to find out and made our way quickly through the herd and through the sparse wood to the base of the summit crag. Gummer's How would be an easy scramble if taken directly up from the path, but an easier path contoured around the far side of the hill. This also provided tremendous views down the whole length of Lake Windermere. The wind had got a lot stronger as we got higher. As we climbed on to the flat summit the wind felt almost gale force. A couple that had sat down near to the trig point struggled to stand up due to the force of the wind. We were also getting battered and so we sought sanctuary by descending on the east side of the summit.
Return
Return
When we got back to the approach track the school party had just arrived at the start of the summit ascent. Instructions were being barked out by the teachers and eventually there was enough order for them to start their climb. I wondered how they'd get on up on the summit where you could hardly stand up and couldn't even hear yourself speak. The Cabin Boy didn't hang about as she sprinted past the cattle. It had only taken us about an hour to complete the round trip from the carpark to the summit. The views from the top were exceptional for such little effort. Our starter for the day had been perfect. We'd now drive down to the National Trust's Fell Foot for a potter near Lake Windermere at a lower level.
Descent From The Summit
The Cabin Boy's New Friend
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