Early Mornings on Latrigg

Despite the hustle and bustle you might see at midday on a Saturday on the market square, Keswick is for the most part a sleepy, quiet town. This is never more obvious than on an early morning, before the B&B's have started serving breakfast. Take a stroll in the town and you'll see what I mean.

This is a lovely time to grab an early fellwalk up to the summit of Latrigg. Heading out of town, past the leisure centre and over the A66 at Spooneygreen Lane, you'll probably only meet the occasional fellrunner - especially in the Winter months when these photos were taken.

Latrigg is and always will be a popular fell, but on a number of mornings recently I have more or less had the place to myself. Either following the path as it works its way round to the car park and then following the wide track to the summit, or leaving the path for a direct climb up the steep grassy slopes, it is only a short walk to the top.

Often a very windy spot, a couple of times recently I've almost struggled to take a picture from the top overlooking Keswick, but after taking in the morning air and enjoying the view, you can easily be back down in town in time for breakfast - and you still have the whole day ahead of you!

A Newlands Valley Walk

In the Lake District you have to be prepared for unexpected weather and it always pays to have a plan B. Some days a high level walk simply aren't meant to be, if the wind and rain decides against it. more and more I am discovering that the alternative walks can be just as scenic and whilst they don't necessarily help in any list-ticking exercises, they are as rewarding as a higher level walk can be.

Earlier this year we had one such day where the windswept fells looked decidedly uninviting. We decided to head deep into Newlands valley to do a lower level walk.

Parking up at Little Town, our planned route would take us around the base of some of the Newlands Horseshoe fells - around the base of Maiden Moor and High Spy, then back around Hindscarth and Robinson before returning to the car.

Although this area is very scenic, popular fells such as Catbells are in close proximity so when the crowds head for the heights, this might be a nice quiet alternative walk. The views into the surrounding fells are incredible and there are really good views  as you look back out of the valley too.

There are plenty of options to change the flavour of the walk - from the valley footpath you can easily take one of the routes up the fells to reach High Spy or Hindscarth. Having rounded the base of Scope End (the buttress of Hinscarth) you go up into the quiet vale between Hindscarth and Robinson.

Here and indeed throughout this walk there is lots of evidence of mining activities and the valley's industrial past. You climb up a bit to reach a reservoir at the foot of Robinson, and in fact it felt like this would be a nice way of getting to the fell tops. The footpath crosses over via an old dam along the edge of the reservoir and we returned via the path along the foot of Robinson.

From here the path more or less led us straight back to the car park of Little Town. This is a great walk for when you're not sure about the weather, as the low level walk is a lot of fun, yet should the outlook brighten up you do have plenty of options for getting onto the Newlands fell tops. We'll be back!

Helm Crag and Sergeant Man

For various reasons, I still haven't tackled some of the Lake District's better known fells. Helvellyn, Crinkle Crags, Bowfell, Grasmoor and Helm Crag are all still untrodden ground for me. I managed to tick one off the list when on a recent trip to Grasmere - well it would be rude to leave Helm Crag unclimbed now wouldn't it?!

Normally I like to plan a Lake District walk well in advance. For safety as much as any other reason, we need to know which maps and guidebooks to take and to know roughly how long we are going to be out on the fells.

Every now and again I do change my mind along the way. For this walk, we had planned to head up Helm Crag, follow the ridge over Gibson Knott and Calf Crag and then back down along Steel Fell. But in the end we chose the longer option of hitting the higher ground of Sergeant Man.

The walk up from Grasmere to Helm Crag is a delight every step of the way. The path remains good, the route is clear and easy to follow and the views are incredibly rewarding. In fact it was hard to keep going, instead of turning around every other step to look over the ever expanding view over Grasmere, Loughrigg and beyond.

Yes this is a popular route and not necessarily one for those looking to escape from it all, but the Grasmere to Helm Crag trek is a fantastic walk.

As it was fairly crowded, we didn't linger for too long on the summit and soon headed along the clear ridge route from Helm Crag to Gibson Knott. It was quite amazing how after the sounds of the busy A591 had accompanied us on our initial ascent, as we moved away from the road we were soon had just the wind for musical accompaniment.

The ridge made for a very pleasant walk and felt like a lot of reward for the relative ease of ascent of Helm Crag.

We marched on across the summit of Gibson Knott, although by this point our stomachs were rumbling so we started to keep an eye out for the perfect picnic spot. On our way, we hit the summit of Calf Crag, but it was very windy here so still not the ideal place to take a break. We did find a lovely sheltered spot to stop for our lunch, with fabulous views all round.

At this stage, it was still early in the afternoon so I decided we would head further into the heart of the Central Fells and pay Sergeant Man a visit. This walk was a little longer than anticipated, and something else that was decidedly unexpected was the GPS running out of batteries! Fortunately the route was fairly straightforward, over Brownrigg Moss and along Mere Beck.

I think at this point we were possibly thinking it might have been a nicer walk over Steel Fell, as the weather threatened rain. We were also the only people on this path along the beck, possibly because it wasn't the most spectacular of walks. Anywhere else and this would be a popular walk but in this centre of the Lake District, there is just too much competition.

It didn't take us long to reach the summit of Sergeant Man, the second highest of the Central Fells. The wind had picked up a little so we didn't linger, heading down the steep path that would take us past Eagle Crag and onto the boggy ground towards Easedale Tarn.

Although it was getting to late afternoon, we passed a lot of people who were heading up into the fells, surprisingly as there wasn't a great deal of light left in the day. Easedale Tarn is a beautiful setting and from here the walk back down towards Grasmere was excellent as we walked beside Sourmilk Gill before heading back into the village.

Scafell Pike from Seathwaite farm

This started off with a big up and down before the walk had even begun. We were due to make this trek to the summit of England together with Dave, and had arranged to meet at Seathwaite. So when Dave pulls up in the village of Seathwaite and asks a nearby publican if this was the right Seathwaite for Scafell Pike the landlord replied "You're the first to ask today, but you won't be the last, and no it isn't!"...

the view from Seathwaite

The upside of this is that we had made great time and had reached Keswick early, so Claire and I managed to grab a big breakfast in Booths. The downside was of course, not having Dave with us!

The first mile or so of the walk is amazing, following the river Derwent along the valley until you reach Stockley Bridge. Here you could choose which way to go around Seathwaite Fell, we chose the path that would take us up to Sprinkling Tarn. Our chosen route followed up the side of the spectacular Taylorgill Force.

This was a steady climb up to Styhead Tarn, with the low cloud obscuring the views we should have had up Aaron Slack to Windy Gap between Green and Great Gable. It also meant we could barely see our next target, the huge buttress of Great End.

the view to Great End had cleared by the time we returned

We followed AW's directions and veered off from the path, heading straight up the steep grassy slops of Great End, between the crags. Poor visibility meant I think we veered off the proposed route, but the GPS showed we were firmly on track. In fact the GPS proved to be a real winner on this route with visibility right down.

Sprinkling Tarn through the mist

There was a fair bit of scrambling to be done before we made it to the rocky plateau of the summit of Great End, but we rewarded ourselves with a tasty picnic in the summit shelter.

looking over to the Langdale Pikes

From there it was a short but tough trek over to Scafell Pike. The boulders strewn across the path together with the lack of visibility did mean that it felt like we were walking on the moon - albeit a busy moon. As we couldn't see a great deal we didn't bother with the other "Pikes" but headed straight over to the big one. The steep ravine just before the summit was a bit of a blow even though I was expecting it. But a short pull up the other side and there we were, on the highest point in England!

Scafell Pike summit!

The crowds and winds meant it was a short but happy moment, before heading back down towards Lingmell Col. Here I had my first ever good views of Wastwater and some of the more remote scenery in the Lake District.

Wastwater

From the col we headed straight up the slopes opposite and made the short climb up to the summit of our third and final Wainwright of the day, Lingmell. Sadly again the clouds were not on our side, having opened up briefly they closed in on us when we reached the top, so those views of Great Gable and the Scafell range have been saved for another day.

Lingmell

Of course once we got back off the higher ground the skies cleared, and we had some really incredible views all around us. We then hit the celebrated Corridor Route which proved trickier than expected. There were a few places where the path was less than obvious and a tough little scramble up a scree bank too. But the views around Piers Gill were just sensational and I would go back in a flash.

The route was a lot longer than anticipated too, meaning the sun was setting fast by the time we got back to Sprinkling Tarn, and it was more or less dusk when we were back at Stockley Bridge.

But soon enough we were back at the car, and in a 12 mile (or thereabouts) round trip we had taken in the highest point in England, three Wainwrights, some fantastic scenery, a lake, waterfall and some tarns, and a great day out!

Walking for Charity - Lyke Wake Walk Jan 2012

I am pleased to announce the first of a series of charity events of which I will be participating in 2012. I have already signed up for and am looking forward to the Great North Swim which is taking place in June. Before that I hope to do a number of charity walking events.

The first is taking place (weather permitting) on the 14th January and together with a small team we will be tackling the Lyke Wake Walk, across the North Yorkshire Moors from Osmotherly to Ravenscar. My hope is that it will be cold enough for those bogs to have frozen over, making the walk easier that it might be on a warm spring day.

Claire's Lyke Wake Walk expedition 2009

That also means that we will get less hours of daylight, but hey you have to compromise somewhere. Claire and I will be walking in aid of South Durham Early Intervention Outward Bound project, giving young people from the north-east who are recovering from psychosis, the opportunity to participate in the activities in the the great Outdoors, learning a number of skills as well as gaining valuable experience such as teamwork as well as  self-confidence and the feeling that they are not alone. Details of how you can sponsor us coming soon.

picture by Claire on her 2009 Lyke Wake Walk

The Pennine Way Through Malham

Having made a fantastic walk along the waterside of Malham Tarn down to Gordale Scar, we stopped briefly for an ice cream before heading onwards towards Malham.

We took the footpath that took us to the very picturesque waterfall of Janet's Foss. We weren't the only ones there, it was packed and there wasn't much of an opportunity for good pictures. The walk through the woods was very enjoyable once we left the crowds behind, and the scent of wild garlic accompanied us all the way.

We left the woods behind and crossed the meadows with Gordale Beck bubbling alongside us. We made a brief detour on the path approaching Malham village - the bull blocking the path didn't look like one you wanted to start an argument with...

Malham is a lovely little village, on a bank holiday is was invaded by tourists and you could see why, the buildings, pubs, streams and surrounding countryside is magical.

We still had plenty to see so we decided against stopping for refreshments, heading on up towards Malham Cove. The view ahead of us was quite breathtaking, as Malham Cove slowly started to reveal its full glory.

We went right up to the foot of the Cove and from there you could appreciate the full 80 metres in height and 300 metres of width of this spectacular place. As with Gordale Scar, this is a paradise for climbers, and for the time being it is also an important site for the RSPB with a pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting on the side of the cove.

We took the steps up to the left side of the Cove before reaching the limestone pavement at the top. This is yet another breathtaking sight, with huge slabs of limestone separated by deep fissures.

 
We explored the top of the Cove for a while, before following the Pennine Way back up to Malham Tarn, along the bottom of a dry valley.

We retraced our path along the side of the Tarn, stopping briefly when we spotted a couple of deer in the distance. We made it back to the car just as the first drops of rain were falling, saying goodbye to Jase before heading home.

For more information on the area around Malham please visit this site which I found very interesting.

Best of 2010 Part Three - Buttermere to Keswick via six fells

Whiteless Pike  -  Wandope  -  Eel Crag  -  Sail  -  Scar Crags  -  Causey Pike

This was a walk which really bumped up the Wainwright count! We caught the bus from Booths in Keswick which was a journey worth doing in itself, taking in the Borrowdale Valley, Honister Pass and Buttermere.
We set off right away, as the planned route ahead meant it was a long way to go to refreshments at the Swinside Inn. We started off with a pleasant walk through woodland, gradually ascending and with Sail Beck flowing alongside. We soon left the shade and hit the open fellside, onwards and upwards. It was very tempting to stop and look backwards, as the views over Buttermere and Crummock Water opened up.

Close to the summit we got our first real views of what lay ahead as we could see Wandope and the ridge that curled round over to Eel Crag, with Causey Pike looking decidedly distant behind.

We reached the summit sooner than expected - Whiteless Pike was slightly unusual in that we didn't nearly get to the top half a dozen times only to see slightly higher ground ahead. It was a great place to stop for a drink and sandwich, with views stretching behind us over the Lakes and over to the likes of Pillar and Great Gable beyond.

The route up to Wandope was obvious, and steep! Crag rat Rainer made a detour to go and check out Thirdgill Head Man, leaving Claire and I to head straight for the summit of Wandope. At this point I was really enjoying the ridge walk, having done the hard work getting up Whiteless Pike we were faced with pleasant walking that was non too strenuous, but incredibly rewarding with the views.

The view ahead revealed the easy walk across to Eel Crag, following the rim of a large crater, crossing the path that seemed more popular than our chosen route, taking other walkers across to Grasmoor. Stopping briefly at the huge summit to take in some views, we soon headed onwards towards Sail.

Well as described by AW, Sail was singularly unspectacular. Not offensive in any way, but more like an afterthought piled onto the path from Eel Crag to Causey Pike.





The ridge lead us onto and over Scar Crags, which again was pleasant enough but no more. The ridge itself made for interesting walking as it got rather narrow in places.






From Eel Crag onwards, the views had extended eastwards, opening up Keswick and Derwent Water, with Skiddaw and Blencathra distant. As we marched onwards, Keswick grew closer and we were able to pick out familiar spots in the Newlands Valley ahead too.

From Scar Crags we headed onto our final fell of the day, Causey Pike. I was looking forward to this, with Causey Pike prominent in views from Keswick, lined up alongside Catbells looking like its larger cousin. The summit was deceptive approaching from the west it was not immediately apparent which was the distinctive knobbly summit. Also not apparent coming that was was just how steep the descent was.

After a long walk the descent was hard work on the knees. By then though Newlands Valley was stretched out ahead of us, and with sghts set on the the little hill of Swinside and the pun of the same name now not fat away, the final couple of miles were easy going. The motivation to carry on to Keswick after a Deuchers IPA or two, that was another matter....