Where do I start with this one?

The short version, awesome hike but my soles fell off.

We started this walk from the Honister Slate Mine Car Park, it’s a little pricey, but you can park overnight, so it saves the parking dilemma. You ascend steeply up toward Bell Crag from the mine and carry on up, passing Dubs Hut Bothy. The first few hundred metres of this walk are pretty darn steep, but it becomes much more of a manageable incline after that. Because this path is next to the slate mine, it can get very busy with tourists. However, once you get past the bothy, you lose them.

So as we approached Dubs Hut, I noticed the sole on my boot was feeling floppy. They were 10-year-old Berghaus boots, the comfiest I’ve ever had. They had seen better days, and in fact, this walk would be their last hurrah. We rummaged through our rucksacks to see what we could find. We tried to solve the problem with medical tape.

Anyway, we carried on. The path is fairly obvious, mostly rocky thanks to the mine works in the area, so quite good walking underfoot. You eventually reach a few different vantage points, which give you the most magnificent views over Buttermere and Crummock Water.

The end goal was to Innominate Tarn, the final resting place of Alfred Wainwright. However, just after Little Round How, the back of the boot was now flapping. After more medical attention, I tried to plough on. Unfortunately, it was a bank holiday weekend, and there were a swarm of wild campers descending on the area.

Due to the ongoing boot drama and how busy it was, we stopped at Blackbeck Tarn, not far from our original plan. Just before we got there, both soles decided to fall off simultaneously. Having made it to the tarn, my thoughts were simply ‘that’s tomorrow’s problem’.

We pitched up, and it was a gloriously sunny day. Five or so other tents were pitched around the tarn, so we didn’t quite get the mountain to ourselves.

Down the valley, the sunset over Red Pike and Buttermere, and  I could see through the valley over to my last spot on Rannerdale. Weatherwise, a perfect evening!

After much sunshine and alcohol, we turned in, ready for a very uncomfortable ‘soleless’ walk back down to Honister.

P.s we had tried to use medical tape, string, and pretty much everything we had but no luck. So top tip, take glue! Or boots that aren’t 10 years old.