The drive was quite uick and easy until near Temple Sowerby where some temporary traffic lights caused a traffic jam or a mile. Otherwise the trip was eventless :-)
I needed to stop in Ambleside to buy a map, my dads map of the Langdales had vanished. Ambleside is a nigthmare with a one way system and the first 2 car parks where full. I eventually found another and walked into the town. Obviously I headed straight for the toilets, could remember exactly where they were even though I hadn't been for 12 years. Then I noticed Gaynors and could remember someone on the internet saying it was a good outdoors shop. I had no idea how huge it was, with several different levels. It was being in a sweep shop and I had a credit card in my pocket. Oh no close my eyes, don't buy anything!!
I managed to resist somehow from buying anything other than 2 maps. When I win the lottery I will be back, hang on I did win the lottery last night. Don't think £10 will get me far though.
I decided I wanted to get out of Ambleside as quickly as possible, it was absolutely heaving with people. So I continued on towards the Langdales.
I drove past the car park for walking up the Langdales and continued on towards the Camp site I was planning on staying at. As I was approaching there was a massive sign "Camp Site Full", shit, bollocks, crap. I couldn't book up, it was first come, first served only. No bookings!!
I decided to stop at the pub at the bottom of Langdale Pikes to have a half of lager while I decided where to go. I ordered a half of Fosters from a nice lady with a foreign accent. She returned with a pint, but I decided not to mention she got the order wrong and just pay for it. I dont like drinking and driving even though 1 pint is under the limit. I sat outside wishing the lady on the table next to me would shut up about her friends relationship falling apart. The man with her was obviously thinking the same thing. I remembered I had seen some tents a mile or 2 back along the road, so set off to find them. I drove along and after 4 miles decided it wasn't this far back. I stopped and studied the map and could say there was a camp site in Chapel Stile, a small village I had driven through. I managed to find the site which had about 60 or 70 tents on it. It was basically a farm with a toilet and shower block and a place to wash up. It looked good enough for me. I tried to pay but there was a sign saying to pitch your tent and pay between 7-9pm or 8-10am.
I setup my tent and read my book for a while then decided before 5 that I would walk down the pub and see if I could get a something to eat and a drink. The pub was called the Wainwright Inn, an appropriate name with me being there to walk some of the hills in his books. The pub didn't serve meals until 6, so I got a pint of lager and sat down outside and watched the people and cars go by, while admiring the view. I got another pint while waiting and just after 6 went back in to see about ordering some food. The pub had filled up, there was only a couple of people when I first got there but it was now busy. I asked the lady for a Magners and tried to order some food. I was told that they don't start serving until 6, I apologised and said I had thought it was 6. She looked at the clock and rather bluntly told me that she was on her own and was very busy, I went back outside to wait. I drank my Magners in about 10 minutes and went back in again. There was now 3 different people beind the bar, so I asked to order a meal, he looked at me blankly, so I said "food". He said he knew what I meant and told me the queue was around the corner. There was a massive queue and nowhere to sit inside (was cold now outside). I thought "Fuck this" and left, I had waited around for well over an hour and wan't waiting any longer.
I walked back to the tent and ate a sausage roll I had bought from the butchers in Crook before I set off. I actually bought 5, just in case. It was just as well!
Toilets at the farm buildings in the distanceI then spent the rest of the evening reading and listening to music, with frequent trips to the toilet because of the 4 pints I'd drank. Bad idea to park quarter of a mile from the toilets and too many people about to go in the trees.
When it got dark I settled down to get some sleep, I couldn't sleep because the wind was starting to pick up. I had my headphones on so couldn't hear too much but could feel the tent flapping a bit. I laid there until about 2:30 when the wind became even stronger and the whole back of the tent was leaning in over. The carbon fibre poles on the dome tent were bendind in towards me in the wind. I tried to straighten up but they just kept blowing back inwards. I held them out over for a while. Eventually I had enough and went to sleep in the car, I just couldn't get comfy in the back seats. I sat there until it got light listening to some music, then read my book until it got near 6 o'clock. When I decided I would have some breakfast (a tiny bowl of cereal). I then made my sandwiches for the day ahead but thats in my Day 2 post.
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