Walking from Windermere to Penrith via High Street at the weekend I encountered the evolution of a warm front crossing the Lake District.

After a stunning day on Saturday darkness fell and revealed a night sky with countless stars. I fell asleep in my bivvy at 500m wondering just how impossible it must be that our Sun is the only star in the galaxy supporting human life.

Wispy clouds appeared at 2am and a heavy dew had already formed with the faintest of breezes starting to develop. First light revealed thick fog had formed, classic conditions of an advancing warm front – though the forecast suggested we’d be able to outrun any precipitation building later that day.

The path leading up to the ridge was periodically turning into a stream, a legacy of steady rainfall over the previous week. Emerging onto the ridge of High Street, an old Roman road, the breeze was starting to build and the path was very boggy. Thick fog hampered the way, making navigation a challenge – what had been a pleasure 24 hours before had turned into a chore.

After the highest point of Racecourse Hill at 828m the steady downhill saw the weather improve only slowly. Emerging under the cloudbase revealed much darker cloud to the left with streams of rainfall clearly visible. Further on, with Penrith visible in the distance, the boggy nature of the ground improved, making progress easier.

Day 1: 8.3 miles

Day 2: 11.8 miles