Haycock, Cawfell, Sunshine....say Cheese !

 The weatherman said it the outlook was fair and with no rain forecast we saw a few hills in our weekend.  A quick call to Churchstile campsite and Friday after work we were off.  Car packed with the most basic camping equipment.  Tent, chairs, blow up bed, duvet, pillows, kettle, tea and coffee.  What else did we need?

Arriving at Churchstile in the dark wasn't on the cards but after a later finish at work than planned an a shop stop at  Kirkby Lonsdale it was around 9pm when we finally rolled up.   Could we get pitched in the dark and more importantly could we make it to the pub for last orders?  Both were managed very successfully and we had time for not 1 not 2 but 3 little drinkies......uh oh, we're walking tomorrow !!!!

Up and out by 10am the following morning Haycock and Cawfell were our targets for the day.  These 2 were a couple of Wainwrights left in the area unticked so we'd put that right today.  A short driver down Wastwater and we found a little parking spot right next to where the path started up the first part of the hill.

It was warm and as we wandered up the path next to the little stream fleeces came off.

There were some gorgeous little waterfalls trickling down on the way up and since we'd all day we took the time to stop and get up close to see if we could capture the beautiful light that covered the hillside.  It really was turning out to be a super day.

Onwards and upwards through the valley, gaining height all the time with Middle fell to our left and soon behind us and Seatallan coming proudly into view.

Scafell behind us in the other direction and then Scafell Pike poking its head out it really was a day for the loveliest of views only marred slightly by the occasional jet that streaked overhead.

After the final slog up to the left hand side with the now chilly wind blowing in from the sea, the summit of Haycock came into view with its nice little shelter over the wall.

We didn't stop here for the moment but continued onto Cawfell and since today's route was a linear route we'd be back on Haycock later.

Down off the fell and over to Haycock was a pleasant walk.  Almost plateau-like however if you weren't aware of where the summit lay then you'd miss it as for little short people (like me)seeing the beautifully constructed cairn to mark the summit behind a high stone wall was a tough ask.   Thankfully I was in the company of a taller person.....a map & GPS so all was well!

Over the wall the wind blew hard from the North and I quickly darted back over the other side to get a bit of shelter in the walk back up to Haycock.   The sun was still bright in the sky and the light was starting to change as the afternoon took its grip.  Shadows were more defined and that distant haze started to appear.

We were on our way back down after a quick snack stop at the shelter on Haycock.  We'd timed ourselves and ideally wanted to get down in 3 hrs so we could get some ice cream at the campsite shop.  That was our motivation and we moved forward and downwards at the fastest pace possible which in my case wasn't that fast but I was moving (ouchie knees today!)

The initial steep bit was over and we were awarded with some stunning views as we moved down through the valley.  The late afternoon light was just beautiful bathing everything around in a warmish glow.

Almost down and the fantastic purple heather on the screes at Wastwater caught my eye and was a welcome site as we neared the end of our walk.

Back to the car almost 3 hrs since we'd stepped off the top the next stop was the ice cream shop where we sat in the sun, ate the most delicious ice cream and reflected on a great walk.

A saunter up Scafell & Slightside

Hurrah, finally a good weather walking day (or so they forecast) and the alarm was set for 5am as we'd planned quite a walk for today.  Parking under Harter Fell we would make our way up the valley and up onto Scafell and then over to Slightside before heading back down to the base of Harter Fell.  A day which promised a nice walk in, a couple of waterfalls, a decent bit of scrambling, 2 Wainwrights, nice fluffy photogenic clouds and a nice gentle, but long, descent.  Sounds like a perfect day......and it was!


We started after parking the car walking into the valley along a well trodden path.  A little bit of upwardness followed by a nice flattish path then more upwardness meant we gained some initial height quite quickly.

The weather was perfect.  Blue skies, fluffy clouds, a light breeze when needed and quite warm.  Not what we'd expect for August but nice enough and I wasn't complaining.

On the initial walk into the valley before the main part of the climb was filled with beautiful view on all sides coupled with some ominous black clouds which suggested there was a bit of rain on the way but thankfully that never materialised and we arrived at the foot of Cam Spout where we stopped for a bite to eat.

A lovely place to stop with the falls on one side and Crinkle Crags, Bowfell and more on the other with the flat valley floor catching sun rays and shadows as the clouds moved over the sky.

After our snack it was time to make our way up the side of the waterfall and soon the well marked path had disappeared and we were left to find our own route through the rock, perfect!  My fav terrain.

At the top we walked through another valley with Mickledor straight in front and a tasty gully to our left which was our route up the next part of the hill took us up to Foxes Tarn which I must admit wasn't more than a puddle at this time of year.

The next stage was simply making our way up a steep rock and shale path which sapped the energy out of you but literally was a hop skip and a jump after that up onto Scafell.

The summit of Scafell had a couple of picnickers on it but nothing compared to Scafell Pike which seemed to have hundreds of ants pouring over its summit.  Popular on such a fair weather day.

After the obligatory picture taking at the summit it was off down the hillside through the rocks and over to Slightside, our next target.  Here we met a nice chap who was a fell runner normally but skipped a race today because he didn't feel quite up to it but still managed an impressive round of hills starting with Pike o Blisco in Langdale over the Crinkles, Bowfell, Esk Pike, Scafell Pike, Scafell and Slightside.   Then all the way back again where he was hoping to take in the Langdales.  Just hearing that made me feel a bit faint and silently vowed that I really need to get a bit fitter!!!!!

Slightside was a nice top and a little bit rocky which, of course, I adore.  We didn't hang around long and soon enough we were starting our descent which surprisingly wasn't that bad and apart from some significant boggy bits it was a long but gentle walk off the mountain with only a few steep rocky bits.

What a wonderful day, one of the best walks I've had in a long time.  It had everything I could want from a walk and I arrived back at the car with a smile on my face.  My legs were dirty, my boots were bogged but I was happy.  Loved every min of it!!! 

A misty murky wander over Wansfell

In our efforts to get out whatever the weather in this poor excuse for a summer we had a few hrs free on Sunday to play with and Wansfell seemed to be the ideal target.

Not too far but still a Wainwright tick and would provide a little bit of exercise for the weekend.

The path started as a wide track and wound its way round the side of the hill with views of Windemere opening up to the left. There was no steepness to the path and it continued, meandering round the hillside to the summit top following a wall.

The weather was mixed, a bit of mist, drizzle and it wasn't that warm really. Was it really August???

The summit was quite non descriptive with views over to Rydel Wate, up to Red Screes and Kirkstone Pass and then back down to Windemere and beyond. 

The path following the wall over to the second summit, Baystones which is the true high point of the Wainwright, was a pretty path and the wall was the star of the show, winding left and right up and down hill making some pretty patterns indeed.

After reaching Baystones we turned right to take the path back down towards the car and were met with a 2 pretty ponies and a young foal. The foal was too quick for me to get a non blurry picture but I got a snap of its auntie who was happy to just stand and pose.

Soon enough we were back at the Mortal Man car park and felt it would be rude not to pop in for Sunday lunch as we'd parked here for the past hour or so. The food was good and it was a lovely place to spend another hr in the lakes before heading back to real life and the thought of Monday looming in the distance.

Another trip out and even though the weather didn't really improve it was a lovely wander over a nice little fell.

Ben More, more and more........the slog of all slogs!

Has it really been so long since I updated my blog, June 7th since our last venture out on the hills, goodness me that's not right, surely!  In between then and now has been Silverstone weekend and bad weather stops play but hopefully now that we're in the midst of Summer we can rectify any further time delays between walks.  Yes I said the S word, summer.  Hot and sunny weather, long light days, t shirts and shorts.......oh how I long for those days, perhaps August will bring our summer!

So back to the walk.  We had planned a weekend in Scotland, visiting family and bagging a Munro or 2 along the way.  Ben More and Stob Binnein were our targets so early on Saturday we ventured north from the B & B of Mum and Dad to Crianlarich and the foot of our first target of the day.  Armed with our staple Scottish hillwalking fodder - Tablet and Tunnochs Caramel Wafers the day was sure to be epic, right?

I'd read a walk report the previous evening in the car and it did mention the steepness and the bogginess but oh my goodness what true slog it turned out to be.  Literally straight up from the roadside with no room for a breather on a nice wee plateau anywhere.  It was tough going and I struggled quite a bit.  Mentally I was all over the place and announced on several occasions I was heading back down to the car which doesn't happen often but somehow I kept putting one foot in front of the other and kept moving forward.

There were a few other peeps on the mountain side that day and it seemed to be a popular route.  The weather on the way up was not as forecast and was quite pleasant by all accounts.  Big billowing fluffy white clouds, patches of blue sky but about 3/4 of the way up we could see some dark clouds looming and streaks of rain falling on nearby hills.  Sure enough the rain made its way over to us so it was cameras away and waterproofs on but these were only showers so it wasn't too bad.
The summit finally (after what seemed like a lifetime) came into view.  First was the large cairn which by all accounts is the true summit and then the trig point and standing proudly behind was Stob Binnein.  All of the reports I'd read said this was the prettier of the 2 summits and from where I was standing it certainly seemed that way.  We stopped on the summit of Ben More for a bite to eat before tackling the down, the very steep and rocky down and now with the added rain, the very steep, rocky and wet down.  The views around however made this bearable and again my breath was taken away by the sheer majesty of the peaks around us.

Getting down off Ben More and onto the plateau area was a little bit trickier than I had hoped, there was a bad step area that needed a longer leg than mine but thankfully there was a bypass route which circumvented it easily.  I hate not being able to do stuff but I cant magically extend my legs by 5" so just had to deal with it.

The rest of the way down was zig zaggy and steep and I just took my time.  At this point I'd decided that I wasn't going to venture up Stob Binnein and that Ben More was more than enough for me that day.  Chris decided to head on up and I would wait for him at the flat area between the 2 mountains.

Whilst waiting I tucked into another caramel wafer, more tablet and some cheese and was quite happy sitting on a nice big rock with my boots off with my binoculars watching Chris's progress up the steep path in front.  That was until the hailstones started and the sleet.  Welcome to Scotland !!!

30 mins up and 20 mins down was all that it took Chris which was quite brilliant.  We then headed off the path downwards and it was a slog.  There wasn't much of a path in some areas and you just had to pick your way through the boggy bits and hope that your next step wasn't going to land you in a deep hole up to your knee or worse in bog.  Challenging to say the least and with the recent hail and sleet it was just a wee bit slippy.

I kept looking at the path below and thinking, soon, very soon you'll be there and sure enough after an hour or so plodding sideyways down we were on the path that would take us back through the valley to the stick of the lollipop and down back to the car.

The sun came out for this last part of the walk and made it really pleasant indeed.  As with all walks you do get an immense sense of satisfaction at the end and all the unpleasant thoughts you had earlier in the day just disappear and you remember what you've achieved and why you do what you do.

So that's another Munro ticked off my list taking my tally to 11 I think.  I'll never do them all and I'm not sad about missing Stob Binnein but looking forward to a nicer one next time we head north of the border as Ben More was a bad ass beastie !

A weekend in Wasdale Part 2

Sunday was billed to be a better day weather wise however it looked pretty grey when we awoke. I didn’t feel well and had been sneezing and spluttering all night and had a pretty horrible runny nose. Not really in the mood to get out of bed I managed to get dressed and hoped to feel better as the day wore on. Achy and head cold symptoms were a bad start.

Buckbarrow, Seatallan and Middle Fell were our targets for the day and I must say Buckbarrow and Middle Fell both looked attractive prospects and with Seatallan tucked in behind I hoped it wouldn’t disappoint.

As with any hill really it was a bit of a slog to begin with. As we continued upwards it wasn’t really long before we came upon the summit of Buckbarrow. The last part of the upwards climb was through some rocky bits and the views were outstanding. The weather wasn’t being kind to us with intermittent rain and there was our old friend the wind again. The sun kept peeking through the clouds but not anywhere near us. We could see its shadows cast upon the surrounding hills but alas no where near us.

Cold update: I feel rubbish, sneeze splutter, sneeze!

So after Buckbarrow it was onwards to Seatallan and this was the first time I thought “oh I'll just go back” I really couldn’t get a grip and my head was throbbing but I wandered on. It didn’t seem that bad a walk up to Seatallan that was until we lost the summit in the cloud. It closed in and obscured views on all sides. Drizzle and a brisk breeze made the last part of the walk up quite tedious indeed. One of those moments we you really need to remind yourself why you do this and why its so important. Today it wasn’t for the photography as cameras were firmly tucked away whilst we endured the mist and drizzle.

Thankfully there was a shelter at the summit currently occupied by a nice couple and their dog. I offered the dog some of my Pink Lady apple which it licked and then ignored. How very dare it!!! It really was a lovely dog but just having a picky day.....weren't we all !

We were up and off as soon as we'd finished our snack and heading down to the plateau area between Seatallan and Middle Fell. It was quite steep and the path is poorly mark but easy to see where the path meets down in the valley below. The best bit is that the cloud was starting to lift and we could see Middle Fell, in its entirety, for the first time today and it was beautiful.

I wasn’t sure I had the energy to do another climb and worse still another descent but I waited until I had reached the plateau below and the start of the upward path before making my mind up. Once there it was an easy decision to make and I couldn’t let this gorgeous hill pass me by today. That and that the ground underfoot in the valley was quite boggy and the thought of trudging through bog to go down the valley was really not an option. So upwards we went.

It was a lovely rocky path up and views were opening up all around. Great Gable stood proudly to the left with Yewbarrow in front and it just took your breath away. The route from yesterday was ahead of us with Waswater below and all in all it was a lovely fell.

The downwards was tough as I'd reached my limit for the day. I was exhausted, coupled with the fact that I hadn’t had a good nights sleep meant I felt a bit wibbly wobbly. Nevertheless I kept going with the occasional wee sit down and before we knew it we were back on flat land and the sun, as like the previous day, was splitting the trees. 

At the campsite we'd arrange to keep the tent pitched during the day so we could get an early start and the thought of having to dismantle it when we returned wasn’t a great thought but it wasn’t too bad actually and quite enjoyable in the sunshine.

Great weekend, great walks, great company and looking forward to more camping weekends in the weeks to come, love it!

A weekend in Waswater Part 1

Racing to arrive before the light fades on a Friday night so we can try out our new tent for the weekend and Nether Wasdale was our destination. Church Stile Farm Campsite for the weekend with 5 wainwrights thrown in for good measure.

We arrived with plenty of light left in order to get the tent up, not perfectly, but not bad straight out the box and we headed for the pub for a little refreshment.

 

Saturday morning we were up bright and early and not really sure what the weather had in store for us. It was a bit grim, clouds everywhere and quite windy, although we were protected in the camp-site but could see the far trees swaying.

The hills ahead of us were our target for the day. Illgill Head and Whin Rigg then down to Waswater for a walk back along the screes.

The route up Illgill Head was a slog. Steepness and high found quite quickly. Looking back we could see the strength of the wind in the waves lapping the Cumbrian shoreline.

We met a nice lady from Liverpool whom I thought I recognised from somewhere. She was clearly the leader in her party as they straggled behind and all were heading for a Beer Festival in Boot and not claiming any tops today.

The path to the top of Illgill Head was clear enough but the wind was buffeting us all over the place. Chris did his impression of “flying man” at the summit and we didn’t stick around long. 

Over towards Whin Rigg there was a choice of paths and even though it was windy I chose the path that ran along the top of the screes and rock-face. It was thrilling. Straight down towards Waswater with the most beautiful rock on either side.

A flat plateau then onwards towards the next summit where there was a little shelter which enabled us to have a quick bite with the stunning Yewbarrow ahead of us.

We knew that as soon as we started downwards we would have lost the effect of the wind as it had been behind us all along the tops.

A nice wall guided us down and soon we were on the banks of Waswater and again we could see the effect of the wind on the top of the lake. Little water birds were darting all around as we started along the path to the screes.

The path was fairly level but the wind was now in front of us and the buffeting never ceased. We met a few people along the path but mainly we were on our own. Upwards was scree and rock and downwards was scree and rock dipping into the lake. Chris said that the screes went down into the lake as much as it was high behind us. Very deep water.

We were caught out suddenly by a very sharp rainstorm which made the skipping over rocks of the scree a little more treacherous as things became just a little slippy. Thankfully almost as soon as the rain had come it had gone and we were left, for the first time that day, bathed in sunlight. This was good news as the longest bit of scree was still to come and we hoped by the time we got there the sun would have dried most of the rock.

We weren’t disappointed. The big scree part was dry and absolutely delightful to cross with big section of very big boulders mixed with smaller sections of smaller rocks. I loved it.

The evening was now turning quite pleasant weather wise and the remainder of our walk back to the campsite was absolutely lovely with lots of little birdies flying about in the evening sun.

12 miles, variable weather, great walk and now for a nice meal coupled with a nice glass of red in The Strand. Grand day out!