Practice Walk 1: Hampsfell, July 2023

This blog is turning out to be a reminder of just how quickly time passes, and how easily plans and good intentions can be pushed aside by the daily grind. As I write this in March 2025 I'm reminded of how I felt in July 2023 when this selfie was taken; fairly bloody miserable, albeit with a brief dopamine spike, and tired.

At the time Lakeland Rings was my Friday (and every evening and weekend) job - I actually worked 4 days a week as an engineer in my 'proper' job. The pressure of building a business, keeping up with orders, being a good engineer and trying to be a present and attentive husband and dad had been slowly creeping up without me realising, until in June I ended up having to take a bit of time off the day job, to take stock and reset a little. We closed our order books for a little while, and for the first time in 20 years it dawned on me that I wasn't quite as resilient as I always thought I was. It's good to work hard and push yourself, but not at the expense of living.

Anyway I ended up having something like 8 weeks off work, while making sure any urgent orders were still filled. The first couple of weeks were spent staring at walls, playing video games (Cyberpunk 2077 mostly) and questioning if the side effects of the anti-depressants were worth it. But then I picked up one of Wainwright's guide books at the local charity shop (https://www.baysearchandrescue.org.uk/) and came up with a plan - I would walk the Wainwrights! Not a very original plan I know, but I used to really enjoy walking in the Dales when I was younger so it seemed a sensible plan. Also many of our customers ask for specific mountain ranges on their rings, so I thought knowing where some of them were would be useful knowledge.

The first step with anything I decide to do is apparently to buy things, because that seems to make it real. I bought the rest of Wainwright's books, some new tops, trousers and other essential kit for hiking (mint cake), then finished it off with a trip to Keswick to find the perfect boots. I'm a fairly heavy chap and a big believer in the Sam Vimes boots theory (https://terrypratchett.com/explore-discworld/sam-vimes-boots-theory-of-socio-economic-unfairness/), so I didn't scrimp when it came to walking boots. I don't doubt that there are many more expensive boots available, but these Yorkshire made Altbergs are by far the most expensive items of clothing I own and I absolutely love them.

Chloe questions whether these will ever actually be used

Armed with my new boots I headed off for my nearest hill - Hampsfell. With a height of approx 222m (727ft) it's hardly an epic climb, but as a depressed overweight asthmatic it took me by surprise. It didn't help that I picked a bloody stupid route up a road most of the way.

Eventually though the road ended and I found a bench where I could sit and wait for my heart to either pack in completely or return to normal; it was 50/50. As an unexpected bonus my body responded to this rare display of exercise by giving me the gift of dopamine, something I'm embarrassed to admit I hadn't experienced from exercise since I stopped climbing in March 2020 (I wonder what happened then). I hadn't reached the Hospice at the summit yet, but for the first time in years I looked around and realised that maybe things weren't quite as bad as I imagined after all.

Lots of rabbits on this path, but no views yet

Despite the gentleness of the path up to the Hospice I was still struggling far more than I expected to, but I was on grass now and the views were getting better. Plus there was nobody about to hear me huffing along like a steam train so it was all fine. Note: I didn't actually think the slope was gentle at the time, but I know the fear of a proper scree slope now so I've been schooled.

I got above the tree line quite quickly and when I turned around I was rewarded with an incredible view over Morecambe Bay. To my right was Morecambe, with Grange over Sands opposite and the sea in the distance, to my left was Arnside with the hills of the Dales looming in the background, and behind me the Lakeland fells. It was the first time in about 20 years that I'd felt something from a landscape, as daft as that may sound, and I wanted more!

At the top of Hampsfell is the Hospice, with gorgeous views from all angles. I won't go on about it here, but there's more detail for those interested here:

https://grangeoversandshistory.weebly.com/hampsfell-hospice-history.html#:~:text=Above%20the%20iron%20gated%20doorway,therefore%20glows%20in%20the%20dawn.

I was much more interested in the sense of achievement I felt at reaching the top, both of the hill and those stairs! There are a fair few things in my life that I'm proud of, but getting off my backside and getting to the top of Hampsfell was a big win for me. It's not a big hill by any stretch, but a couple of weeks earlier it may as well have been Everest.

I had a sandwich and read a bit of Wainwright's guide to the outlying fells, then made my way along the top to have a look over the Beautiful Cartmel valley before heading back home, via a much more scenic route. What started as a short walk to break my boots in turned into a bit of a watershed moment, which set me back on the right track and also gave me the confidence to try something a bit bigger. Coincidentally I went up there again a week later with my son and the rest of his Beaver Scout group, so I can confirm that the Hospice can accommodate about a dozen 6-8 year olds, but becomes very very loud. I haven't been back since.

All the best

Rob