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.

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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.

Walk 150 done, Patterdale to Howtown and two summits

Joe relaxes on Angletarn Pikes summit

Walk 150 — a milestone to reach. But as I’m still not halfway through the second round there’s still enough of the Lake District left to allow some flexibility on the day. I headed out with Joe this morning intending to do Caudale Moor and some other fells around Kirkstone, but everything above 2,000 feet was in cloud today making a lower-level walk more desirable. Hence walk 150, which took us up to the fine double summit of Angletarn Pikes and then along the ridge to Beda Fell, dropping down to Howtown. A straightforward walk but one well worth doing. Full details and more photographs are on the walk 150 page. Along with a rant about private capital and the moronocracy, but you can skip that bit.

Deepdale, from Angletarn Pikes. Hartsop above How is the ridge embracing the valley.

As of today then, I have bagged 159 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, and thus have 171 to go. The next walk should be in two weeks’ time, weather permitting — though as the pictures show today, cloud is not necessarily to be avoided, if dramatic scenes are what you seek out.

Exorcising a demon or two on walk 149

High Hartsop Dodd, from Hartsop Hall.

The first Lake District walk of mine that I counted on this project — walk 1 (naturally) — took place on 19th July 2009, so more-or-less, yesterday was the ninth anniversary. Having come back from that holiday in the Lakes in 2009 with the plans to embark on this project (the first round of 214, anyway), all was then nearly derailed by the rather disastrous walk 5 on which I got badly dehydrated and for good measure had my camera nicked from my bag in an Ambleside pub, making that easily the worst of the 150+ days I have since spent walking in the Lakes.

Yesterday’s walk 149, however, was the first return to the territory of that walk and so a chance to reacquaint myself with a couple of the fells therein, High Hartsop Dodd (pictured above) and Little Hart Crag. And while this is never going to be seen as a classic walk, the surrounding area is very attractive and most of the paths of good quality. Add Arnison Crag and its view of Ullswater to the beginning and walk 149 comes well recommended. Read all about it and see more photos on the walk page.

The rash of new trees in Scandale. Low Pike above.

As of today, then, I have bagged 157 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, therefore I have 173 to go. If plans pan out then I should reach the halfway point of the round (and the three-quarter point of the double round) in early September. My next walk is planned for early August — I think I have convinced Joe to come with me on that one.

Sweating round Walk 148

Walker on Floutern Cop

It’s true that Britain could do with some rain to top up the reservoirs and stop all the lawns from dying, but as anyone who lives here, or has visited in the last two months, knows it’s really been very pleasant since early May and anyone complaining about this should be shot. It makes a change to have no concerns at all about packing waterproofs or extra layers — but on the other hand, sunscreen and plenty of water are essentials right now.

So it was on yesterday’s walk 148 which took me round some of the more obscure fells in Wainwright’s volume 7: Hen Comb, Starling Dodd and Great Borne. It’s a logical walk though, heading south from the foot of Crummock Water and into the lonely country around Mosedale and Floutern Pass. Another one worth doing in a time of drought Not a spectacular walk, but it was pleasing to finally get some more Western Fells bagged. Read all about it on the walk 148 page.

Having fun on Crummock Water

All that and England winning over Sweden too. Not a bad day at all…

As of today then I have bagged 154 of the 330 Wainwrights in my second round, so have 176 to go. Unless the weather really does take a turn for the worse, and there is no sign of that at the moment, there’ll be another walk in the next two weeks.

Walk 147: Swamp avoidance and rail ineptitude

Looking south from High Seat, towards High Tove and Ullscarf. Much of the walk looks similar.

It has rained very little in the last six weeks, making this probably the driest period we’ve had since I started on these walks way back in 2009. I decided with walk 147 to risk an expedition into one of the Lakes’ most notoriously wet regions, the central ridge between Bleaberry Fell in the north, and the pass of Greenup — a ridge which also takes in the summits of High Seat, High Tove and Ullscarf along the way.

The gamble worked. Obviously a vile swamp in wet, or even normal, weather, the dry weather has turned it into reasonably good turf at the moment. I was able to do 14 miles in 5:15 and thus get the walk done at a decent hour — despite the ineptitude of Northern Rail, it getting me to Penrith an hour late this morning, and its current inability to provide a train service to Windermere for anyone. That’s another story — but if interested you can read about it in the comments on the walk 147 page, where there are more photos, the usual route details, etc.

Cottongrass is definitely the dominant lifeform on today’s walk: and it grows on boggy ground, note

As of today, then, I have bagged 151 of the 330 Wainwrights in my second round, and thus have 179 to go. Not promising anything but I hope that around the end of June, first week of July will be my next walk. I still haven’t got into the Western Fells again yet — thanks today to the aforementioned train cockups. It’s on the agenda but not entirely within my control…

Walk 146: Joe reaches the summit of England

Joe and Ill Crag

Congratulations to Joe, who agreed to acccompany me on yesterday’s walk 146 and thus attained the summit of Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England. It’s not a walk to be underestimated, as anyone who has done it will know — the distance is fairly long and there are some difficult sections, particularly in the last mile or so before one attains the summit. And the full day expedition was done in relative heat and almost constant sunshine — believe it or not. (It really has been a very nice May, one to treasure.)

Rossett Pike, the day’s intensely blue skies, and the year’s early bracken crop

Nevertheless, we made it, his first visit and my second. I will feel no need to rush back to Scafell Pike but so be it, I can live with that. The walk also included neighbouring Lingmell — you can read all about it, as usual, on the relevant walk 146 page.

As of today, then, I have done 147 of the 330 Wainwrights a second time and thus have 183 to go. I hope the next ones will be bagged within the next fortnight although at the moment the availability of functioning rail services in the area is a random factor, but let’s not bring Northern Rail into this…

Walk 145: Crinkle Crags — in the sun!

Crinkle Crags, seen from Dungeon Ghyll

I haven’t been getting out on walks as often as I’d choose this year, as various other things (personal projects, train strikes, the weather, life) have been getting in the way. But yesterday, 12th May, was far too good a forecast to waste so I headed for Great Langdale and exorcised the ghosts of one of my wetter, colder Lakes experiences, namely walk 64 back in August 2012. That walk ensured I would add Crinkle Crags to the list of ‘fells I really needed to go back to in better weather’ — but walk 145 certainly delivered that. A fine, sunny day, but not too hot: ideal for walking and for bagging one of Wainwright’s ‘Top Six Fells’. Do I rank it that highly? Well, have a look at the detailed walk 145 page and see.

View through Mickle Door, the walkers are on the path coming up from Red Tarn.

The logistics of this walk, and others ending at Dungeon Ghyll, have been made easier by a retiming of the buses back from there to Ambleside — there is now a bus at 15.05, instead of there being nothing between 14.05 and 17.05. This is far better for walkers and shows that someone, somewhere, may even be thinking about these things.

As of today, then, I have bagged 145 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round, thus have 185 to go. The plan is to return in just over a week, 22nd May — weather permitting but we seem to be in a settled spell at the moment, so fingers crossed. And it’s definitely time I went back to the Western Fells.

Walk 144 in the Uldale Fells

Longlands Fell from the back (south)

Thought I wasn’t going to get in a walk on my Easter break but the weather relented enough on Friday, April 6th, to allow me to complete walk 144 in the Uldale Fells, north of Skiddaw. I bagged five peaks on my second round, the two on Caermote Hill, then Longlands Fell, Meal Fell and Great Cockup from the Northern Fells.

A decent day on the whole but what the pictures can’t show is the ferocious wind which blasted me for the whole way around and made this a rather harder walk than it might have been. Still, it was nice to get out…. as it always is… Read all about it and see more photos on the walk 144 page.

The new lambs are out enjoying themselves… Skiddaw in the background

As of today then I have bagged 144 of the 330 Wainwrights on my second round. (Today was also the day when this number met my count of walks, how trivial is that.) I therefore have 186 to go. The walks have been coming at a fixed rate of one a month for some time, but hell, I might push the boat out and try to get one more in between now and the end of April.

 

Spring is here on walk 143

The air crash memorial on the summit of Great Carrs

The end of February and the beginning of March were characterised by snow and bad weather which while it might have been fun to walk in, made public transport to the Lakes rather a risky proposition. All this put paid to my chances of getting a walk in during this period, as planned. But things opened up, finally, yesterday — 13th March — which, in Great Langdale at least, was a day of glorious spring. The weather did not quite persist with this quality all the way round, but it was still a fine day to be out on walk 143, which took in four summits from The Southern Fells: Pike o’Blisco, Great Carrs, Grey Friar and Swirl How. All over 2,300 feet, which makes a change from other recent walks. Read all about it and see more photos on the walk 143 page.

Subsidiary summit of Pike o’Blisco, viewed from the main summit. Wetherlam behind.

As of today then, I have bagged 139 of the 330 Wainwrights for a second time, thus have 191 to go. More cold weather is forecast meaning I might not get to follow through with my plan to walk this coming weekend, but if it doesn’t happen, the next walk should be my annual Easter jaunt, and that will hopefully be in the west of the District as I really need to get some more bagged from volume 7.