The North-Western fells completed again on walk 214
February 27, 2024
WALK 214: Robinson (2,417 feet above sea level, number 327 of my second round) and Dale Head (2,473′, not included in the numbering for reasons described below). 12 miles, 3,200 feet of ascent.
Seeing as my first ever Wainwright was Castle Crag, done when I was about 9 years old, it is volume 6, The North-Western Fells, which helped me get my first impressions of the Lake District all that time ago: and the impressions were good ones, which is why I’ve been going back fairly regularly ever since. It was in the first week of the present project, back in July 2009, that it first featured, on walk 3, with Whiteless Pike opening the account, and it was the first of any of the eight Wainwright volumes that I completed for the first time, on walk 54, April 2012 — which now seems a long time ago.
Despite all these ‘firsts’, this region has nevertheless had to wait until my penultimate walk to be completed a second time, but it’s done now. Robinson — pictured below, as seen on the approach — was the last remaining rebag, and walk 214 saw me walk there all the way from Keswick. This is a long way (7.5 miles to the summit from the bus station) but a worthwhile journey for sure, with excellent views.
Without the summer-only bus service to Buttermere, options for finishing the walk were either, tramp all the way back to Keswick, or head for Seatoller: the point with the latter option being that Dale Head is in the way. But it’s too late in the project to keep it pure, and that’s a fine hill in any case, so that was added to the walk too. (One could also tack on Hindscarth if one were feeling so inclined.) Read all about it and see the usual crop of pictures on the walk 214 page.
As of today, then, I have bagged 327 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round so have three to go. One walk left, then: and it will bag the three fells pictured here, Esk Pike on the left, Great End, and Seathwaite Fell in front. It would be nice to actually finish on Great End, but as you can see, that’s the one in the middle and so making one of the other two into The Final Wainwright would be more logical. But I might still make it Great End anyway, and I’m sure you appreciate the reasons why. It’ll happen soon, I hope. But not this week; after today, I need a rest.
Walk 213 re-completes ‘The Central Fells’ — four Wainwrights to go…
January 14, 2024
WALK 213: Helm Crag (1,329’ above sea level, number 324 of my second round), Gibson Knott (1,379’, no. 325) and Calf Crag (1,762’, no. 326). 7.66 miles, 1,900 feet of ascent.
I didn’t mean to avoid the Lakes for three months: indeed, I’ve only bagged one Wainwright (and Birkett) since my very warm struggle up Scafell in early September. I did set out on a nice day in November but never made it due to transport problems (and not even public transport ones: a broken petrol cap was the trivial, but fatal reason I never made it that day). Otherwise the weather through most of the autumn and early winter was pretty terrible, seemingly constant rain and then a bout of heavy snow for Lakeland in December.
Fortunately, though, all the necessary ingredients came back together last Friday and I was able to continue doing my usual Lakeland thing. Walk 213 turned out to be a bit of a misty one, that’s true, but on this occasion that wasn’t something that spoilt the experience.
If anything, the summit of Helm Crag, first of the three fells bagged, was an even more (literally) atmospheric experience than it is in the sunshine. This really is one of the best summits in Lakeland, and will inevitably be the highlight of any walk in the area; but the ridge along to Gibson Knott and Calf Crag, then descent into Greenburn Bottom, all makes for a walk that is definitely worth the trouble. Neither too easy nor too difficult underfoot, easy to reach and with a good pub at the end. Sunshine — who needs it? Read all about it and see the usual crop of photos on the walk 213 page.
As of today, then, I have bagged 326 Wainwrights on my second round so have just four to go, which are going to break down into three walks. I do want to finish the project as it started, that is, by public transport, although to get Robinson most conveniently by bus means waiting for Easter and the restart of the #77 Buttermere service — and I’d rather do it before then. There is a possible route from Seatoller, if I swallow my purist pride and revisit the top of Dale Head on the way (still wearing my No Third Round badge, in case you were wondering).
And as well as Robinson there are the trio of Seathwaite Fell, Esk Pike and Great End — and you can probably work out from their names which one I would like to finish on. I will try not to leave it another three months before moving on.
The Western Fells completed again, on walk 212
October 16, 2023
WALK 212: Mellbreak (1,680′, no. 323 of my second round). 6.75 miles, 1,500 feet of ascent.
Wainwright says the following, in the Mellbreak chapter of volume 7:
There is, of course, a natural affinity between mountains and lakes; they have developed side by side in the making of the earth… The best example of this is provided by Wast Water and the Screes, and perhaps next best is the combination of Mellbreak and Crummock Water, essential partners in a successful scenery enterprise, depending on each other for effectiveness.
The steep sides and relative isolation of the fell mean that doing it alongside any other Wainwrights on the same walk would add a lot to the effort required, something I discovered 11 years ago on walk 67. So it was always going to be done on its own this second time round. But I also didn’t want to travel all the way to Loweswater to just nip up and down it, either.
But that’s the point of including the quotation; to illustrate that one doesn’t have to pair it with another mountain to get a good walk — instead, I added the shoreline path along the west side of Crummock Water as an excellent prelude. On a cool, sunny morning, the views were magnificent and the walk well worth doing. Read all about it on the walk 212 page, which has more detail and the usual crop of photos.
Mellbreak also becomes the final fell to be (re)bagged in volume 7, The Western Fells. Five of the eight volumes are now recompleted — the remaining three are the Southern, Central and Northwestern Fells.
As of today, I have bagged 323 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, so have 7 to go. They split into either three or four walks, depending on whether I combine Esk Pike with Great End or do them separately. Finishing before the end of 2023 is not out of the question but it depends on good weather forecasts on crucial days, so we’ll see how it goes. But as long as nothing untoward happens, January 2024 should see me finish off this second round.
Wasdale walking: walk 210 and 211
September 10, 2023
WALK 210: Buckbarrow (1410 feet above sea level, number 319 of my second round), Seatallan (2266′, no, 320). 5.4 miles, 2,000 feet of ascent.
WALK 211: Slight Side (2499′, no. 321), Scafell (3162′, no. 322). 7.66 miles, 3,150 feet of ascent.
Term has not yet started at university and last year’s students are finally done with. The weather is usually good at this time of year; despite what many of my compatriots think (often the British express surprise at the warmth that usually turns up in early to mid September, but we see it often enough). There are other reasons that encourage getting away for two-day breaks in the Lake District at this time of year and 2023 becomes just the latest example.
Walk 210 and walk 211 between them bagged four of the fells that remain on my second round: Buckbarrow and Seatallan on day one, Slight Side and Scafell the day after. The forecast was for warmth and sunshine throughout, and while the cloud and haze on the first day might have originally disappointed, with hindsight I am very glad I did not have to do both days in the heat of day two: hauling myself up Scafell, the second-highest mountain in England, in steamy heat was not an experience I intend to repeat. It’s been added to the “No Third Round!” list — as indeed has Seatallan.
This is not me complaining. It was very satisfying to get these hard-to-reach tops done. The Wasdale Hall YHA proved itself to be a fine place to stay, once again: returning after my first visit there in June was a good decision to make. Read more about my experiences and see more photos on the walk 210 and walk 211 pages, if interested.
As of today, then, I have bagged 322 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, so have only 8 to go (these being listed at the end of the walk 211 page). I probably won’t get back to Lakeland until October, but with only four, or a maximum of five, walks left I fully intend to get them done by a deadline of mid-March.
Doubling up: Helvellyn on walk 209
August 19, 2023
WALK 209: Birkhouse Moor (2,355 feet above sea level, number 315 of my second round), Catstycam (2,917′, no. 316), Helvellyn (3,117′, no. 317) and Nethermost Pike (2,920′, no. 318). 7.75 miles, 3,050 feet of ascent.
A repeated theme on this blog over the last two years has been the issue of when I was going to get up Helvellyn again. And not just for its status as a Wainwright, either, but also because it’s a County Top, these days of the newly-gerrymandered Westmorland and Furness local authority. Having not rebagged this before embarking on my CT project in July 2019 (unlike the other two Wainwrights that are also CTs, Scafell Pike and Coniston Old Man), I had decided that when I did return, it would count for both blogs.
I kept never seeming to make it, however. At least once, I set out for it in the morning and then changed my mind: this being last April, when some snow up on the high fells persuaded me to go up Red Screes instead. That might have seemed a little cowardly at the time but seeing as my intended route lay up Swirral Edge, I think that turned out to have been the right decision.
Swirral Edge is the undoubted highlight of walk 209, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. I’ve never done Striding Edge so have no direct comparison to make, but while Swirral is obviously shorter than its more famous neighbour, it is no walk in the park, as you can see from this shot.
Still, I made it up, and as well as Helvellyn bagged three others on the way, to recomplete Wainwright’s volume 1: The Eastern Fells. All good walking country, but with a split personality; come up the Helvellyn or Fairfield ranges from the west and you will see only vast grass slopes. The crags and coves all face Ullswater to the east, and very fine they are too. And it’s a nicely accessible region: as long as the trains run, anyway. For more photos and text from today see the walk 209 page.
As of today, then, I have bagged 318 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round and so have twelve to go. These split into six or possibly seven separate walks. I do not think I will finish this year but I do want to push on and get this done: spring 2024 seems a realistic target date for completion. Hopefully I’ll get another Lakeland hike in before term starts again, so some time in mid-September.
Place Fell on walk 208: 14 years in
July 22, 2023
WALK 208: Place Fell (2,154 feet above sea level, number 314 of my second round). 8.33 miles, 2,350 feet of ascent.
It was on the 19th July 2009 that I took Clare up Walla Crag (walk 1), and then on the following day, Skiddaw and its satellites (walk 2). The idea of doing all the Wainwrights had already crossed my mind, I admit, but it was only on that holiday that it became a firm commitment — at least to do the main 214 once each.
Fourteen years have therefore passed from that day, and here I am nearly through a second round: and having added the Outlying Fells, of the 330 rather than just the original 214. Meaning I found reasons to more than treble the original workload. But hey, they were not hard reasons to find. Not when there is scenery like that offered by Ullswater as a draw; and that’s before even having gone up any hills.
Place Fell, today’s bag, was the last remaining Wainwright I had to bag a second time from volume 2, The Far Eastern Fells. Prior to 2009 I hadn’t ventured into this region of Lakeland at all, and there has been a great deal to discover there over these fourteen years. The area requires some long hikes to cover in full, but they will be rewarding ones: the scenery is high quality and this is also the best part of the district for wildlife. Deer, fell ponies and a golden eagle have all been seen at some point. Read all about my latest visit and see more photos on the walk 208 page.
After today I have bagged 314 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round so have 16 to go. Today’s walk also picked up two Birketts (Sleet Fell and High Dodd) and with 124 of those left, I can find plenty of reasons to return to this region, and Lakeland as a whole, over the years to come. (I’m really not embarking on a third Wainwright round though: it will take a lot of persuasion to get me up Yewbarrow again, for one.) The next walk should be August some time.
WALK 207a: Irton Pike (751 feet above sea level, number 310 of my second round). 9.75 miles, 1,800 feet of ascent.
WALK 207b: Middle Fell (1,908′, no. 311), Haycock (2,618′, no. 312), Crag Fell (1,716, no. 313). 15 miles, 3,800 feet of ascent.
It’s a while since I did a proper two-day walk. There have been some walks that have taken place on consecutive days, but a ‘proper’ 2-dayer means that I was staying somewhere overnight that could not be reached other than by walking, and the last time I did that was September 2018 (walks 152a and 152b, to Pillar amongst others.). But at least one more such expedition was called for if I am going to finish this second round. Hence the plan; walk 207a over from Ravenglass rail station to the foot of Wastwater, and then walk 207b up onto the Ennerdale ridge and westwards back towards the sea, and the buses at Cleator Moor.
The weather played ball in the sense that fine, dry forecasts have become something we are familiar with; it’s about four weeks since there was any significant rain, or other change in the weather. Blue skies, particularly predictable ones, are valuable commodities when planning such a hike. On the other hand, while day 1 involved fairly low-level walking, with a decent amount of shade, day 2 was 15 miles of open moorland, and without much of a breeze. A real test of endurance (and of sunscreen).
Still, it all got done, and without dropping dead of dehydration or sunstroke. And my sense of achievement was heightened by the fact that, small and rather inconsequential though it is, Irton Pike, reached on day 1, was the 116th and last fell I still had to rebag from volume 8, The Outlying Fells, which becomes the second of Wainwright’s volumes I have completed a second time (after volume 5). According to the Long Distance Walkers’ Association register, I am only the 11th person to claim to have done all of these twice: a pleasing achievement.
More detail, as ever, on the walk pages (207a and 207b) — enjoy. I knocked three more off the count of Birketts (though Great Bank, reached on day 1, was a drag: for pure baggers only). Wainwright-wise I have now done 313 of the 330 on my second round, meaning I have 17 to go. I hope to be back at some point during my summer break in July.
Walk 206: Burnbank and Birkett-bagging
May 25, 2023
WALK 206: Burnbank Fell (1558′ above sea level, number 309 of my second round). 7.5 miles, 1,730 feet of ascent. I haven’t been recording bagged Birketts on these blog posts yet, but probably should today as this walk was designed as much to pick up four previously unvisited ones: Loweswater End, Carling Knott, Sharp Knott [pictured] and Owsen Fell.
This walk brought to an end a rather sluggish period in my life; not only is it six weeks since I walked in the Lakes, but I didn’t even manage any County Tops in that time either. The weather was rather chilly for a while in late April and early May but this is not an excuse — I just didn’t get out. Time to change that, however, with the UK’s typical Late May Fine Period having definitely arrived this year. Not that it was sunny in the Loweswater region, with high, light cloud keeping the heat down: possibly the only part of England today that did not see clear blue skies. But I didn’t care. It remained pleasant conditions for a walk and I just didn’t need the sunscreen, that’s all.
Burnbank Fell is not an exciting Wainwright but the views are very good and the walking easy, dry underfoot and generally pleasant. Adding the four Birketts offers some variety, and it’s probably only a lack of space that resulted in Carling Knott, at least, not being included in Wainwright’s original guide. But I have to also report some significant damage done to the previously unspoilt Holme Wood: ‘forestry operations’, supposedly to treat some fungal pest, have wrecked a considerable chunk of the woodland and the paths through it. Most of my commentary on the walk 206 page is devoted to this issue — I’m sorry to say. Which is a shame because I otherwise enjoyed the day.
As of today, then, I have bagged 309 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, and so have 21 to go. (And 127 Birketts, in case you were wondering.) I reckon these split into 11 walks, plus or minus one. I intend to be back in the Lakes around 9th or 10th June, having my eye on a two-day trip into the west — Scafell may fall, but no promises, as there are plenty of options so we’ll see what the weather (and the public transport) bring. Meanwhile, have a look at the additional detail and photos on the walk 206 page if you like. Happy walking…
Red Screes on walk 205: another backup walk, but a good one
April 16, 2023
WALK 205: Red Screes (2,541 feet above sea level, number 307 of my second round), Middle Dodd (2,106′, no. 308). 6 miles, 1,220 feet of ascent.
Since I last went to Cumbria, in February, it’s stopped being Cumbria: a wave of some administrative pen and we now have Cumberland Council in the north and west of the county, and Westmorland and Furness in the rest of it. Traditionalists may laud the return of Westmorland to the fold, back from the dead after abolition in 1974, but whatever the reasons for this I doubt it’ll make public transport any better overnight. A cancelled train this morning made my original planned destination of Great End too hard to reach in the time available, and while I might have gone up Helvellyn instead, there was enough snow and ice hanging around to make Swirral Edge look dubious. So once again I fail to pick up any of the really big fells still remaining on my second round.
Still, Red Screes, at 2,541 feet, is no dwarf. Yet it’s made a lot more accessible thanks to having the option, now that summer is here (at least in public transport terms) of getting a bus to Kirkstone Pass and starting from there, already 1,490 feet up. That turns it into a 40-minute ascent. Tack subsidiary Middle Dodd on then descend to Ambleside, and one has a fairly straightforward 6-mile walk with some very good views from the tops. Read all about it and see more photos on the walk 205 page.
Incidentally, the Kirkstone Pass Inn has closed, which is a great shame: not just for this walk (a descent back to the inn being a possibility for ending it) but for Lakeland generally, as this was one of the most iconic and famous of hostelries. It doesn’t look like it’s going to open again any time soon, so for now this one has to be struck off the list, I’m afraid.
As of today, then, I have bagged 308 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, so have 22 to go. I want to try to get back to Cumbria, sorry, Cumberland/Westmorland/Furness, before a month passes, so shall we say by mid-May?
Back in the Lakes for walk 204, Newlands
February 26, 2023
WALK 204: Ard Crags (1906 feet above sea level, number 305 of my second round) and Knott Rigg (1824′, no. 306). 12.75 miles, 2,500 feet of ascent.
It feels like a long time since I was in the Lakes, and this is because it is a long time, at least by my standards. Nearly three months have passed since walk 203 took me up Wetherlam in late November. I hadn’t missed out on a whole January, Lakeland-wise, since starting this blog in 2009, but in 2023 it didn’t happen, partly though not entirely due to my trip to St Helena in the second part of the month. Although my last walk was a chilly one, the glorious weather didn’t make it feel like winter and it certainly didn’t feel like it on 23rd February either, as the picture above suggests; so perhaps I have missed out on the whole winter season this time. Never mind.
Walk 204 is quite a long one, at 12.75 miles, but most of it is fairly easy going in beautiful surroundings. The two Wainwrights bagged, Ard Crags and Knott Rigg, are never going to be considered major players in the ensemble but they definitely play fine supporting roles, offering great views of nearby fells and of the valley of Newlands, all seen from narrow, heathery ridges which apart from steepness in parts, cause no difficulty. Read all the details and look at the usual crop of additional photos on the walk 204 page.
As of today then, I have bagged 306 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, thus have 24 to go. After today, only one of these, Robinson, now remains from volume 6, The Northwestern Fells.
I know that I have made frequent promises to get on with rebagging Helvellyn, but here’s another one. This plan does depend on Trans Pennine Express deciding that it is, after all, going to run an 8am-ish service from Preston to Penrth — and in the UK rail network at the moment, nothing is certain. But as long as they do keep it, that’s currently my next target, for a walk in mid- to late March.
The 214 Wainwright fells: without a car 