We weren't going to let Storm Erik get in the way of getting out this weekend so we planned to walk the route Rod and David had planned last weekend before I kidnapped them both for my Skiddaw walk. This was a route that Rod had seen in Trail Magazine part of which follows the east shoreline of Ullswater through newly accessed paths opened especially for the Ullswater Way which is a walk that circumnavigates around the whole of Ullswater covering a distance of 20 miles. Today we won't be touching anything like that as we head to Howtown from our starting point at Roehead.

From Roehead we'll head back into Pooley Bridge before picking up the east shoreline while passing through Waterside Campsite where we were at the full mercy of Storm Erik. The route took us through uncharted territory passing through many a farmsteads below Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Pike before the grandest of views opened out into Swarthbeck Gill. We continue south until Howtown and Mellgaurds are reached then paused before the steep pull onto Bonscale Pike all the while being buffered by winds which reached in excess of 50mph at which point the sun broke out, here's how we got on.

We had arranged to meet at Roehead at 09:00am and I was the first to arrive parking easily behind a couples Range Rover who had just set off up the track. The wind was blowing a right hooley howling through the trees behind the cottage at the top of the lane while rain showers passed in waves as I looked out towards Arthur's Pike in the distance. Rod arrived next and after a quick Hi through the car window we decided to kit up inside the cars agreeing to add our overtrousers from the off. David arrived next by which time the showers had passed and we was all but ready for the off. There was no doubt about it todays walk was going to be wet, wild and very windy.

We left Roehead wintered up to the nines and started to walk back towards Pooley Bridge while kicking debris and fallen branches to the side of the road and we wern't surprised to find we hadn't been passed by any traffic in the time it took us to reach the crossroads at the bottom of Roe Head Lane. Pooley Bridge was as deserted as it looked and we were able to walk along the centre of the road all the way through the village passing a worker at the Pooley Bridge Inn who was sweeping up outside. Pooley Bridge will always bring back fond memories of the Summers I spent here camping as we share which pub we thought served the best food, for me it was the Sun Inn seen here on the right.

We passed through Pooley Bridge then turned left at the traffic lights just prior to reaching the temporary Pooley Bridge which I'm lead to believe will be replaced this year after the original stone bridge was taken out by Storm Desmond back in December 2015, the work isexpected to start around October after the peak season is due to finish.

The water level was as expected high with the swell easily reaching the footpath which was overcome by wave after wave. At this point, and so early into our walk we're at the full mercy of Storm Erik where we weren't only drenched by the spray coming off Ullswater but often knocked sideways by the fierce winds, it wasn't spoken of at the time but the last thing going through our minds at this point was reaching the summit of Bonscale Pike.

We had left the waterlogged boardwalks behind and entered Waterside Campsite, a place, which holds special memories for you see at exactly this spot my fell walking carerer began back in the Summer of 2005/06 while gazing aloft at the hills and mountains which surrounds Ullswater. It's been a while since I last camped here but you can see the bare grass where the tents would pitch up on which included my old Vango four man tent. During the Summer the only way to walk through this field was by hopping over tent ropes while trying not to spill your beer!

Good times and fond memories.

Moments before we reached the summit we were hit by some of the strongest gusts we'd felt all day which sent David and I into a grassy hollow while Rod did his best to stand against the wind, I kid you not I actually checked I still had my fillings after that.

There was no way we were going to risk making it towards the stone towers, common sense told us to get the hell out of there.

By the time we had reached Arthur's Pike summit the sun had gone in behind a bank of dark cloud and with it dropped the temperature. We arrived just before a young girl who sat at the cairn while taking a selfie who didn't quite realise we were about to creep up on her. Smiles broke out with hi's and hello's while over the sound of the wind we shared our routes ~ as it turned out the young lass was parked at Roehead too.

However, we left in different directions, her. the shelf route along Barton Fell while us 'oldies' took the central route down the ridge, a descent that should see us more sheltered from the wind.