Day trip

It was not as bright this morning. Showers were forecast for the afternoon and there was cloud hanging low across the fells. There was no need to rush out, the plan was to head for Ambleside and stroll round the town. Pistol Pete had told us how many and how good the outdoor clothing stores were and as the Silver Vixen was interested in getting a jacket we decided that it would be the ideal location for today’s trip.

Pistol Pete and Urban-Cub had also decided to head for Ambleside and they set off, with Ellie, about 20 minutes before we did. We pottered down the drive and waited as group of cyclists whizzed by. We turned right and headed out of Patterdale towards the Kirkstone Pass. More cyclists whizzed by. It soon became clear that there was a cycle race in progress. As we continued, the Gorse Fox noted the there were no cars coming in the opposite direction - just bikes. Was the road closed to northbound traffic?

As we climbed up to the Pass it became clear that there was a problem. A long queue of traffic snaked back down the hill and we joined the end of it. It turns out that Pistol Pete and Urban-Cub were right up near the head of the queue. All traffic had been stoped. two ambulances sat at the head of the pass with their lights flashing. The emergency helicopter circled overhead looking for somewhere to land. From what we gather a cyclist had been hurt (badly we assume) and was being air-lifted out.
Eventually the traffic got on the move again and we carried on all the way to Ambleside without further delay, incident, or excitement.

We parked and started our stroll through the town. The Gorse Fox has never seen such a collection out outdoor clothing suppliers in one place. Tog24, Rohan, Trespass, Mountain Factor, Edge of the World, Black’s, Gaynors’s and probably 4 or 5 more. Gaynor’s was probably the largest selection - stretching up over four floors. We went from floor to floor, and shop to shop. There were hundreds of jackets and styles, but very few that were long enough (without actually being coats). Those that we did find lacked any style or cost £300-£500 (Patagonia brand).

We stopped for a coffee before resuming the search. By this time the rain had started. It wasn’t heavy, but it would certainly make you very wet. We started the return back to the car, stopping once more at various outlets but ended up disappointed. Back at the car we reset the sat nav and headed back to the cottage. The route selected differed from the inbound route. Clearly the sat nav had directed us past a closed road on the route to Ambleside. On the way back, the road had re-opened and the sat nav took us along “The Struggle” up to the Kirkstone Pass and down into Patterdale. This route halved the distance, but was a fairly hairy drive.

Back at the cottage, we prepared a Sunday roast and had quiet evening. The clouds of early were settling in and starting to roll down the sides of Pike Fell, opposite. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.