This walk was a difficult walk for us as it was our first walk since our 16 year old Rough Collie was put to sleep earlier in the month. We knew before we set off that walking in the Lakes would not be the same without our dog, even though he had missed the last few walks due to old age. You simply get used to them being there, and its hard, very hard, when they are not.
Once again though we had wonderful weather for a walk up Helm Crag. We parked on the verge on the main road as Grasmere is always jampacked with cars. A brisk walk towards the village and then a left after a bridge takes you onto a footpath that follows the stream until it rejoins the road that heads up the Easdale valley. Ahead lies Helm Crag, in all its glory, with a lovely ridge way walk over Gibson's Knott and Pike of Carrs. After a shortish walk along the road, we took a right turn to start our walk up the crag. The walk up provides superb views back over Grasmere water and Loufrigg fell.
At the top the boys scrambled up the Howitzer, which looks nothing from ground level, but pretty substantial when close up. From the top, you get a good view down the Dunmail valley. We carried along the ridge walk at the top before decending down a path into the Easdale valley, where there is a lovely walk which follows the stream back down the valley back into Grasmere. One thing we all agreed was that we needed to get another dog, as something was missing from the whole experience. We knew what breed we wanted, but the challenge would be finding one (and a puppy this time), as our previous dog was reared elsewhere and came with some difficult habits.
