If that title is making you picture near-perfect conditions with warm summer air and hardly a ripple on the water, then I’m afraid you’re well off the mark. While starting in a similar way to this description, my wild camp by Small Water also saw me experience near horizontal rain and gale force gusts, which had the power to push my sturdy tent to its limit.Perhaps I’m mad, but being battered by the elements in such a stunning spot was an epic experience and made me feel truly alive. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger as the saying goes!
Where Is Small Water?
The natural tarn of Small Water is located in Mardale, which can be found on the eastern side of The Lake District National Park. The attraction of this area is that it’s less visited than other parts. There aren’t iconic summits like Helvellyn, Scafell Pike or Haystacks, which I guess act like magnets for many hikers. That is fine by me. It leaves areas like this much quieter and they’re all the better for it.
Even without the more famous mountain summits nearby, the map above still shows that Small Water is still flanked by proper mountains. Harter Fell, Mardale Ill Bell and High Street are all close to or exceed 800 metres in elevation. If you are after craggy mountain views, then you won’t leave disappointed on this trip.
The Journey Skywards
The walk to Small Water might only be a couple of kilometres in length, but the climbing that must be done ensures you still get a good burn going in the legs. That’s especially true if you have what feels like half a house attached to your back like I did. Just think of the benefits lugging this extra weight has for your legs, core and lungs. That alone kind of makes it feel worth it. The view you’ll be afforded at the end more than rewards you for your efforts too of course. Anyway, back to the journey…..
Soon after leaving the car park, you’ll be met with a sign pointing you in three different directions. The Gatescarth Pass is a great route and allows access into some stunning parts of the Eastern Lakes. I was lucky enough to enjoy it on this amazing circular hike, where I even got to visit the remote bothy at Mosedale Cottage. For today though you will ignore this sign and head straight on towards the Nan Bield Pass.
The entire route is very easily navigable and there is only one route you can take really. The steep valley sides carved by the tumbling beck takes care of things in that regard. The path is also well surfaced with few boggy sections to tackle. Steeper sections are made easier by many rocks, which have been very well placed to create steps on the way up. Just take care if wet though. I was thankful nobody was around to see me nearly end up on my bottom on more than one occasion. Thank goodness for my walking pole!
Reaching Small Water
Like many mountain tarns in The Lake District, Small Water is surrounded by mountains on three sides. For that reason you don’t first catch sight of it until you’re only around twenty metres away from its shore. You crest the top of the climb and finally see the birthplace of the burn you’ve been following all the way up. Before you can have a proper explore and set up camp though, you will need to ford the water. it wasn’t too deep or troublesome when I did it, but once again the walking pole came in handy. The stepping stones weren’t particularly big and we very slippery in places. It was certainly a relief to have the pole to steady myself.
Other than the fine views on all sides of Small Water, I couldn’t help but notice something intriguing on the northern shoreline. I’d read about something rather interesting before coming here and it was great to finally spot them- stone shelters.
I decided to do a bit of research about the stone shelters at Small Water and it seems they were constructed by shepherds to seek refuge when the weather was harsh. While they are by no means comfortable, I can see how they’d still be very welcomed during a snowstorm or deluge of rain. With no inclement weather that evening, I decided to head off in search of a great spot to camp.
Setting Up Camp
It was starting to get dark when I finally settled on a spot to wild camp by Small Water. The weather wasn’t too harsh that evening, but I’d read how winds were supposed to increase during the night. It’s for that reason that I settled with a pitch located behind a large boulder clearly deposited by a retreating glacier during the last ice age.
The area I pitched on is large and offers many flat sections. On a calmer evening I would certainly have pitched closer to the tarn so that I was afforded lake side views. This evening wouldn’t be the right time for anything like that unfortunately.
Making Myself At Home
The sun retired at just before 7:00 pm and so did I to my tent. One of the things I love about wild camping is that it forces you to slow right down and just enjoy the simple things in life. In this instance a vegetable chilli was enjoyed along with a strong IPA. Beer always seems to taste better, when you’ve just slogged uphill for an hour and wrestled with a tent in the wind.
Once my tummy was filled, it was then time to tuck myself up in my sleeping bag and enjoy a good read. On this occasion I’d devour page after page of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest book. It was very inspirational and ideal for somebody who enjoys listening to and reading about motivational people. Click here to find out more about it.
A Long Night Ahead
I settled down to sleep at just after ten and I managed to nod off in no time. I guess all that fresh air, beer and drop of whiskey helped with that. Sadly, the weather Gods had different ideas. In the early hours I was woken by my tent walls being battered by the elements. It sounded like sheet rain was being blown in sideways on a very strong wind. It appeared my sheltered position wasn’t quite as sheltered as I had hoped.
The wind wasn’t constant, instead coming in the form of gusts. One minute it was nearly still and silent, while the next had the poles and pegs being tested well. I’ve raved about my OEX Jackal II tent before and once again it passed with flying colours. Gusts must have been close to 40 mph and yet no damage was done to any part of it. What a bargain it is still proving to be nearly three years after i purchased it. Click here to read my full review of the tent.
Even with my shelter holding its own against the elements, it couldn’t help me get a good night’s sleep. The noise proved too much and I was always concerned that one massive gust would prove too much for the tent. You need to be relaxed to sleep well and I certainly wasn’t. Oh well! I went with Del Boy’s old motto of sleeping being for wimps. A strong coffee at Tebay services the following morning would help with the journey home too.
A Different World
I woke to a different world to the one I’d enjoyed the previous evening. it was no place to stand and enjoy the view, as there really wasn’t much of one left. Sheet rain and strong winds prevailed, which completely hid the mountain tops around me. Funnily enough no other hikers were spotted either.
Breakfast was taken at a very leisurely pace, before I packed away in a very contrasting speed. These weren’t conditions to be hanging around in that’s for sure.
