 The Tour of the Lake District is a 96 mile circuit starting and finishing in the popular tourist town of Ambleside. The trail takes in each of the main Lake District valleys along lakes shores through woodland and other remote mountain passes. Join me as I take on this winter late-land adventure with a mix of freezing wild camps and cosy country pubs. Woo, sun shining, hello we're back, welcome to day four of the Tour of the Lake District. In the distance there is Keswick and I'm just, I've got back on the trail where I left it if you remember last week. I had to jump off the trail to sort of Reventchains, so I'll do in a bit. I had to jump off the trail to get to the airport to pick Fern up and then I had to see some family and do some bits and pieces which I've done and I've come back up and joined the trail. I'm really looking forward to this. Yes, we're back. Look at this mate, welcome back. Forecast a bit of snow as well the next few days so that summer I'll be wild camping as well. Now mate, you alright? Sounds like you're happy with your surroundings. Oh, just as a dog with two dicks mate. Don't get run over. I know that would be less happy wouldn't it, if I got plowed down. I'm off to Ambleside. A bit of a long one. Busy up here isn't it? Are you walking mate? You got a bit? Are you going to walk Ambleside? Yeah. How long will that take you? Three days I reckon, over to Grassmeer, then Patadale and other red screes and other tops. Hey, you having it? Good lad, you. What's your luggage then? Wild camping obviously. Yeah, I've got all of me, you've got me house on me back, yeah. But I started off in Ambleside, it's a big loop. Right. The two of the Lake District it's called. So I wild camped first night and it all got frosty in tent, it was like an igloo. So then I slept in an ale house on second night just to get a bit warm and have a few pints. It's supposed to be minus five or six tonight mate. I know, it's going to be nippy. It's going to be nippy mate. All I can say, good luck to you lad. All the best. Yeah, cheers mate. See ya. There you go. All the best from my mate. Ah, you heard it here first. Minus five or six and that's down here. So it's going to be very, very cold. And even colds are up tops. And I don't know where I'm going to end up or where I'm camping, it's just one of them where wherever I am at end of day, that's where they'll rest me head. I'm going to try and camp a little bit lower down just to keep out of them frosty, frosty conditions. Don't need to mate. I believe it's a chaff inch. Right, what have we got here? Ah yes, it's one of these. Look with counterweight on. That's how we like it. What have we got around to the side? Ah yeah, pretty basic. Let it go. Look, you can't manually close it. You've got to let the counterweight do what it was put there to do. Stunning. Hey up Robin. Ah, lovely stuff mate. Good sash on that mate. Oh, it's beautiful. Look at that. Castle Rig Stone Circle is one of Britain's earliest stone circles dating back to the Neolithic period four and a half thousand years ago. The original purpose of the site is unknown. Three stone axes have been discovered inside the circle. In the Neolithic period axes were made from volcanic stone quarried from the fells. Other possible uses are a meeting place for social gatherings, a site for religious ceremonies and rituals, or even an astronomical observatory with the stones being aligned to the sun, moon and stars. What have we got here? Have we got a counterweight on this one? Of course we do. It's not as heavy though. What is it? A drilled. That's light. Light as well. It's not going to do job, is it? Go on lad, I believe in you. Absolutely. You're a good kid. Only because, only because I've seen a bin. You can't. I've talked about this on my videos before, but it's only because there's one here. If it's something like that, or if it's just one little bit here now, chucking my bag or in a bin or whatever, but you can't feel guilty if you leave stuff when you're out because otherwise, where you draw a line, you just end up becoming a bin man, don't you? Picking everything up and that, so a lot of it you just got to let it go, but occasionally, chucking a bit, look at that. There was a bin right next to where Chris Packett was, and I've run over there. He's already out, are you? To tell me I'm going to have a good time. Everything's going to be okay. Good lad. He's doing it like when we come on mate. I'll get you a chest pouch. Here we are. Got a squealer. That is, I mean, and it's missed the mark as well though. So not only do we have that horrific squeal, looking as well. Tuck, tuck, tuck. Luckily it's kind of frozen up a little bit underfoot, so, not as boggy. Oh, that's good. Keep these trotters dry as long as I can today. It's a losing battle, but so far so good. Regarde A. So right, here's my thing that I, my conundrum that I had. If you'll hear me out guys. And it was a genuine, you know, I mulled over this for a good couple of days because I didn't know what the right thing to do was, right? So, as we know, I left the trail in Keswick, went and did the bits and pieces that I had to do. My conundrum was this. When I first set off, I packed my bag for the weather as it was when I set off. So I knew it was going to be mixed bag, bit rainy, bit whatever, packed accordingly. Now, despite what it looks like now, the temperatures have dropped dramatically. And when I've checked the forecasts, we're due minus, way, minus five, and snowfall. And so my conundrum was, do I pack accordingly for that? And you might be thinking, well, yeah, of course you do. You're sausage. It's, yeah, of course you pack for the snow. It's a no brainer, but let me just take you through this gate guys, because look, it's spring loaded. The views, you can't look at it. If this is good, this is going on very nice. And I know you appreciate it. Look at how the light bounces off this beautiful patina. It's good. It's good, and that spring is, oh my, there's a lot in that spring. Let's let go. Oh yeah, look at it. And then you've got your views. Hold that thought. I'll be back to chat. I'm just going to do a, I'm going to do something for latch and locks. Go over to latch and locks if you want to see the live one of these. So where was I? Yeah, you might be thinking, right? Yeah, of course. Take you, take your snow spikes, take your snow axe, take extra clothes and prep for it. But I was thinking, well, that's not it's not really fair because I set out with this backpack packed up as I was going to do the tour of the Lake District. I did a what's in my bag video for it and I packed accordingly knowing that the weather is very changeable in the Lake District and it could have just turned on me at any point and I've had to have had what I've got. And so with that mindset, I thought I'm not going to bring extra clothes and warmth. I'm not going to bring me snow gear even though I know it's going to be snowing and you can see snow up tops because I want to stay true to the original kit that I set off with and that's what I've got. I've got everything that I set off with on me again with the addition of, this is the only thing, my gloves. I had them to bring and I forgot them and I was going to buy some in Kezi Kenneway because my fingers were hurting so I just thought, save me sell a few pennies, bring me gloves and that's it and I was just chewing on it and I was like if I bring me spikes and everything that's cheating in a way, isn't it? Because I've not set off with it. What's to say that any of the long distance hike I do, I can't just jump off trail and just resupply with all my new gear and it's just I'm not saying there's anything wrong with doing that. That's fine, you tailor it to your own adventure but for me, it's just I would rather get to end knowing that I've got the stuff that I originally set off with because that was the plan to begin with. Why am I justifying it to you? I don't know, have I lost sleep over this? Yes. Is there something wrong with me? Possibly. Oh look at it, that is Trubsy FC in it, right? We're going to go around I mean day three I'll be going through that like with wet feet don't care but I want to preserve my dry tutsies, please don't stack it please don't stack it. Right, here we go, yes. Another, I mean it's a bit, it's copy and paste off the other one but more, that's more worn is it, oh that's not as nice you see how that's got more of a that's not as oh no, do you see there's a lesson here look two gates oh it's not even fully clunk clicked all the way through and there you go, two gates to the untrained eye identical, you might walk through these two gates and not bat an eyelid but to an aficionado and someone who cares passionately about particularly this section of a gate you can see it's night and day guys, it's night and day. I think Gaffer's done this one over here, the good one and then Apprentice has been like well I'll do this one mate, you've seen me do it thousands of times lad, I will trust you and you can do this one, he's done it but Gaffer had been like, I'm not quite right but I'm not going to make you do it again because time is money and we've got others to do so I'll let you off but and he's like no he's going to know, they're only just ramblers out there, we know a guy and I'm starting to raise awareness and put eyes on work, shoddy work like this and soon you'll know where to hide that's just it truth, it's just spitting bars are you having that do you know what I'm going to milk this because I know that it's going to get worse mate when we get up tops because I'm off at tops as well it's going to snow, it could rain so I'm just appreciating this while it's like this, what a glorious way to start the second half please just remember this, how happy I am at this beginning bit because I can tell you this there are going to be times where I'm going to have to dip into this well that I'm feeling now as a source of happiness later on down the line so I'll best do my best to fill well up oh no, what is this guys my dick I can't even look at this look rusted up nice shine on there look nice smooth, that's stunning actually look at that, that's just being that's you it's a shame mate you still, I can see you were once glorious I mean you do job, no you don't actually look, all sheep that have gone through there oh well, titnackers yard for you lad, you see I've come down here and this looks really like the times where I've gone in and done my little naked ritual around stone circle and I've come back and instead of going down here I've carried on and I'm currently off this track here and then I'll meet up there just a little bit of map time there for you nice nice and peaceful good acoustics I was always going down there I saw a sign that said teas, coffees, toilets and everything under jabs this way so I was just going to double back on myself and go and get a brew because even though I started a little bit late today you've got to have a brew, aren't you you've got to have a brew I have somewhere I could be getting back from mate, I've got a bit best man at my mate's wedding and they're having a wine tasting thing around at his house like wine's for wedding which should be fun but my priorities is this hike and things have changed it's no longer about getting to the start line because I've conquered that I feel very strongly now, I've changed my mind don't I? Now it's gold destination he's getting back to Ambleside and completing the loop is it the journey? Who knows I think we'll it's a mixed bag in it because obviously it's sort of like two halves this hike I've never really done it before like that so I guess at the very end of the series if I get to the end we'll have a final thought so we'll see what I've learned and whether you can vicariously learn through me that's closed that was a waste of time I've had to deploy these it's getting quite steep so I've deployed the old hiking poles and some beautiful views walking but as people watch me they must think I've off me nut alright so I'm following this down here and in my path, there's a path that goes up here that's not me, I'm going to cut along and round here and there is Derwent water in the distance the end of Derwent water and it's lovely, I love this stuff I've said it before it's just when it's not boggy but it's kind of soft underfoot I'm happy it's perfect hiking Derwent water here, Basthwaite the next one along it's still glorious just enjoying it I've just had a good section there where I just mean noodle hiking as I like it and I'm back, I'm back slow down my pace I'm not so giddy now that giddy beginning bit man it's like speaking of bottling it I didn't go for swimming there, did I last time because bottled it but there's no way on God's greener am I missing out the chance of a wild swim on this one it's good to be alive it is good to be alive just got a little art shot of this puddle look here we go puddle film maker film maker at your award on that note if you're watching this the great outdoors magazine in fact my email I don't want to be running next year for it I just don't want it it was amazing to win it and it was amazing that it was voted for by you but I don't want to be in it next year because I don't want to have to think about it it becomes like a popularity contest doesn't it where you're just going online being like please can you vote for me and I don't want to do it I don't want to do it so if you're watching TGO outdoors magazine please kindly remove me from the nominations let other people have a go because I'm happy with one win out in and out I've retired I've retired undefeated that's better ain't it there's no wind at all I hope it's like this tonight when I camp up you can see steam, smoke pretty much rising vertically so you can tell there's no no breeze at all stunning man, stun sized bar's bar that's heavy that the log that is a proper counterweight just what I like to see right smooth the views are there see if we get a good acoustic clunk click stupendous big up robin udd see that rustle this is a real beautiful bit man just cutting up by the side of this stream through the woods beautiful little bridge I got chatting with some old folks back there and one of the blokes is like oh you've got it in for you I told him I was going to be wild camping for the next couple of nights and he did say, he's another one that said about the cold spells coming and snows coming with it so as I said before let's just make the best of this this one this one this one i'll gear the other one because look what we've got oh yeah gravity ah quite got the minerals beautiful bridge worth it but never mind. At least I got enough to walk over this nice bridge and it's this nice bridge that sent me the wrong way because I thought that's a lovely little bridge it's got to be that way. No, wrong way it's this way. Back up tops being nice down here a really lovely stretch by that river loads of gates can't bring you them all there's too many. It's very nice I'm going up this steep beast here. Nice little scent out of there to get the old blood pumping yeah it's pretty flat for a while by that stream river whatever you want to call it so it's nice to get a bit of firing legs I won't be saying that in a day or two but for now let's have you hand them back up but we're definitely out here up to feel it feel the chill in the air and it is a chilly one there's ice on the floor I'll show you just well you know what guys you ever see this stuff look when water becomes almost like glass and slippy ice that shit bans because because I just walked up that big hill and it's knocked the bans out of me I'm gonna try and keep it low try and keep my wild camps a bit lower than on tops because it's not I've only got Lanshan too it's not like I'm in a you know a four season tent it's on it Lanshan too and if winds get up and snow comes Lanshan too might Lanshat itself too it's just these little valleys that have been farmed and the grass that has been like the pastures is just such a brighter more vivid green than everything else and it just leads your eye up through that little valley beautiful composition guys chuffed mate chuffed as a third with two teeth that is I've gone too far that's it that's just it can't be doing that on hills mate come on rust wait it means the clearing in the can we'll go see what the delights of rust wait have got to offer and then we'll see what happens from there I am definitely wild camping tonight though you're not gonna be cutting to me little granny room well guys the thing is guys I needed to charge my my GPS things so a little good guy but there's four days left for four more sections so four days hiking which I'm optimistically gonna do in like two and a half days two nights basically and then back to Rivers and Anna's house for a little a little wine taste that's extra information that you didn't need to know because you might be coming on here just to check out the hike the tour of the lakes hike not knowing that I'm off to go drink wine at my friend's house over sharing his carrying that's what they say I'll tell you what they're so far today let's talk about hiking shall we it is being glorious the weather has been perfect the scenery has been delightful there's been such a contrast of like woodland and moorland and we've been up tops we've been next to water and it's still not over there's been plenty of gates right on kill up come on I mean I did say there's plenty get there's sometimes I don't want to show I'm like don't look at it because I don't want that I don't want to upset you but it's sad times man I must put a bit of sherbet on it as well to get it up into oh wow not even not even a little bit of sherbet look at that I can't look at it mate stick it in review mirror man I'm thirsty because I know I'm thirsty because I'm looking at that water down there and been like what's this I'm bringing Hazel Bank you my country house hotel oh that's beautiful mate and all you know on a different sliding doors on a different day in a different way I might have got into Hazel Bank excuse me can I have a room and a pint of whatever you're having now that is gin clear looks like Roy looks cacti Roy looks cacti let's see if scarf hello tells got out going on Riverside bar hello just to reiterate guys I am not staying I'm well camping no matter what I'm not going in here getting on the swill and then staying in on your own sweet with a bottle of prosecco and that there it's not what I'm doing I've just there's a sign I don't think it's open but we'll see what I'm doing is just wetting whistle just cutting the dust you know what I mean cutting the dust because as patch lad parched cutting the dust and we'll see what happens come on killer pint crisps they do a homemade sausage roll perfect look guys I was low on electrolytes this has got electrolytes in it this sausage roll riddled with electrolytes this a good grill a 100% electrolytes absent friends that's smooth that's so smooth and also it's a good time for me to just reflect on guidebook and have a little look about and that and maybe tell you some Norse words Keswick where we left in old English means the cheese or dairy farm oh black sale remember another black sale black sale pass in old English Norse the dark stream or bog now they call it a sausage roll look at it it's like a sausage Wellington he's done a good job there he's done a good job on survival sausage roll it's bit big now to get gobbled around it and watch me like a mukbang nice enough had open fire going Robin just landed there it's a sign John some seeds come back oh my god can I get him to eat up man watch this I give him a little selection look some seeds off the sausage roll little bit of meat and a bit of crisps you hear him come back Robert come on you don't trust me like my Robert it's a trust game I'm eating it robins have been following me all day and if you don't follow me on Instagram and you want to see my Robin you can follow me there I post every now and again because in fact five mile away to just be all dedicated to Robin I might set him up his own Instagram page just a quick stop had me pint the sausage roll and bag of crisps what's he got here this is what our life makeshift there we are somewhat a bit different jobs are good I've joined the coast to coast path now so I remember this slightly going up here I'm gonna be going up here to the left of Eagle Crag open round we're trying to get on tops getting chilly now I know for a fact it is extreme well the guidebook says it but I can also remember it is very boggy and there's lots of different routes to go if it's poor visibility it can be a nightmare up there a bit of nostalgia for me because this is where I camped on my second night of the coast to coast in the igloo the land shan won just by side at path mate because I was janked and it was late on this tablet was affixed by Douglas and Michael Boyle in enduring memory of their friend and companion Gordon Halworth who died in peace under the shelter of this rock in the early hours of Sunday 8th of January 1939 how's this resting peace Gordon lovely dry bit stick or twist no stick or twist twist climbing this thing here up the side of it there and from what I remember from coast to coast it's a swine let's get up tops and roll dice no deal no let's do one of these whoo that was a tough tough old slug look at it the snow cat mountains look like it's beautiful in it oh my word that was ruthless and everything was icy as well so I really had to be mindful of where I was putting me my feet and so now it's over this way which looks bad and steep but it ain't not I think it plateaus out and that's the boggy bit though so how much light do I have I'm just gambling in it I've weighed it up temperatures are dropping and I know for a fact because I've been that way before it's just a load of bogs and sods you know them big big sods of earth not good for pitching tent on I know that so rather than get caught out that way I'm gonna stick in all grounds frozen so it's not boggy I'll take it I want path like look this little can it's path where I've come up no one's gonna be up here now and I'm awake cracker dawn anyway also what they're gonna do people who just like it on this path that's gonna be like he's gives you the tip of him off and everyone's pretty sensible out there I think for the most part but we're on showy there she is decent pitch in it look I've got the Delta pegs in all four corners and then again just doubling up with with pegs on guidelines just to be safe it's winter things can change at the drop of a hat I've not really moved in yet I've just got sleeping bag out so it can fluff it sell up and then I'll pump my bed up and whatnot but for now I've got to go collect some water from somewhere might have to go back down there which is bands this little trickle shit everything's frozen no even I'm gonna have to miss out a drill but water is a good thing I might just even have a hot water got no bruise that we're me are out but hot water is good stuff shout out Fern they're putting me on to hot water this is arduous and painful home sweet home oh that old boy was right it's getting cold so I'm gonna have a cup of hot water hot water did did did did did did did did it man alleluia sing it sing alleluia get a fish away come on come on man you can't seem to I'm smiling like don't you worry about that yeah come on it's bloody beautiful my little scarf's not playing up he's playing up a little bit isn't it is they not entertained I mean it's good clobber in it it's a very good clobber look at that man it gives it such texture the dusting of snow it really makes it pop just filtered me water and then it's literally freezing as it's coming out and a drink of it and shards of ice I mean I'm sat on my sleeping bag but I don't want any of me touching the ground because that just sucks all the heat out of me and I'm gonna put all my layers on now so that it stops the cold and I'm probably gonna even am I gonna get else let's have a look is there out to be had there's a little shiner there look but I can't do any nightlapses or anything because obviously batteries are I've made my batteries to make this amazing documentary so what I do is just probably batten down the hatches blow a bed up and then and just chill I do some little I can't even do map time for you because I've created this map time where I've got these huge you know this because you've watched them this is episode four in it or whatever and I can't do map time because I do map time when I get back we've got out kick off didn't bring the Turks Cup even I love it even more let's see what this doesn't call those eyebrows nearly gone water keeps freezing batteries are going phones dead but I'm gonna have this meal and just use it to warm my hands up even that walk off it squash and sweet corn casserole just gonna have a couple of drops of CBD oil which just helps me sleep and just eases my bones and my muscles and stuff is a sound bloke who does this he's been kind enough to give us a discount code whack it on the screen now there's a link below if you want to go and check it out and get yourself a bit of a discount then please do I find too cold to even charge it I mean it's cold like really cold says it was gonna be like minus five minus six down bottom so who knows that the moment but it's freezing I've got my meal my warm meal under here against me organs and it's doing a grand job of warming me up so these meals they say eight minutes till it's done I'm using it as a hot water bottle for let's say 20 minutes I'm just gonna keep going till it's like lukewarm and get the most out of the heat from it top tip and then I'll eat it top tip is top tip eat your meals get this in me looks like shit yeah pointless that's nice warm food hopefully will keep me warm through night I guess it's not a great deal to report I'm just gonna eat that and then egg just exist for hours on end as now I can do right I'm gonna chew this down and let's go to our fit everyone's favorite time map time and here we are welcome back to map time so we started in Keswick and off we went following the road nice views back over Keswick from up here keep going now this is the way that the guidebook tells you to go but you can do a little detour if you want just to check out these stone circles which I did and then instead of going down this road I cut through these fields here just to stay off the tarmac a little bit and then double back on the main road and left the track again castle rig farm that's why I went to try and grab me sell a brew but it was closed and off I carried on up here again it starts to open out here and get some lovely views across over here some lovely hiking to be done through here and lovely views again of Derwent water and off into the distance to Bastway Lake carried on coming down here across this little bridge which was in the guidebook bit of road work to be out of here but not too much and then you enter this woodland which was really nice and it was just a glorious day's hiking the Sun was shining and it was ever-changing so it just kept my mind occupied and we hit this this was a beautiful stretch by the side of this river plenty gates to be had all the way along to get to here this is where I goofed a little bit here because there was a little bridge and I fancied look of it so I went over it and started going this way and then was like odd on a bit it double back and a bit of a thigh pumper up here back on to the tops and back to some lovely views again I was so lucky with the weather it was glorious now we get to here and you're supposed to just cut straight across here and keep going but many people will want to stay in Ross the way or grab a pint or whatever sausage roll and that's exactly what I did nipped in there add me dog roll bag of crisps and pint and then I joined on to the coast to coast so familiar territory up through stonethwaite past where I camped on the coast to coast I mean it is uphill but it is gradual as well until you get to here and as you can see these contour lines on linen crag are pretty steep so the final leg pumper of the day up onto a flat spot here that's where I camped with some amazing vistas ready for a cold night in the Lanshan too if you're not subscribed already consider subscribing hit the bell notification to be notified of the next upload and I'll see you all soon