Pen y Ghent - A fell of a race

Today we were bound for Pen y Ghent again because of the Yorkshire 3 peak Fell Race where Tom was a participant.   We got their early so we could get up and half way down before the start of the race at 10am to get a good vantage point to watch the race. 

It was a glorious day with just enough of a chill in the air to make it comfortable for the runners.  I cant imagine running in wind and rain up a hill but then again I cant imagine running up a hill full stop but fair do to those who do. 

It wasn't long before we'd reached the top and climbed over the wall by the stile to start making our way down the path.  We'd planned to stop about half way down to see the runners go up and then come down again before heading back to the finish line to see them come through. 

Tom was doing really well and quite far up the pack on the initial climb and still one of the front runners coming down of Pen y Ghent. 

They still had Whernside and Ingleborough to do but we had a wander down to Hull Pot and then stopped for a pit stop in the pub whilst the runners were tackling the other 2 peaks.  

An hr or so later we were at the finish line to watch Tom complete the race.  He did really well and out of nearly 1000 runners he was in the top 15.  Impressive. 

Hewitts included on this walk: Pen-y-ghent

Date walked: 27/04/2018

Time taken: 3 hrs

Distance: 12 km

Ascent: 525m

Buttermere Round

After a lovely night wild camping in a little secluded parking area near Buttermere we were up and out early and ready to start the days walk which took in High Crag, High Stile, Red Pike (of the Buttermere variety!)

The light was fantastic as we started the walk.  A real glimpse of summer was starting to creep into the days and the sun did indeed have some warmth in it even at the early hour. 

As we walked up the side of the first peak Red Pike we gained height fairly quickly as it was quite steep and soon found the views, as always, spreading out in front of us. Fleetwith Pike behind us with its formidable form. 

Up onto Red Pike was a marvellous walk but we didn't hang around for long at the summit, just long enough for a picture or 2 and then it was off to High Stile.  A fantastic path to follow really made it easy to move from one peak to the next.  

A challenging day but a beautiful one and the weather gods were with us as it stayed clear and dry all day. 

Views to die for with some good up and downs really made the day.  

Wainwrights included on this walk: High Crag, High Stile, Red Pike (Buttermere)

Hewitts included on this walk: High Crag, High Stile, Red Pike (Buttermere)

Date walked: 07/04/2012

Time taken: 7 hrs

Distance: 14 km

Ascent: 1089m

Pen y Ghent - a wander up a local dragon

Well we always said if it was raining when we started a walk then we'd not bother but if it started raining while we were on a walk then it was ok as we'd have our waterproofs with us.  This day it was raining but we decided to give it a go anyway and off up the path towards Pen y Ghent we went. 

It wasn't the most pleasant walk but hey, we were out and anything is better than resorting to a TV couch afternoon.  

As with most walks the views sometimes save the day and today was no different.  The changing weather gave the most remarkable skies and as the clouds swirled around us we pushed on up the hill. 

Pen y Ghent is a lovely hill, I've been up here many many times and each time I've always loved the little bit of scrambling that you get just before the summit.  Today was no different and its always a little bit more challenging and exciting when the rocks are wet but not difficult enough for it to be dangerous. 

At the top the views were not too bad, clouds became picturesque and we stopped at the trig point for a few pictures. 

We didn't stop long at the top and were soon on our way back down the hill.  The downward section is mainly stepped but a little bit slippy when wet so care had to be taken. 

After only a couple of hours were back at the car, a little damp but exhilarated after a brilliant walk in some challenging weather.   Glad we got out and my favourite of the Yorkshire 3 peaks never fails to offer a good walk. 

White Cliffs of Dover - looking for blue birds!

Easter weekend and the prospect of a rather large and scrumptious Easter dinner means that a fair walk needs to be on the cards.  We chose the Folkstone to Dover walk and since its a linear walk we parked 1 car in Dover and then headed to Folkstone to start the walk. 

The English Channel looked marvellous in the morning light and although there had been a little rain lately the path was not too muddy (famous last words!!!) 

Any coastline is fabulous with the smell of the sea and the sounds of birds, waves and the stillness of the day.  Today was no different it was a lovely day and we were making the best of it.

We stopped of at the RAF museum which was a newish building but with some stunning sculpture and inscriptions from what looked to be the Commonwealth.  Countries represented with individual inscriptions of Air Force squadrons from their respective areas.  The main sculpture below was really poignant. 

As the day wore on the clouds began to gather threatening some weather which wouldn't bother us really as we had all our waterproofs with us and although the path was getting a little more muddy now it was still fairly clear as we plodded on along the path. 

The light was spectacular as shadows appeared in the coastline and my eyes were peeled on "fin watch" but sadly I saw no fins, not one, not ever a flicker of anything marine-like. 

Just as we thought the going was good we hit the muddiest part of the walk and I can tell you it was a squelchy moment.  Hanging onto fence posts so not to get the worst of it didn't help much and we all were resigned to just getting on with it and dealing with the consequences.  Boots could come off before we got in the car if the worst came to the worst ..... and oh boy it did ! 

Seascapes make lovely pictures and I couldn't help snapping this lovely little tree all on its own with the coast and horizon (France) behind it.  Beautiful sky! 

Approaching Dover we could see the ferries moving in and out of the Port indicating that we were almost at the end of our walk.  We walked past Samphire Hoe which was the rubble brought out of the ground when making the Channel Tunnel which is being developed along the coast edge.   Quickly the path moves downwards and our walk for today has ended.  On the bright side we have a superb Easter dinner to look forward to, yum yum x 

Derwentwater Round

Sunday morning and there is nothing better than a good walk to blow the cobwebs away from the night before which involved a few Gin's whilst watching Scotland win the Calcutta Cup. Yay !

The walk this morning we'd decided on was round Derwentwater and it was magnificent with reflections on the water and fells all around.  Some topped with snow and some just basking in the morning light.

As we made our way round there were lots of birds about.  Woodpeckers, thrush's, finches of all descriptions (apart from Bull, didn't spot a Bullfinch) and lots of gulls, a few oyster catchers and half way round the lake a Smew which allegedly is quite rare in these parts. 

The walk itself was great but after our epic walk yesterday after 7 or 8 miles I was pooped and ready for a cup of tea and a nice slice of cake which we had at the Walled Garden of Beatrix Potter and then made our way back into Keswick to collect Bob and head home.

Took a few pictures but not as many as normal but still had a great day and clocked up a fair few miles in my quest to walk 1000 miles in 2018.  I think I'm on 170 now, so still a way to go. 

3 Fells and a Bob

The first weekend where the weather wasn't horrendous with promises of dry, bright, sunny and calm days meant only 1 thing.  Bob was quickly packed after work on Friday with all the necessary things we'd need for a weekend in the lakes and off we set.

Approaching Keswick we found that the A66 was closed a few miles before Keswick and if we planned to stop at our Castlerigg spot then we'd have a heck of a detour.  We pulled off before the road closure and found ourselves on back roads, some very narrow, around the Mell Fells and after 10 mins or so found a lovely spot to park up on a bridge over a river.

What a spot this proved to be.  In the morning we had a red squirrel peeking in and it danced around for a few mins before heading off to the forest, we had a dipper in the river below and a massive fox crossed the field in front of us, keeping its beady eye on us as it crossed.  All that wildlife and we hadn't even had breakfast.

We were soon dressed and on our way to park up for our walk.  Honister was our destination for parking as today we'd planned to head for Great Gable taking in Grey Knotts, Brandreth & Green Gable.  I'd done Green and Great Gable before but Grey Knotts & Brandreth were ticks for me, yay!

The forecast was proving correct with the sun shining down on us as the cold wind bit at my face.  It wasn't long after we got going that I began to warm up and as there was very little wind at this point it was quite pleasant.  The initial part of the walk is fairly steep up the side of Grey Knotts but this kind of path is great because you gain great height in a short space of time and the distraction is all the gorgeous views opening up around you.

At the top of Grey Knotts we took the obligatory trig pics and set off towards Brandreth.

The higher we got the windier it got but it wasn't uncomfortable at all.  What else was noticeable was that the higher we got the icier it got and the ice/snow patches were becoming more frequent.  We knew that most of the high hills were in winter conditions but for some reason our winter gear was still in Bob.  No crampons and more importantly no ice axe which always came in handy when going up or down snow/ice patches.  No sliding down any patch on your bum if you've got nothing to stop you.....bah !

After posing at the summit cairn of Brandreth we could see over to Green Gable and more importantly over to Great Gable and it looked pretty wintery to me.  We said we'd make a decision on the top of Green Gable whether to continue as it wasn't sensible to get involved with any larger ice/snow fields without the proper equipment and sure enough as we stood on top of Green Gable it was aparent that we wouldn't be going any further but would find our homeward path which was visible just below us and call it a day.

So off we went down the path, which I must say was a brilliant path.  The homewards route took us right past Pillar and we could see down the Ennerdale Valley and over to Buttermere and all the gorgeous Fells round that area.

We couldn't have asked for a better day weatherise and it really is a privilege to get to do what we do and experience the world from a different prespective and glad I've always got my camera to take advantage of the most perfect conditions.

Thats me up to 194 Wainwrights meaning only 20 to go !

213 down, 1 to go - Hurrah!

Well we're almost there.  Ullscarf, Chris's 213th Wainwright was in our sights.  After leaving the car park we walked a little bit along the road until we came to the gap in the wall that would take us right and onto the path up the side of Steel Fell and up to the base of Ullscarf.  By all accounts it was to be a boggy walk but fingers crossed the ground would be a little bit frozen so we wouldn't have as much wetness as we'd read in other peoples accounts of this particular walk.

Once we were on the path through the valley the scenery was brilliant as always and the sun in the sky and lack of clouds meant that the walking, so far, was quite pleasant.

Up through the valley we eventually reached a small tarn.  Behind us was the Helvellyn range with its magnificent snowy tops with big fluffy clouds starting to move in and to the left of us was the route over towards the Langdales with white hills as far as you could see.  We'd been in this valley before, on another epic day, but our target now was to the right of us and up, what seemed to be, a non existent path.  Oh the joys !

Let me explain my joy, being off piste or having no visible path is my least favourite part of any walk.  It does weird things to my head and all I can ever think of is "We're doomed"when of course we're nothing of the sort but every time it just gets me that way.  In this case there was nothing else for it but to make our way up.

So off we went up the steep, wet, rocky, slippy, relentless and energy zapping side of the hill.  It took absolutely ages and seemed like it was 2 steps forward 3 steps back most of the way.  Chris motored on and was up at the top plateau way before me but I just dug in and kept trying to move forward and upwards and soon enough I was at the top.  Not the top of the hill, just the top of this part of the walk but at least it was easier going underfoot.

That climb up was exhausting and took me a few mins to get my breath back but off we went along a now more visible path towards the trig point which marked the summit of Ullscarf.  It was still a good 20 mins walk but not as steep and the ground was pretty decent so the walking was good.

Finally at the summit we met another man out for the day who'd come the other way who was, like us, enjoying the views.  We only had few mins to eat a bit of our sandwiches before heading down off the summit.  Although the days are getting a little bit longer we still had no idea how boggy it would be going down and getting off the hill in daylight was the plan.

The initial path down to the woods was decent enough and we soon turned right again into a wooded area.  This is where things became a little bit trickier.  The path through the woods was rocky, steep in parts and incredibly wet with very little available to get a good grip on and quite a lot to slip on so we had to concentrate and pay attention to where we put our feet.  Most of my way through the initial part of this forest was clutching to anything at the side of me, branches, trees, ferns just to keep my balance and not go head over heels.  Precarious was a good way to describe it and after going for what felt like hrs, Chris checked the map and said, Oh we're only about a 1/4 way through the forest.......another joyful moment!

Luckily the rough bit was short lived and we found ourselves on a much better path further through the trees and it didn't take long before we could see the road ahead of us and soon we were back at the car. Another Wainwright ticked for me and the penultimate one for Chris.  Rannerdale Knott is the final Wainwright for Chris as the plan is to have friends join us on the final Wainwright so Chris picked this one with the thought of it being accessible for all.  What a great day that will be !

After getting back to the car we decided to take a quick trip to The Dog & Gun in Keswick.  And so ends another great day - roll on the better weather and more wonderful trips into the hills !