I’d love to say we made it but.. that would be a big fat fib.

We managed to get up 750 of the available 950m. Which means I’m a pretty proud parent. Small (the smallest member of the walking party) has little legs and is probably in a minority of 4 year olds when she says she tackled one of the Lakeside Mountains of Cumbria. She managed to walk higher than a lot of much taller adults on Saturday afternoon and I think considering her smallness we can say that she climbed 1400 SM’s (Small Meters).

Although we didn’t succeed this time I did get to see the stubborn singleminded determination of my youngest child and with a little extra planning (ie. remembering the kids’ gloves) I think we may be able to finish a hill walk of the same altitiude very soon.

Even though Small kept saying that she “hates mountains” she has already asked which big hill we will be climbing next weekend. Being back in sunny Buckinghamshire I think she may have to settle for Ivinghoe Beacon which doesn’t have quite the same cache as a real mountain.

The view from our picnic spot; halfway up Helvellyn.