13th September Bolam Lake and Shaftoe Crags
5 ½ - 6 miles – EASY…
(Well, Katherine deemed this one ‘easy’, but neglected to mention the necessary ‘mud-wallowing’ after the recent rains!)
Twelve intrepid individuals decided to brave what has become generally accepted as English weather and were rewarded with a lovely dry day and sunny intervals! We set off around Bolam Lake and headed out on the road to Bolam West Houses where we turned along the track past Craig Hall. All was well until we hit the area around the course of the Devil’s Causeway where we discovered the ground was so wet it actually wobbled like a plate of jelly! Unperturbed we continued on through Salters Nick and along the wall towards Shaftoe Grange where we met our first obstacle. The path had completely transformed into a boggy mass and required careful negotiation. Some of our group employed deep wading or bog-hopping skills while others took to “higher ground”!
We continued happily over Shaftoe Crags and Piper’s Chair until most of the group revolted and required a sit down for sandwiches. We then headed south from East Shaftoe Hall and negotiated our second obstacle – long wet grass! (This resulted in a unanimous decision by those without them to go ‘gaiter shopping’!) A nice easy bit of track walking followed by a lovely ramble through a wheat field brought us to Bolam Low House and our final obstacle – jumping down from the stile whilest avoiding the electric fence! (Which Heather assured me was definitly on!) No one came a cropper so we then headed to The Stables Café for some well earned cups of tea and coffee and some excellent puddings!