Road to Wrynose Pass - Little Langdale. Langdale Pikes (736 m.) in distance
Road to Wrynose Pass - Little Langdale
The through road down the valley of the River Duddon is closed at Seathwaite bridge, which makes the peaceful upper valley even more tranquil than usual as it can be accessed from the upper end only, down from the T-junction at Cockley Beck between the roads to the Hardknott Pass (30%, 393 m.) and the Wryose Pass (25%, 393 m.). The Romans built the road over Hardknott and Wrynose. The current roads here are mostly single-track but sealed so my little Ninja Z250 takes it in its stride even with grass growing through the cattle grids and filling out the numerous potholes and washouts.
Starting out before the tourists escaped their B&Bs and the day-trippers even arrived meant I had the roads to myself. Following the rains, there’s water back in the becks and the falls are again looking attractive.
Froth Pot (waterfalls) was good but the best part was settling down in a pull-off in the upper Duddon Valley next to the river, relaxing in the sunshine to the sound of river water flowing over boulders in the heart of the Lake District with almost no-one around. Not quite Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley but here in Cumbria I didn’t have to worry about Grizzly Bear attacks - though even Goldilocks would have been happy here: not too hot and not too cold. Then battling back down through the tourist traffic.
Road to Wrynose Pass - Little Langdale Tarn. Wrynose Pass in distance
Road to Wrynose Pass (25%, 393 m.), single track road
Wrynose Beck - Wrynose Bridge
Single track road
Wrynose Pass (393 m.)
Wrynose Bottom. Modern road to left of river, Roman road to right, then up to Hardknott Pass much to the left of modern road, almost over by woodland.
Bridge at Froth Pot (River Duddon)
Froth Pot (River Duddon)
Troutal Fell
Road closed at Seathwaite Bridge
Time out beside the River Duddon: “Not too hot, not too cold”
Sunset at Keswick