UKC

Hi,

So the 'boys' and I have a YHA booked for this weekend in Borrowdale and have done for ages.

The original plan was to go scrambling all weekend, but due to the beautiful spring weather that will no longer go ahead. I still plan to bag some peaks for the most part but on the Sunday it seams to be really awful weather.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for free things to do when it is raining?

Outside stuff is alright just don't feel like going for some massive hike in the p*ssing rain all day.

Cheers

There's always the gear shops of Keswick!

It will be wet, but not too cold. I'd just accept the wet and do lower level wet scrambles, embrace the wet and go ghyll scrambling, or join the wet and get the canoe out. 

Alright I'll have a look at my scrambling books.

Yeah there's nothing quite like getting changed into your hiking gear outside, out of the car boot, in absolute rain, then hiking through rain for 8 hours. Getting one flash of sunshine through the clouds is like seeing into heaven 🤣

You can sit inside pubs now

Go and look at a few waterfalls - plenty of them round the Lakes. And not just Lodore. You're not far from Whinlatter Forest - some nice walks that are sheltered. On the other side of Bassenthwaite there may be some nesting ospreys about. Derwentwater has the circulating ferries which may be back on? Lots of short walks that don't go high - Walking in North Lakeland (Cicerone Press) by Brian & Aileen Evans has plenty.

Wet weather 'pub crawl' - you should be able to get round pubs in 2 or 3 valleys and get a decent hike in at the same time.

It's best when you plan to do a wild camp and have 20+kg of weight as well.  Thoroughly enjoyable.

Bouldering at the Bowderstone can be okay in the rain as can a lot of the climbing at Reecastle i wouldnt want to lead anything in the rain though!

The cave at the works is decent for drytooling and you can climb there in the pouring rain.

St bees often has its own little microclimate so its often worth checking that out if its raining everywhere else in the lakes it might be dry there.

Failing all those suggestions there is always the pencil museum.

Cold water swimming is apparently good for your health...you could give that a try?

Half day walk before sacking it off for retail therapy, pub lunch and the papers..

A Mooch around Cathedral cavern is good banter, take a torch and check out some tunnels. Maybe head up and have a gander at a hodge close if you've not been before.

In covid times? I'd go for a walk with full waterproofs or go home. Little Langdale area is good to explore, even on a damp day.

Walk into Coombe Gill, climb either corvus or the route on doves nest that goes inside the crag or both. 

You're not too far from the Eden Valley. The crags there are in the Lakes' rainshadow so much better chance of being dry.

Outside route is a good laugh 😝

Inside Routes is great fun, or The Pencil Museum.

Nowadays I would nip in Booths and get a Joint of Meat, a bottle of Claret, and a free newspaper for spending over £15 and bugger off home.

That's how I got into mountain biking. 😂 Ever since, I've always had a reputation of mountain biking in the worst of weather.....but that's just normal for me.😂 Climb when dry, MTB when wet. 

However, in my gaining years a fair weather mountain bike ride is a very preferable option nowadays....too much faff and cleaning involved otherwise. 

Otherwise - have come fun of easy grade routes. I've done Corvus in the rain a few times....a really good day out and 'character building'.

Gorge walk/scrambling such as Dungeon Ghyll. The wetter, the better!

Have a look at what the weather is like on the coast. I have been going to the Lakes since the 1970's and now I am an OAP with dodgy knees plodding, or climbing in the pissing rain has lost its appeal. The last couple of times we have had bad weather we visited various places on the coast where the sun was shining. There are several interesting towns on the coast and a lot of coastal walks.

Did Carn Crag Ridge with some friends last weekend. 3* scramble and easily done in the wet if you just want to get out and get something done

I used to wonder how wet it would have to be in the Lakes before I went to the Cumberland Pencil museum in Keswick to escape the rain.

Eventually I concluded that it could never be wet enough because if it got anywhere close to being that wet I'd already have driven home.

Go get some of inimitable Gingerbread from the shop in Grasmere

back in the 70's you tried Eden Valley and went home if that was out

Glad to say I’ve always managed to avoid the pencil museum. That place with the optical illusion rooms is good fun, and the Threlkeld mining museum was pretty good, although I haven’t been there for a long time. 

Just in case anyone was interested. On the Sunday we went to Castle Crag in Borrowdale to see the "borrowdalebanksy" arch. But the wind or someone had knocked it over. Luckily one of my friends is a dry stone waller, so we did a bad quality rebuild. 

https://cdn.whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/1621557787_976_Who-...

what was built.

What we found and bodged.

https://i.imgur.com/fGjCCrZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8RMXI5u.jpg

Also what was strange at the YHA we were the only young group their and we aren't even that young. It was mainly 50+ people. Bit strange to be the only young people in a youth hostel.

Hire some mtbs or E-mtbs at whinlatter or Grizedale and have a ride around there, as has been mentioned above the trails are still in when its wet. 

Is there still a motor museum in the Lakes?

With reference to the coast and microclimates, if it's westerly they'll potentially be dry as they're in front of the clouds created by the wind forcing them up over the mountains.

Cars of the Stars is sadly gone now...sold!

When it's open again, L'all Ratty was always our go to attraction in naff weather.