I had wanted to walk from the South lakes to the North, from Langdale to Borrowdale, for ages. There is no road between the two so it's a logistical challenge which, in the end, had to be overcome by a rather expensive taxi as the journey by road is a lot further than on foot, but it was a fantastic experience. It feels different to walk a linear route rather than a circular one, more purposeful somehow, rather than walking for the sake of it.
The views were tremendous in both directions; the photo above looks back down Langdale from Stake Pass. At the top is a curious plateau with lots of moraines (humps of soil and rock left behind by a moving glacier) which make it look a bit like Teletubby Land:
The Scafells were visible to the left as I headed down into Langstrathdale, where there were very few other walkers even at this peak holiday time, even though this is a section of the Cumbria Way long distance path. The view North along the valley looks towards Skiddaw (I think):
Right at the bottom in the valley was a large group of children, perhaps scouts, enjoying swimming and messing around in the clean clear (icy cold) waters of the river. The temptation to cool off hot feet with a paddle was irresistible.
The terrain proved slightly more challenging than expected so the walk ended in Stonethwaite instead of getting all the way along to Borrowdale proper, but a pint in the lovely pub there was ample consolation.
