Autumnal Weekend On The Slopes Of Skiddaw

Location

Cumbria

OutdoorLads shares the exact meeting point with people who have signed up, closer to the date. See the OutdoorLads listing for details.

About this event

At 470m above sea level, Skiddaw House is the highest hostel in Britain. It was built around 1829 as a 'Keeper's lodge' and grouse shooting base for George Wyndham, the third Earl of Egremont. The building was originally divided into two separate dwellings; one side for the gamekeeper and his family and the other for a shepherd's family. The Earl and his shooting parties also had a few rooms to stay in when they came to visit. In 1986 the two dwellings were converted into the hostel it is today.Skiddaw House operated as a youth hostel from 1987 until 2002, when it closed and began to fall into disrepair again. But with the help of the previous hostel manager, many volunteers and the Skiddaw House Foundation, the hostel was renovated and reopened in 2007. The building retains many original features, which combined with its interesting history and remote location make the hostel a unique place to stay.One of the great features of Skiddaw House is its remote location, offering stunning views of the surrounding Lakeland fells. This venue is an OutdoorLads favourite and is truly special, right from the moment you park up you'll understand why this is so glorious!However, the remote nature of the hostel means it is lacking the mod cons we may be used to, such as heating. Don't panic, there are a number of open fires throughout the building which helps keep it warm, but the bedrooms do not have any heating. Full bedding of 15tog duvets and pillow are provided but some may prefer to pack their own sleeping bag. Boots are also not allowed to be worn inside so we recommend packing slippers too!ItineraryFriday Afternoon/Evening - Arrive at the car park for 15:00, meet the rest of the group and we will hike up to the hostel together, sharing the load of weekend food supply bags. Please have your head torch handy in case we start to lose the light! Once we have arrived and found our beds and settled in a bit, we'll have a briefing and dish out the traditional OutdoorLads buffet.Important: If you're not able to arrive at the car park for 15:00, please message the event Leader at least a week before the event and we'll see what we can do. The walk in from the car park is over an hour long. Depending who signs up, we may be able to organise a second walk-in to the hostel with prior notice. There's no phone signal at the parking location or the venue. I'll share a route map from car park to hostel prior to the event in case of emergency.Saturday Day - A simple cold breakfast will be available. The main activity of the day will be a bit of a Wainwright epic, as we tick off up to 5 "Wainwrights," with the main attraction being Skiddaw (931m) on our hike. I expect we'll cover 14km in no more than 7 hours, with a total ascent of 1000m. However, if we're moving a bit slower or there is appetite to cut the walk short, we will be able to cut out some sections.Saturday Evening - Pop your feet up and unwind from the day's walk. We'll have a hearty evening meal to warm us back up, followed by some games and good laughs. While the hostel has a few, if you have a favourite travel size board/card game why not bring it?Sunday - Breakfast is provided once more then we'll all band together to tidy and clean up the hostel to how we found it (takes no time at all with so many) before we need to vacate by 11am. Once done we will take everything we brought back to the car park and then people might want to head home, or into Keswick for an afternoon touristing. I'll aim to lead a quick nip up to Blencathra (868m) via Hall's Fell Ridge, and back down to the car park. This is around 8km, 700m ascent, and should take around 4 hours.Other informationDogs: The event leader very much welcomes well behaved, quiet dogs on this event. They should be able to cope with and enjoy a long mountain walk, be friendly with other dogs and people in a fairly small hostel, not go upstairs whilst wet, and be exceptionally well behaved around food. The venue has capped the number of dogs at three, and they and their humans will be assigned to one room, leaving other bedrooms available for humans only. Contact [email protected] to reserve a dog space.Food: Please note that all food/drink provided will be plant-based. Whilst I encourage you all to embrace plant-based foods for the weekend, you are welcome to bring whatever buffet contributions you like. You'll also need to bring a packed lunch.Skiddaw House requires a 1 hour hike to access it from the car park. To ensure everyone arrives safely we ask that all attendees meet at the car park for 3pm Friday so that we can hike up together. You will need to carry everything you need for the weekend including food and drink, plus a modest bag of supplies from the event leader in one trip - so pack light!Photos: Provided by Neil Williams and Dan Byrnes with permission for use.