Walk 160 above Derwent Water

Borrowdale, from Catbells.

I have been hoping to do two walks a month whilst on sabbatical in 2019, but my first window in March didn’t get used thanks to a combination of crap weather and crap sinuses — you don’t want to know any more about either.

But today, 19th March, things opened up and walk 160 happened, as I was able to head for Borrowdale and bag three summits: High Spy, Maiden Moor and Catbells. The weather was definitely mixed — but this permitted some decent photography and nothing really wet got in my face. This was a very good walk, easy to access and not too strenuous while having magnificent views. I recommend it — so have a look at the further detail on the walk 160 page.

Upper Newlands. Hindscarth to right, Blea Crag to the left.

As of today, then, I have bagged 193 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, and therefore have 137 to go. Actually I’ve had a pretty good run recently: in the last 3 months, since 20th December, I’ve bagged 23 summits; prior to that it took me six months to bag the same number. So I’m fulfilling my promise to pick up the pace. But no more for a month now — I can’t do it, I’m away, thousands of miles away. The earliest I’ll get back to the Lakes is around the Easter weekend. But it’ll happen. Of course.

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Walk 159: not quite the first day of spring

Burn Moor summit cairn

Friday February 22nd saw temperatures round my home in Yorkshire that were ridiculously high for the time of year (20ºC or so). I had to wait until yesterday, Saturday 23rd, to get out on a walk however, and though the sun did continue to shine through the morning, a brisk wind kept the temperature well down, so visions of a fleece-less February walk were unfulfilled. Nevertheless, walk 159 was done in very decent weather for the time of year and this allowed me to rebag five lonely and hard-to-reach summits down in the south-west corner of the District, from the Whit Fell, Stainton Pike and Hesk Fell chapters of volume 8.

View from the Pike. Caw and the Coniston fells behind the only other walkers seen today.

Worth doing, but a very long walk of some 17 miles, making it the fourth-longest of all the walks described on this blog. Read all about it, and see the usual crop of photos, on the walk 159 page.

As of today, then, I have bagged 190 of the 330 Wainwrights a second time,  so have 140 to go. The next walk should be in the first two weeks of March, while I am just about still a citizen of the EU.

Walk 158 and the February blues

Morecambe Bay, from Grange-over-Sands station this morning

I’m not saying walk 158, which took place yesterday (5th February), was a poor one, but on a grey February day, the low altitude fells around Gummer’s How at the south end of Windermere do not have a great deal of visual appeal. The best views all day were of Morecambe Bay pictured on arrival at Grange-over-Sands station, as you see here. It rained from 1pm until the end of the walk, and so I got a soaking as well. Still, on top of Gummer’s How itself, I rebagged three more Outlying fells — Staveley Fell, Cartmel Fell and Newton Fell (North) — and have now passed the halfway point of that volume, 59 done out of its 116 index entries. As usual, have a look at the walk 158 page if you want more details and photos. Not to mention detail on the heroic public transport fail that is bus/train connections at Grange station.

Gummer’s How, from near Simpson Ground

As of today, then, I have bagged 185 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, thus have 145 to go. Still sticking to my target of two walks a month until August I hope there’ll be a next walk around the 21st February. Probably still in the Outyling fells, as I do need to catch up on these.

And another excuse not to be sat in an office (walk 157)

Ullswater from the Brown Hills

I said last time I was hoping to get two walks a month in for most of 2019, but didn’t quite anticipate that January would see me attain this target before it was 10 days old. Nevertheless, the weather yesterday, January 9th, was far too agreeable to waste sat in an office so out I went to Ullswater. Walk 157 bagged me three fells, Gowbarrow Fell, Hart Side (now bagged in excellent weather on both rounds) and Stybarrow Dodd — and the rather good view of Ullswater that you see here. More pictures and a full route description can, as usual, be found on the walk 157 page.

Stybarrow Dodd summit

Despite this early burst of activity in the year, I don’t really have another good chance to get out now until February, so that’s it for a little while. As of today, I have bagged 181 of the 330 Wainwrights in my second round, thus have 149 to go.

First walk of 2019 in glorious sunshine

The view east from Skiddaw. The Little Man to the right, Lonscale Fell in the centre, Blencathra behind.

Well, OK, it wasn’t quite sunny for the whole day, but from 11am until 1.30pm on 2nd January, see for yourself… A stupendous day to be out on the fells, even if I was supposed to be back at work that really wasn’t going to happen. Instead, walk 156 took me from Threlkeld up Lonscale Fell and onto Skiddaw, at 3053 feet above sea level the fourth highest mountain in the Lake District and England. Well worth doing on the day. Read all about it, and see more pictures, on the walk 156 page.

Skiddaw summit

That gets 2019 off to a pleasingly early start in walking terms, anyway. I have set myself a target of 20 walks this year, which as I’m on sabbatical until August, should be achievable. As of today, though, I have bagged 178 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, thus have 152 to go. There’ll be another walk before January is out — particularly if there are any more days like the 2nd.

Walk 155: the last of the year

The summit of Brant Fell, looking south, with Windermere below.

Walk 155 took place yesterday as I type, 20th December, and like all walks done around this time of the Solistice, was grey, damp and rather gloomy. Nevertheless it was good to get out as there was a time when I thought the previous walk, on 2nd November, might end up being the last one of the year. But yesterday I did bag four more summits: the three in the School Knott chapter of the Outlying Fells, and then Brant Fell above Bowness. Read all about it and see more photos on the walk 155 page. The walk mostly took place along the last few miles of the Dales Way, which runs from Yorkshire to Bowness, so another nice feature of it was that there was plenty of good signposting. No one’s going to get lost on this walk.

Follow these: there are plenty of them. This was one of my best-signposted walks.

Almost certainly, that was my last walk of 2018. As of today, I have done 174 of the 330 Wainwrights a second time, meaning I have 156 to go. 2018 contained 15 walks (if the two-day walk 152 is counted as one), and 43 fells were bagged, starting with Latrigg in January and ending with Brant Fell today. This is down on my yearly average for both walks and fells, but never mind. With more time coming up in the new year I hope to pick up the pace a bit. Meanwhile: have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and if you’re out on the mountains, be sensible and stay safe.

It’s November, but you wouldn’t know it — Walk 154

Windermere, and walkers heading off Wansfell for Troutbeck

November 2018 dawned — at least, its second day did — with very fine weather and with Saturdays being unavailable for walking at the moment thanks to an endless run of train strikes, it was fortunate that I was not working on this Friday and able to take advantage of it. The walk I did — walk 154 — had to be an accessible one seeing as I had an event to go to in Lancaster this evening, and so I headed up the Troutbeck valley direct from Windermere station to bag Troutbeck Tongue and Wansfell. Not dramatic fells in themselves but the views could not be faulted. Read all the details and see plenty more photos on the walk 154 page.

The ancient clapper-bridge over Trout Beck

Let us not talk about the ineptitude of the train companies any further, merely to note that I had to do this walk rather more quickly than planned. Anyway — it was enjoyable, despite some awkward sections in the middle.

As of today, then, I have done 170 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, and have 160 to go.

A low walk, but a good one: Walk 153

The sands of Morecambe Bay, as seen from Grange station

I have calculated that of all the walks done on this project thus far, today’s walk 153 was the one that reached the lowest altitude. Bigland Barrow, the first summit reached on the day, stands at only 630′ above sea level. And that was as high as it got.

Nevertheless this was a very good walk. In advance, I feared that it might be a bracken- or mud-choked agricultural trudge, but in fact it was an easy walk, all done on good paths and was accompanied by some fine views. So if you want a bit of healthy exercise on a fine autumn day, you could do a lot worse. Get all the necessary details plus more photos on the walk 153 page.

The summit of Bigland Barrow, with observation post

As of today, then, I have bagged 168 of the Wainwrights on my second round, so have 162 to go.

I’d like to think there’ll be another walk before October is out — but then again it is the longest month of the year. (This is true, even if you do have to think about it…). As is always the case — let’s see how it goes.

Thirty miles in 28 hours, and still recovering — walk 152

Steeple, as seen from the garden of the Ennerdale YHA

It was time to get into the west again. Round this side of the Lake District there is no choice but to put in some substantial walks if I am to remain true to the commitment to do all this by public transport. The latest swathe of service cuts a couple of years ago has left the whole of Cumbria between Egremont and Millom without any buses at all. So walk 152 had to start out on the coast, at Seascale station, and come inland all the way from the beach at sea level; and past the burbling, hissing industrial complex at Sellafield, but that’s another story.

Thirty miles was far too much to do in a day, so the walk was split in two with a night at the Ennerdale Youth Hostel (YHA). The two walks are described on separate pages as follows:

• Walk 152a: Seascale to High Gillerthwaite (16.2 miles, bagging Ponsonby Fell and Caw Fell)
• Walk 152b: Steeple to Pillar (14 miles: Steeple, Scoat Fell and Pillar)
  

  View of Great Gable, from Steeple summit

Scoat Fell was fell number 165 of my second round, and as there are 330 Wainwrights this means I am half way through it — and three-quarters of the way through the whole planned double round. With Pillar done after it that means I have now done 166 Wainwrights and have 164 to go. I doubt I will get another walk in September, but the last two days have been more than enough, thank you — 30 miles in 28 hours, and the longest of all my two day hikes. Anyway — read all about it, and see more pictures, on the walk 152a and walk 152b pages.

A few days late… Walk 151, though

The Skiddaw range rises behind Wythop Moss. Not a place to blunder into unknowing.

Walk 151 is never going to be counted as the most exciting walk in the Lake District (even in its immedaite area of Whinlatter), and on a dull grey day did admittedly not to much to excite. There was a high bracken quotient to handle.

But then again it is an easy walk through pleasant, rural surroundings, and like many of my walks have in recent weeks, bagged me a couple of the more obscure Wainwrights; Broom Fell and Graystones. I’m a few days late with the details (due to having gone to Berlin and back in the mean time) but if you want a detailed route description and more photos, see the walk 151 page.

Hopegill Head, above the clouds

As of today then I have done 161 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, and have 169 to go. The halfway point — fell 165 — approaches and if I now fulfil my plans it will be reached in early September with, appropriately enough, Middle Fell, but let’s see if that plan works out…. largely it depends on the weather.