This was the first WW holiday to offer Slow High walks - and it was going to be very interesting to see how they panned out in practice.

At the same time, there was also an intermediate walk on offer each day (and a photography holiday taking place at the same time) - so, lots of choice...

Practically everyone arrived in time for dinner - delicious, as always at Glenthorne - after which we retired to the lounge to talk about the walks we'd be doing.

Later, a large group of us strolled around Butterlip How in the twilight, and ended up at the pub. Others stayed chatting in the lounge or headed to bed early.

Both groups set off up towards Easedale Tarn for our first walk, with a rendevous at the tarn so that women could swap walks there if they wished.

Showers were forecast - and did indeed occur in the morning as both groups headed up past Sour Milk Gill waterfall.

From Easedale Tarn we headed our separate ways. Lorraine walked with the Intermediate group up to a lower point on the Blea Rigg.

On reaching the ridge - with views of the Langdale Pikes and the Coniston fells - they stopped for lunch.

The sun was coming through, and they had a lovely walk down the ridge to Silver How and beyond.

Back in Grasmere, there was time for a drink before tea and cake back at the guest house!

The Slow High group and I had meantime taken the path to the head of Easedale Tarn and walked up the valley towards Codale Tarn.

The group was surprisingly even. Everyone walked at much the same pace and enjoyed being able to chat all the way up!

Whenever we stopped for a break - eg at Codale Tarn - the sun kindly obliged!

We made good time to the ridge, then turned up hill towards Sargeant man - an outlying Langdale Pike.

It was very blustery on the top of Sargeant Man, but we found a lovely sheltered spot for lunch in the sun facing Pavey Ark with Stickle Tarn below.

After lunch, we turned back down the ridge, and stayed on it till we could descend right back to Glenthorne.

The weather continued to improve, giving us a glorious sunny afternoon.

Later that evening there was another trip to the pub for some, while the rest of us chatted and looked over the day's photos.

Today the forecast was for heavier showers, possibly thundery with snow on the tops!!!

Let me assure you that this weather didn't materialise and instead we had some wonderful windy sunshine for most of the day!

Lorraine and I swapped grades today, and while she took the Slow High walk up Fairfield, the rest of us did an Intermediate walk up to Heron Pike via Alcock Tarn.

We climbed the zigzag path to the tarn through woods with bluebells and hawthorn trees in flower, then with views back to Grasmere below.

We arrived to the tarn as the sun arrived, and strolled to the northern end for a break. We had the place to ourselves.

After a while, we continued on up the steep grassy hillside above, zigzagging across the turf to reduce the gradient.

We had lunch at the ridge with stunning views of Windermere and all the central fells clear of cloud.

We heard many sky larks as we turned up the ridge path to Heron Pike.

A short, sharp shower dissuaded us from lingering on the top of Heron Pike, and we turned back down the ridge towards Rydal.

The sun returned quickly, and as we walked down we had some stunning views over Rydal Water and Grasmere.

At Rydal village we stopped for a lovely cuppa at the tea rooms by Rydal beck, then walked back along the 'Coffin Trail' to Grasmere.

Lorraine's Slow High walk had meantime walked up Fairfield via Stone Arthur to a higher point along our ridge - Great Rigg - then they turned up the ridge to reach the summit.

At one point the two groups could see each other as we took our respective first breaks at Stone Arthur and Alcock Tarn!

Then it was up up up to Great Rigg, pausing with views of the central fells and even the Scottish coast to the north. The visibility beneath the clouds was very good.

Now it was only a relatively short haul to the summit of Fairfield, from where they could see Helvelyn and Striding Edge, St Sunday Crag, and Fairfield's dramatic northeastern crags which overlook Deepdale.

No snow to be seen, but they did experience a short hail storm and the wind was strong so they didn't have a long lunch stop here.

Heading back down, they chose the main ridge from Great Rigg towards Heron Pike and Nab Scar - where the Intermediate group had descended an hour earlier.

They reached the tea room at Rydal Hall before it closed, and after a romp along the Coffin Trail they got back to Glenthorne at 6pm. A fabulous walk!

Today we woke to blue sky, and although there were clouds forming from the north, the day stayed wonderfully dry - throughout!

The Slow High group headed for Helvellyn today - having ferried cars to the Kings Head near the end of Thirlmere for our return.

Everyone was going at a similar pace up the Tongue Gill path - steady but comfortable, stopping only to take off layers or have a drink.

After the zigzags beside the waterfall, we were ready for a decent break at Grisedale Hause just out of the wind, then we continued over the rise to Grisedale Tarn.

There was fun and games on a gratuitous boggy shortcut, which I was repremanded for, then we started our ascent of Dollywagon Pike.

Up up up we went, keeping an even pace, and admiring the newly stepped path that is currently being laid there.

We paused to look down Grisedale and take photos of the stunning views back to St Sunday Crag and High Street in the distance.

Then came the last stretch past Dollywagon Pike and Nethermost Pike, with hungry murmurs as we climbed the last short stretch to the summit of Helvellyn

We took photos of the people on Striding Edge, then retreated to the stone shelter to eat our lunch. A few snowflakes fell and it was cold even out of the wind, so we did not linger longer than needed.

After a triumphant group photo at the cairn, we were away over Lower Man and down the stepped path past Browncove Crags.

We then took a tiny contouring path across Helvellyn Gill and headed for Brown How - a lovely route that gives the knees before a last steep grassy descent to the pub.

We got there at 4pm - a very respectable time in which to have climbed Helvellyn - leaving time for a celebratory drink in the pub garden!

Meantime, today's Intermediate walk with Lorraine, had been to climb the path to Helm Crag for a walk along this wonderful undulating ridge.

They set off out of Grasmere along Easedale Road, taking the lane towards Helm Crag.

The steepest section of the walk came early, then the path became more zigzagging - till they reached a lovely viewpoint over Grasmere.

A last short stretch of ascent brought them to the summit, where they stopped for a break at Lion Crag.

Across the valley they could see Fairfield and Helvellyn in one direction, and the Blea Rigg ridge in the other.

A short descent now took them to the main body of the ridge, and from here the ridge undulates, gradually increasing in height till they reached Calf Crag for lunch.

In places there were peat hags to cross on stepping stones.

After a sunny lunch on Calf Crag out of the wind, they started down to into Far Easedale.

This is a wild and fairly quiet valley, with many small waterfalls, and a very pretty stream.

At one point they stopped again for another break in the sun, before continuing on down to the bridge - and so back to Grasmere.

That evening there was another trip to the pub for some, while others talked in the lounge or played table tennis.

Last day, and many women were heading off early to beat the traffic, or go shopping in Ambleside.

The rest of us joined together into one walk and climbed an old Victorian stepped path in the woods to Dow Bank.

The views were superb - of Rydal Water, Grasmere, Windermere, Elterwater and Loughrigg Tarn.

It was a beautiful day with almost constant sun.

From here we continued to the top of Silver How, winding up through the hummocks off path.

At the top we stopped for an early lunch in the sun overlooking Grasmere. A snooze was tempting!

Time to go. We now headed down the path that leads to the field next to Glenthorne guest house, and had a cup of tea in the garden there with the photographers.

Many hugs goodbye with promises to be back.

It had been a very successful first Intermediate and Slow High holiday. There will be plenty more in the future!

See women's feedback below for how they found this new WW grade....