A group of fourteen Derbyshire Dates' Ramblers, plus two friends, recently enjoyed a splendid weekend in the Lake District; an event organised and led by Sue and lan Weatherley. Most of us met during Friday evening, 12th October, at the Youth Hostel in Keswick. Centrally situated by the River Greta in this lovely Lakeland town, the recently refurbished hostel would surprise many who are familiar only with the old-style dormitory-and-wash-up-yourself establishments. Residents at Keswick eat at the hostel's own cafeteria, which is also open to the public. The menu offers a good choice of meats at very modest prices. Upstairs, it is apparent that dormitories and communal washing facilities are things of the past. There are some bunks, but it’s mostly single beds - up to four to a room.

On Saturday, all sixteen of us assembled at one of the main car parks for Skiddaw in order to undertake the long pull to the summit of Skiddaw which at 931 metres is one of Cumbria's principal peaks. It was quite warm, and we were more than happy to begin the ascent in tee-shirts and shorts. Basically, there were two routes to choose from: an obvious one, and a not-so-obvious-one. There are no prizes for guessing which one our leaders chose. Yes, we took the scenic route.

As you ascend Skiddaw, they say that there are outstanding views towards Borrowdale to the south; of Bassenthwaite Lake to the west; and of Blencathra to the east. But by the time we were half way up, it had become cold. wet, and misty. The mystical mountain had turned into a "mist..ical' test of endurance and survival. The shorts and the tee shirts had changed into Paramos and anoraks. But we made it. And to prove it Sue and lan took a photograph. Mind you, the photo itself doesn't really prove anything at all; the pea soup of a background could just as easily have been Bakewell's Rutland Square.

But our spirits were high because we had attained our goal - and the going was all down hill from now on! Well... almost! Ably led by Sue and lan, both experts in mountain navigation, we headed through the mist across open country and had emerged from the low cloud base at Sate How. Visibility improved as it became warmer and brighter. And so, with Lonscale Fell rising to the west and Blease Fell to the east, we returned to our cars, I asked one of my fellow ramblers, 'What are your views on today's walk?" "As regards the morning," she replied, "I do not have a view....but it was a wonderful experience all the same.....and the super afternoon more than made up for what we had....... 'mist'...". I think that just about summed up everyone's feelings. Our day was rounded off with an excellent 'evening dinner' at the youth hostel - although the seats were rather hard!

A ten-minute drive on Sunday morning took us to the car park at Threlkeld, from where our very steep walk - to the summit of Blencathra began. The selected route, initially around the margins of Blease Fell, enabled us to enjoy an excellent panorama of yesterday's country - Skiddaw and all that. From Knowe Crags, we could see the prominent edge, along which we were about to walk, rising towards Blencathra itself. Otherwise known as Saddleback. Blencathra (868m) is a most beautiful mountain, with "fingers” such as Halt's Fell Ridge and Doddick Fell radiating from the top. Our route north to Atkinson Pike (845m) and then northeast through open country to Bannerdale Crags provided us with stunning 'aerial' views of Scales Tarn and the really impressive Sharp Edge-This is mountain scenery at its very best.

Turning south, we crossed the Glendermackin Valley before heading back to Threlkeld. This low level return should have been no more than a leisurely stroll, but, incredibly, the footpath disappeared into a very awkward gorge at Scaley Beck; prompting a couple at the front to call for ropes! Needless to say, we managed without any equipment, but if you want a bit of excitement when you're next in Cumbria, take the footpath to Scaley Beck from the A66 near Scales. The trouble spot is only 600 metres from the village.

Having arrived at the cars by 4.45, there was just time to say "Goodbye" to everyone and "Thank you" to Sue and lan before beginning the return drive to Derbyshire. This was an excellent couple of days spent in very good company. Sue and lan had spent considerable time organising the accommodation and planning the routes in order to provide fellow (but not so adventurous) ramblers with a very worthwhile and enjoyable break in the Lake District. On behalf of all the members and friends who participated in the event, may I take this opportunity to thank Sue and Ian most sincerely for giving us the opportunity to benefit from their experience and expertise

Peter Wild