🌀 Thunder, Tendons & Troutbeck: The Accidental Ambleside Adventure

🌩️ A Stormy Start (and a Grumpy Mira)

Last night was a masterclass in how to not sleep — thunder cracking like an angry sky god, rain hammering down.

The day for me kicked off with thunderstorms worthy of Norse mythology. No sleep. No hike. Just a frustrated Mira, pacing around her room in Keswick, side-eyeing the sky like, wow, thanks for nothing, weather gods! So I did what any slightly stubborn, waterproof-obsessed hiker would do: sat in my room for two hours, stared at the forecast, and plotted agressively in my head 😅..

By the time the sky gave up on its tantrum, it was too late for my planned 10-hour hike. I pivoted to Ambleside for a shorter mission: Wansfell Pike → Baystones. A detour, but still a mission.

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🔥 Sweat Lodge Chic

The forecast still threatened storms, so I went full weather-paranoia mode:

🧥 Jacket

👖 Over-trousers

🦵 Gaiters

The result? Walking sauna - what I got was humidity, heat, and a very real chance of turning into a boiled hiker.

Took the jacket off halfway and hiked in a vest — still boiled from the inside out.

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🦶 The Limping Legend

Because why not make things dramatic, I stepped wrong on a flat pavement (!) the day before in Keswick and now my right foot is auditioning for a role in a medical drama. Sharp pain was developing near the heel, outside edge all morning.

Strapped it. Popped painkillers. Ignored all sense. Hiked anyway. Spoiler: still painful, just now with less feedback. 🤷‍♀️

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🏔️ The Ridge That Lied to Me

I’d done Wansfell Pike before — didn’t realise at the time that it’s not the actual Wainwright. That honour belongs to nearby Baystones.

So I redid the whole ridge. Again. In boggy terrain. But my gaiters held strong and my feet stayed gloriously dry. 💪

🥪 Cheese sandwich: eaten mid-hike, naturally, because breaks are apparently for amateurs.

🌬️ Wind: persistent but not offensive.

🧭 Pride: intense. Pain: still mysteriously quiet, thanks to pills doing overtime.

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🏡 Back to Base & Pub Fuel

Returned to Keswick..

the drizzle was still there — honestly, great tactical decision to bail south.

Dinner:

🐟 Fish & chips at Lake Road Inn (defeated me, oversized)

🍺 Two pints of beer (did not)

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✅ Today’s Trail Stats

📍 Start/End: 2 miles away from Troutbeck (cause narrow roads)

🏞️ Distance: 14.4 km

📈 Elevation Gain: 541 m

⛰️ Peaks:

Wansfell Pike (Birkett)

Baystones (Wainwright), N 185 ✅️

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🧠 Reflections

➡️Wansfell Pike: still lovely, still not a Wainwright, still mildly offended.

➡️Hiking with foot pain = bad idea. Still did it.

Mira logic: if you’re going to suffer, you might as well bag a summit while doing it.

➡️I’ve officially unlocked the “cheese sandwich eaten mid-ridge with ankle pain” badge.

➡️Soggy forecast, dry feet, sweaty core, beer finale — a classic day out.

⚠️Tomorrow’s hike might be in jeopardy if the weather (or my tendons) don’t cooperate.