Langdale Pikes revisited on walk 112

Harrison Stickle rises above the eponymous Combe

Midsummer’s Day, June 21st, saw it stop raining for the first time in a week and allowed an opportunity to get out on the fells. Walk 112 got me up the Langdale Pikes, one of the most compact and excellent regions for walking in the whole District. Five fells can be bagged in quick succession, only just over a mile per fell, including Harrison Stickle (pictured) and Pavey Ark, ‘Langdale’s biggest cliff’, which I scrambled and crawled up by way of the Easy Gully route — not that this was particularly easy, especially when having to clamber up some boulders blocking the gully at the top. Well, I made it, just about. If you would like to read more about it, check out the walk 112 page.

Stickle Tan, viewed from its dam

As of today, then, I have bagged 49 of the 330 Wainwrights that will comprise my second round, meaning I have 281 to go. We are coming up on the 7th anniversary of 9th July 2009, the day I started on my first round (by attaining Walla Crag), and I intend that my next walk be around that date this year, so check back then for more updates…

The corner of Cumbria: Black Combe

Black Combe and the Duddon estuary, from near Foxfield station.

Black Combe sits in the corner of Cumbria, being the south-westernmost Lakeland fell and famous for its extensive view. I went out that way today to bag it as the culmination of walk 111. A good walk, mostly — but its remoteness means it took a long time to get there, so yesterday (Saturday 4th June) was a long day and a quite warm, muggy one. Enjoyable for the views however: there really are some fine vistas to be had from this walk, whether of the Cumbrian coast or inland to the southern part of the Lake District proper. See the photos on the walk 111 page.

This gentleman proved today that Black Combe is a mountain that can be cycled up (I have a shot of him on the ascent too).

As of today, then, I have bagged 45 of the 330 Wainwright fells a second time — thus my second round has 285 to go. There are definite plans to get another walk under my belt in June, the weather seems good at the moment so fingers crossed.