I recently joined an online group called WAY (Widowed and Young) as you all know I am not a big fan of the label "widow" but the people I have met in this group are all the same as me, we are all moving forward, however difficult, towards a new life without our loved ones. Whilst it is imperitive that we do move forward because we are all young, it is also comforting to remember our loved ones in a way that suits us. I discovered this festival through a post on the WAY facebook page.
As you all also know it is more my style to be upbeat, happy and optimistic about my life and being miserable in rembrance of Alistair is just not the way I am grieving, and I am sure he would agree with me being like this, he hated it when I looked at the world through "gloomy specs" (that one was for Rhona ;) ).
So when I found this festival, I thought what better a way for me to remember Alistair in the month of the anniversary of his death than sharing a story with you. I love writing, I am not that good at it but I do it all the time. I scribble thoughts mainly. And for quite a few years now I have been trying to put together a little ditty of a book about Keswick called "For these are my mountains". My Mum and Dad will get the reference to my childhood in that title (I hope). I have struggled to carry this on because it seemed to have come to an end with Ali dying, however, Rhona and I have been back to Keswick many times this year and take comfort from being in the place we loved as a family.
So I decided to join in this festival of storytelling and remembrance and tell you the story of Alistair's favourite walk in Keswick. This is his chapter...
Walla Crag and Ashness Bridge
I have lost track of the number of times we have walked up Walla Crag. For a long time we avoided it because the walking guidebooks warned that it was difficult terrain to walk on because of its rocky nature, particularly when wet. But some time, in the recent past, Alistair decided we were to tackle it. And there was born one of our favourite walks. Every time we would get to Keswick, Alistair would ask "where will our first walk be then?", we would all come up with suggestions and he would say "Walla Crag it is then?" regardless.
The walk into Walla Crag is not necessarily an easy one. There are several routes up. You can walk through the woods at Castlehead or go along and up the Ambleside Road. The key word always being "up"! Both routes are steep as is the big climb up to the summit of Walla Crag. You are however rewarded for your hardwork by spectacular views of Derwent water and the surrounding fells.
The walk back from Walla Crag is via Ashness Bridge. Taking this route makes it a good long walk. What we love about this walk is that it is often the first walk we do when we arrive in Keswick. It get's us in the mood for our Keswick break. Even if we are only down for the day it is the walk we often head for because it is a walk that makes you feel like you have worked hard but there is still time to get a cup of tea and a wander around our favourite shops in the town.
We have tackled this walk in all sorts of weathers. In 2011 we were treated to the best weather we have ever had in the lakes but equally in the past we have walked it in the snow when we staying with Hazel to celebrate her 40th birthday. It has been misty, drizzly, hail, rain, wind and gales. You name it, we've been up Walla Crag in it!
A few years ago Alistair and I watched the Keswick Mountain Triathlon up Walla crag. We saw the triathletes swimming in the lake and then got ourselves up Walla Crag to catch the running leg of the triathlon. We even made it to the top as James Cracknell came lumbering past!
Rhona, in her early years, needed a constant supply of jelly babies and nagging to get her to the top. But now we have a total role reversal and she waits for me! (although I retain the role of the jelly baby holder that way people wait on me).
When we reach the top of the walk you can see, stretching out ahead of you the long walk down to Ashness Bridge. This is a nice part of the walk where we all natter about nothing in particular as we wander down. I can recall two walks where we had great family fun at this point on the walk. The first was when Andrew and Rhona were quite small (but big enough to be walking). They started making things out of stalks of long grass, as we were walking. In the end Andrew had us in hysterics because he insisted on wearing the sunglasses he had made out of grass. I have to admit they were quite good.
The second time was a conversation which started off about odd foods to put together like jelly and sausages. This conversation went from just plain daft to ridiculous. I also seem to remember digressing to having to answer a question along the lines of "what would happen if you had no bones?". After a long discussion we all burst into giggles as we all wobbled our way along the path, walking as if we had no bones!
Back to Ashness Bridge. I suspect this is Andrew's favourite bridge ever as even now he struggles to resist a clamber on the rocks and a crawl under the bridge. When he was little he loved doing this, and it always, even now, usually means lunch and fell walker's slice!
The walk back from Ashness Bridge to Keswick is almost as arduous as the outward journey. When the kids were little they would disappear into the alleyways formed by the high ferns on the slopes of Walla Crag. They would run on ahead and disappear around the next corner. Andrew even fell off the slope, making my heart jump, only to find he was safe, feet sticking out of the ferns.
Rhona by this point of the walk is usually beginning to grumble. Jelly babies long gone, with quite a walk still ahead of us, we have a lot of coercing to do. It is usually about this point that I start promising her hot chocolate at the Lakeside cafe on the way back. She does perk up though as we reach, as we call it, the half cut rock, in Calf Close Bay.
It appeared a long time ago (I can't remember when) and is basically a rock cut in half with intricate carvings inside. It is a beautifully, creative art installation but we just love climbing on it. It is huge and Andrew and Rhona still sit on it to this day. We have many photos of it, with them sitting on it, it surrounded by water , from the beach and from the lake. Whilst it sits in Calf Close Bay our family tradition has renamed it the "Half Cut Rock Bay".
Finally, Friar's Crag appears and we all pick up our weary feet as we know we are on the home straight.
Once we reach the path at Friar's Crag we head for the Lakeside Tearoom for tea and Malteser cake. Another absolute first thing to do when we first get to Keswick.
The Tea Room is an old Victorian Tea Room which has a fabulous terraced garden and a great view of the lake. It also has a self playing piano which has played Elton John tunes for as long as I can remember. The whole place is just quirky.
Once refuelled we head back to wherever we are staying after our long walk to Walla Crag.
The End.
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So there you have it Alistair's favourite walk. Sadly as Alistair is no longer with us, neither is the Lakeside Cafe. They closed at the end of last year and the building has now gone. Alistair had the opportunity last summer to walk all of the hills which have evaded us in the past, Haystacks, Grizedale Pike and his beloved Walla Crag one more time. Thankfully he didn't know that it was the last time he would visit Keswick and the sun shone brightly on him for the whole week. It was almost as if Keswick knew and wanted to give him the best send off.
We all miss you Alistair, but we do feel you all around us when we are in Keswick so we will never stop going there.
All my love
Janey
x
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