A trip up to see my parents gave us a chance for a walk.
Visitors have become more concentrated in both location and time over the 40 years I have known the Lakes. Leave the car before 07.30 and you are on the tops before 09.00, the first person you see will be as you are coming off your 3rd or 4th peak around 11.30. In the old days there was always some other early birds who had maybe bivouaced nearby. Many areas slightly distant from a car park are quieter than in the 1970s, with what were well worn paths barely visible in the bracken. However, Helvellyn is always busy in the afternoon, just as well we had an early start.
