Boots Beers and Bog

Early Mornings on Latrigg

2015-07-27T12:45:00.002-07:00

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!

Castlehead, Keswick

2015-07-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

Castlehead is a little rocky mound just on the outskirts of Keswick that is well worth a visit. You can access it either from the path out of Keswick headed towards Walla Crag - turn right along the signposted footpath on Springs Road, and then simply follow your nose and head upwards until you reach the top.

The other option is to approach from the lakeside. Follow the path along the shores of Derwentwater as if headed towards Friar's Crag, and turn inland along the footpath that will take you through Cockshot Wood.

You will come to Borrowdale Road, cross this road and look for the gap on the other side of the road where you can head into the woodland around Castlehead. The hillside is too steep to climb on this side, but just follow the circular footpath round until you see the path headed to the top.

Once you are at the top, you are rewarded with one of the best views of Derwentwater you could imagine. I've been up there on numerous occasions and this is a popular spot for professional and amateur photographers, so why not head up and grab yourself a view that you will have no doubt seen on countless websites and calendars!

You should be able to do the circuit starting from Moot Hall, along the lakeside, up Castlehead and back into Keswick along Springs Road, in a leisurely 60-90 minutes, although be careful as the path around Castlehead can get muddy and slippery after wet or Wintery weather.

A Crummock Water Circuit

2015-06-21T01:44:00.000-07:00

Weather always plays a role in the Lake District and so we rarely venture out without having a couple of walk plans up our sleeves. Today we hoped to explore the Loweswater Fells, but extremely high winds made us rethink any plans of hitting the fells, so we decided on doing a circuit of Crummock Water.

We parked at Lanthwaite Wood, enjoying the shelter of the path through the woodland. As soon as we reached the lake side, the blasts of wind hit us and they were almost enough to knock you off your feet.

The first part of the walk along the lake was flooded so we had to find an alternative path across a field, before getting to the footpath that meanders its way around the lower slopes of Mellbreak. Every now and then the wind would die down, only to hit us again with full force moments later.

The path along Mellbreak was very picturesque, at times hugging the shoreline and on other occasions straying up onto the fellside.

Eventually the wind calmed down and by the time we were opposite Rannerdale Knotts about halfway along the side of the lake, we just had a light breeze accompanying, so we could stop and enjoy our packed lunch.

Eventually we reached the flat stretch of land that separates Crummock Water from Buttermere, crossing over as we passed through Buttermere to reach the opposing shore.

Parts of this walk were along the road, straying off the tarmac for a little circuit around the base of Rannerdale Knotts. We then headed back to the lake shore, into High Wood where we picked up a couple of geocaches.

From here it was a simple walk through the woodlands back to the car. A fantastic path that circuits the whole of the lake, easy to navigate and a walk that I'd happily do again in any weather conditions.

Sale Fell in the North Western Fells

2015-05-30T00:48:00.000-07:00

This was one of those typical Lake District days where the weather can't make up its mind - rain, sun, snow and sleet all making intermittent appearances, so we decided to go for something that offered shelter for at least part of the walk.

Sale Fell is the northernmost outpost of the North Western Fells, together with Ling Fell these are the gatekeepers to this side of the Lake District.

It is a straightforward fell to walk - no scrambling required and the paths are very straightforward to follow. We approached the summit by following the path that arcs round to the west, with views over to Ling Fell, before coming back eastwards and heading up towards the grassy summit.

As we approaches the views to the south opened up giving us fine views of the Whinlatter range, ad when we reached the summit there were also fabulous views over Bassenthwaite Lake to the Skiddaw range.

Views over to Binsey from the summit were marred by some unsightly deforestation of Wythop Wood that had left this side of the fell scarred with tree stumps and not much else.

The summit itself is a wide grassy plain that was scenic enough without having the thrill you get on reaching the final rocky outcrop of a strenuous fell climb. This is different walking altogether, and Sale Fell offers the chance to follow your nose and explore the grassy plain, taking in the views all around.

We headed back down the southern side of the fell, through woodland and past the site of Wythop Old Church, before following the road back to the car. A lovely little that is ideal of you only have an hour or two to spare.

Lyke Wake Walk March 2015

2015-05-03T02:32:00.000-07:00

So yes, this is one walk we can't stay away from. March 2015 marked our sixth crossing in approximately 18 months, and somehow I don't think we are showing any signs of slowing down.

This walk saw Claire, Dave and myself do the walk walking west to east, which was definitely a good idea as we had a decent tail wind for the most part on this blustery weekend.

We set off from Cod Beck, having had a chat with some volunteers from the "Osy Toads", AKA the Osmotherley Toad Patrol, whose aim it is to make sure as many toads as possible get safely across the nearby main road and to and from the Reservoir. As we set off, we saw quite a few toads resting on the road and I hope they had a successful onward jouney!

Conditions were great until we reached the ford at Hollin Hill after a couple of miles, when a light drizzle became a more persistent rain - time to get the waterproofs on. The weather calmed down after a while, so we had good conditions which is always nicer when tackling the Cleveland Hills. In January the steep steps down from Carlton Bank and Cringle Moor had been icy and treacherous, so we were grateful for the milder March weather.

We opted to go round the tops of the Wainstones and Hasty Bank using the Broughton Plantation route and this path was much drier than I was expecting, so we made good progress on this section.

The climb up to Urra Moor is always a tough one, but knowing that this is the last big ascent for a long while helps put a spring in your step. By now it was getting a bit colder but after cracking open a couple of handwarmers we soon restored feeling in our hands!

When we hit the track at Bloworth Crossing weather conditions deteriorated rapidly and we were soon battling a howling wind and near-horizontal rain. Not what the weather forecast had told us, and these nasty conditions persisted from roughly 2am through to 5am. Our usual banter dried up whilst our bodies took a lashing, as we put our heads down and rode the storm.

We took the path via Flat Howe and this path is becoming much easier to navigate than it was a year ago. We stopped for a breather when we reached the road, and fortunately the rain started to ease, as I wasn't looking forward to crossing the bog in the wind and driving rain.

The rain stopped and the sun started to rise, making the route much easier to follow. I think this was the first time when crossing the bog that the path itself was apparent. We'd always just muddled our way through this section and more often than not in the dark, but here was an actual path for us to follow - amazing!

With a bit of daylight and better weather our spirits lifted and we were back to babbling our usual nonsense. We had a break for food at Shunner Howe, then headed down the wrong path as usual onto Hamer road, meaning going back up the road a short way to get back on the path through White Moor to Blue Man i'-th'-Moss. Conditions on this section were better than expected and after a quick stop to say hello to the man in blue, we made steady progress alongside the Plantation down to Wheeldale Road.

I love crossing Wheeldale Beck, in particular when the stepping stones are navigable. Despite the steep drop down to the beck, and sharp climb back up, this is a little green oasis after miles and miles of bleakness and a lovely place to rest.

We had another food stop at Simon Howe, with the next section over to Goathland Moor clear in our sights. By now it was apparent that we were making steady progress and we really had a spring in our steps all the way over to Fylingdales and up to Lilla Cross.

I always have a bit of a cheer at Lilla Cross, for a couple of reasons. Firstly the cross itself symbolizes the walk for me. Ancient, steeped in history and mythology, this stone is an indelible mark on the landscape that will outlive us all. Secondly, it also marks the spot where the end of the walk is in sight, so let's hear it for Lilla Cross.

The walk across Fylingdales moor is long and draining and without much variation apart from the cairn at Burn Howe. Surprisingly this wasn't too boggy and before we knew it we were perched atop the drop into Jugger Howe. As always this is a test for tired limbs, but for me the variation in scenery more than makes up for it.

We were still steaming along, straight over the Whitby road and upwards towards the radio mast and Lyke Wake stone, completing in a very respectable 16 hours 30 minutes, and in good time to head to the pub and bed for the night.

A Newlands Valley Walk

2015-04-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

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!

Blea Rigg via Easdale Tarn

2015-04-03T02:25:00.001-07:00

I think of Grasmere as being the heart of the Lakes, Right in the middle, accessible from Keswick or Windermere, Coniston or Patterdale, it stands to reason that it is a busy little village.

With it's literary, culinary and cultural links, it attracts far more than just your hardened walkers which means that although the village might seem bustling with activity, once you get out and about things quieten down - unless you follow the crowds up Helm Crag.

This walk took us up the popular scenic walk to Easedale Tarn, alongside Sour Milk Gill. The weather was not great and this probably deterred a number of people from heading upwards and so the route wasn't too crowded.

The walk up to the tarn is postcard picturesque all the way, with amazing views from the valley floor, along the gill and up to the edge of the tarn.

At this point the weather took a turn for the worse and as we started heading up the path to Blea Rigg the rain and mist set in, so the views were pretty minimal all the way to the top. The climb itself is good fun, with the path crossing rocky terrain before making the final sweep to the top.

As luck would have to the clouds started to dissipate when we were on the rocky summit, giving us glimpses of fell groups all around such as the Langdale Pikes and the Coniston range. The rain also subsided and conditions became very favourable.

From Blea Rigg we followed the well-trodden path towards Silver Howe, stopping en route for a picnic. We enjoyed our food whilst taking in the view over Grasmere towards the Fairfield horseshoe.

We got as far as the summit of Raw Pike, before deciding to head back towards Grasmere. This was a fairly simple but very rewarding walk and a great way to spend a couple of hours in the heart of the Lake District.

On the shores of Thirlmere

2015-03-26T00:49:00.001-07:00

On a recent trip to Grasmere we had a bit of time on the journey back so we decided to explore a bit of the scenery around Thirlmere. This is a beautiful part of the Lakes that we always seem to just drive through as we head between the northern and southern parts of the national park. The fells above Thirlmere, in particularly Bleaberry Fell, don't get a good write-up from Alfred Wainwright either, so it's not been top of the list of places to walk.

A quick look at a map revealed that a walk up to Harrop Tarn should be a nice easy walk. We parked up close to the shores of the lake and headed up the steep wooded slopes away from Thirlmere. This was actually hard work, the stone steps were extremely slippery and recent or ongoing forestry work meant climbing over felled trees on a number of occasions!

But once we gained a bit of altitude the going got a bit easier, and this became a very scenic woodland walk. The trees cleared as we neared the tarn, and the views from here of the water and surrounding fells were incredible.

Looking back, we had a fine view over the Helvellyn and Fairfield ranges when looking eastwards over the A591.

This was a great place to linger for a while and enjoy the views, but with the old issue of not having time on our side we were soon headed back down the wooded fellside using the forestry commission tracks which were far easier to walk along than the treacherous path up! I noted a path headed over to Watendlath and that feels like a walk we will be doing at some point too.

As we neared Thirlmere we were greeted to an incredible sight of clouds billowing in through Dunmail Raise and slowly drawing over the water. Our walk along the road southwards back to the car meant that we had this spectacle ahead of us all the way back to the car and it really was a special scene.

Lyke Wake Walk Jan 15

2015-03-14T12:59:00.002-07:00

One again the appeal and draw of the North York Moors took hold of us, and a few weeks ago, Claire, Dave, Jimmy and I decided once again to do a Lyke Wake Walk in January. Last January (after an awful walk!) we had more or less agreed to stop these mid-Winter crossings but somehow your mind never stops playing tricks on you and so before we knew it, we were driving up to a very dark mast in Ravenscar in January 2015, ready to meet our partners in crime.

Once again we were crossing unsupported, and I have to be honest, this is the best way I can imagine doing it. I have to stress that we are well equipped, we know what we are capable of and what our limitations, and are aware of how much food and drink we will need. Having done numerous crossings in all weather conditions over the past year we are familiar with the lay of the land too. If you are new to the LWW, or have a larger party then I cannot recommend going it alone - this link is a good guide to some of the preparations that can be done!!

Conditions were pretty favourable - it was cold enough for the ground to have a decent covering of frost, but not uncomfortably so. There was an icy wind on the fell tops, which meant we skipped a couple of traditional snack breaks, but on the whole the weather was OK apart from a brief moment.

We set off towards Coalmire Plantation in fine spirits, looking forward to the night ahead. There is always something magical about night-time walking, and in Winter there is very little chance of anyone else being around so it can be a tranquil experience too.

Fortunately the steep steps up to Live Moor were not fully iced over so the first hurdle was soon overcome. Once we reached the more exposed ground we were hit with freezing blasts of wind, and so we didn't linger at the trig point on Carlton Bank. A quick walk down and back up saw us warm up with the sharp pull up Cringle Moor. Here again the wind was very cold, but not too strong as the narrow ridge and its sheer drop down to the north can be a bit unnerving.

The next challenge was probably one of the toughest of the walk - the rocky steps down from Cringle Moor were covered in snow and ice and pretty treacherous and made for slow going.

With this in mind we decided to follow the plantation path around the side rather than risking the potentially very slippery Wainstones. This normally very muddy section was cold enough to be pretty solid underfoot and allowed us to make good progress.

The end of the Cleveland hills is a major milestone and a sign that the walk is well underway. The real apex moment here is when you pass the summit of Round Hill, as from here you have a reasonably long section of relatively flat walking over to Bloworth Crossing then along the railway track. On our last walks this has been an enjoyable section, but on this occasion we kept getting hit with icy wind blasts and it got very cold. We were really glad to find the junction which takes us off the railway path up towards Flat Howe. This recently re-opened footpath can be tricky to follow normally, but today the footpath was clearly laid out in the snow and it was actually really simple to follow with just a few muddy sections to navigate around.

Soon enough we were on the roads headed towards the bogs and marshes of Rosedale Moor. At this point the snow started coming in hard and I think all our moods sank a little as visibility was getting poor too. Approaching the bog is always highly anticipated, but with the fog coming in and it was nowhere near getting light, we were quite apprehensive this time round. Soon enough we were in the marsh with the mist swirling around us. Every footstep was tentative as with the powdering of snow there was no way of knowing if the next piece of ground would be solid, liquid or just bog! We made very slow progress through this section, but knowing that the especially bad section is probably only a mile, we eventually made it through and headed up across the moors to Shunner Howe and with daylight fast approaching our spirits were lifting.

Traditionally I have found the section across Hamer Moor past Blue-Man-I-Th'-Moss tough going but this time it was actually pretty straightforward with the path well laid out in the snow. Blue Man himself looked dapper with a dusting of snow on his shoulders. Before we knew it we had made it to Roman road, and would soon find out if we would need to detour should the stepping stones of Wheeldale Beck be under water.

As luck would have it the water was low and we were very pleased to use the stones before heading up towards Simon Howe. Somehow I always forget this section, by now the walk seems to sneak in extra miles here and here when you're not looking! Finally we were starting to get glimpses of sunshine and things were warming up a little.

From here it is a straightforward walk over to Fylingdales, over the NYM Railway line and across the busy Whitby-Pickering road. The section up to Lilla Cross involved the usual stream hopping to get across Little Eller Beck, and sadly along this section the saturated ground won out and I got wet feet. My boots did great up until there though with a couple of full dunkings earlier in the walk - not as bad as Claire who at one point was up to both knees in bog!

From Lilla Cross the route is very straightforward and although we were glad that this clay path was nice and solid for the most part, for me this remains the dullest part of the walk, with a badly eroded path that goes on and on!

Claire's nemesis was up next - Jugger Howe. I personally don't mind this as it engages muscles that have been resting for a while, but it is a tough one at this stage in the game. Dave and Jimmy had pulled ahead here and by the time we caught up with them on the track towards the A171 they seemed quite contented, resting on bales of heather - I think given another five minutes they would have been asleep...

After crossing the road we were all pretty tired but there is that final haul up to the mast and Lyke Wake stone which needs to be done. For me this was a case of putting my head down and waiting for the finish to arrive! Although I do love this section of the moor with the fresh sea air, and the prospect of finishing another Lyke Wake crossing.

We completed in just over 18 hours which was pretty good all things considered and overall I think this was the most blister/ injury free that we as a group have completed the walk. Once again I loved this Winter walk and whilst it's not for everyone, it shows that the North York Moors is a brilliant adventure playground open 12 months of the year!

A Whinlatter Wander

2015-02-04T11:03:00.003-08:00

A couple of years ago, we did a circuit of the fells above and around Whinlatter, but missed out on Whinlatter Fell itself. Recently, a spare sunny afternoon in the Lake District provided us with the ideal opportunity to bag Whinlatter.

We have been to the forest often enough, having done Go Ape a couple of times, and followed some of the forest paths, so I was looking forward to tackling the fell, although from reading various walk write-ups, navigation wouldn't necessarily be straight forward.

We parked up at the visitor centre, which was rammed with trail cyclists and Go Apers, heading away from the masses up towards the fell itself. We weren't completely on our own, as the Gruffalo trail was also proving popular with the younger visitors!

AW has a good old moan about the forestation that has taken place on Whinlatter, but for me it feels like the surrounding environment has accepted the spruce trees with grace and dignity and it is an enjoyable Lakeland experience. BUT the forestry commission paths all look alike and as you are surrounded by trees with the occasional glimpse over towards Keswick, it can be quite disorienting.

However once you are out of the forest, Whinlatter takes on a character of its own. Standing somewhat in isolation, it is a quiet backwater of the Lakes, despite being a short walk away from all the action. The heather-clad slopes offer fantastic views of the surrounding North-Western fells.

As it is a fairly gentle ascent, without too much hard work you soon reach the twin peaks of Whinlatter and Brown How, which is a short distance away. The summit ridge makes for fun walking, easy on the feet but with interesting terrain and those unbeatable views.

To get back to the car we retraced our outbound path and before we knew it we were back in the heart of Whinlatter forest, headed towards the visitor centre where a hot drink and scone was waiting with our names on them!

Uldale - Walking in the Northern Fells

2014-11-16T02:49:00.001-08:00

Longlands - Longlands Fell - Brae Fell - Little Sca Fell - Great Sca Fell - Meal Fell - Trusmadoor - Great Cockup - Over Water

In various situations in life I find myself rooting for the underdogs. It's always uplifting to see someone or something come out on top despite the odds. I have a similar approach when picking a walk to do in the Lakes. Sure a walk up Blencathra, Scafell, Helm Crag or Coniston Old Man is pretty hard to beat. But the Lake District is also full of unsung heroes, fells which don't have the height, views, challenges and legends that the big guns do. Nonetheless they each have a charm of their own, and with such fells you also get a chance to escape the crowds.

This walk around the Back o' Skiddaw meant a chance of a quiet walk on a busy weekend. The Uldale Fells are a group of fells right on the northernmost edge of the National Park, with only Binsey beyond. As far as walking goes these fells are more leisurely than lively. Most of the walks are on grassy slopes, with the occasional steeper climb here and there but overall it's straightforward.

If anything, as they are all fairly similar in look and feel, you do have to keep your wits about you when navigating.

We parked at the small car park at Over Water and made the short walk along the road to Longlands, then headed out on our grassy climb. The walk up to Longlands fell was straightforward without much chance to go wrong and as we got higher the views behind back over Binsey, the Solway Firth and Scotland beyond opened up.

From Longlands Fell our next target was Brae Fell, which on paper looked like a short hop away, but the relatively deep Charleton Gill meant making a detour before the final ascent to reach the bulky cairn that adorns the summit of Brae Fell.

Here we left the views over Solway behind, heading "inland" into the heart of Uldale. It was a straightforward walk across to Little Sca Fell and Great Sca Fell just behind. By this point with the fells are quite similar-looking it can be disorientating, but you do get a wonderful feeling of solitude and serenity.

The next part of the walk saw us head in an almost straight line, coming down from Great Sca Fell, onto Meal Fell and then Great Cockup. The summit at Meal Fell was an interesting collection of lumps, cairns and a decent shelter and so it was here that we settled down for our lunch.

The most challenging part of the walk lay ahead as we had to cross the wonderfully Tolkienesque Trusmadoor to get to Great Cockup.

This ravine actually looked worse than it was, and the purple heather clad slopes made it all very picturesque. Once we had completed the steep climb up it was a simple walk over to the summit of Great Cockup and then down to Little Cockup.

The end of the walk was actually the hardest part, as there didn't seem to be a direct path back down to the road. We headed for what looked like a track towards the farm buildings of Stockdale but it was soon evident that this was private land, and a farmer's wife who saw us soon afterwards was friendly enough but it was clear that we had gone slightly wrong!

Apart from that this was a delightful excursion to the north of the national park and an area what we will be revisiting for sure.

Lyke Wake Walk September 2014

2014-10-26T02:13:00.001-07:00

Well this is becoming a bit of a recurring theme isn't it?! For the third time this year, Claire, Dave and myself found ourselves drawn to this crossing of the North York Moors across land steeped in legend and history.

It would be hard to top the June 2014 crossing where we were treated to perfect conditions, accompanied by a beautiful sunset and sunrise, but this journey once again turned out to be a special one.

It was my second reverse crossing, the first time having been done in atrocious conditions back in January. This time, as we set off, once again in the dark, but with incredibly clear skies and reasonably dry conditions underfoot.

Doing the walk in reverse means that the first ten miles require more navigation than expected - what seems like a straightforward walk during the day from Fylingdales over to Ravenscar becomes a lot more challenging at night. Instead of being one simple track headed towards the mast, paths divert off to the left and right all over the place and you have to keep your wits about you. This time, Fylingdales was completely lit up and looked even more alien at night than it does during the day, but this helped simplify navigation beside Little Eller Beck and along the boundary fence of the RAF territory.

The rest of the night passed almost without incident. Dave couldn't resist the urge to lie down on the few pieces of tarmac crossed to gaze up at the firmament, It has to be said this was possibly the most incredible night sky I had ever seen, and just when I thought it couldn't get any better Claire and I got to see a giant shooting start dart across the skies.

Of course no LWW can be completely trouble-free. The minor incidents this time were getting slightly lost on the trek back up Wheeldale, and a short twenty minute game of hunt-the-GPS-in-the-heather, which Claire won, and for which I will be forever grateful! This happened just as the sun was rising - any earlier and we would never have found it.

With the sun rising in our backs as we hit the railway track, we had the beautiful sight of a mist-filled Farndale accompanying us for the next couple of miles. Rather annoyingly, by this stage I had developed a couple of blisters which slowed me down and make the last twenty miles of walking pretty uncomfortable.

As we headed over Bloworth Crossing up to the heights of Round Hill and Urra Moor we passed the first walkers of the day. Oddly enough we only saw Cleveland Way types, I had been expecting to meet at least one or two other groups of people tackling the LWW from West to East on this beautiful day.

A reverse crossing meant that we got to experience the views and scenery of the Cleveland Hills in the daylight. This means a slow rollercoaster ride over tops like Hasty Bank, with the walk through the Wainstones being a particular highlight. By now the blisters were causing me problems, and I had slowed down a fair bit, but the scenery was more than enough compensation for a bit of discomfort.

We had an additional voice of encouragement when the New Lyke Wake Walk Club general secretary Gerry Orchard gave us a quick call to see how we were getting on, during one of the rare occasions of having a strong phone signal!

The Cleveland Hills were bustling with activities, with plenty of people out enjoying the clear weather and the recently renovated Lord Stones site looks to be very busy which is good news for the National Park.

The last few miles of the walk seem to go on for ever on tired legs, but with a reverse crossing the final stretch crosses a variety of terrain as you come down through woodland after Live Moor, crossing farmland before returning to the wooded Coalmire plantation. The last steps as you exit the plantation have now reached legendary status in our little walking group and they don't fail to disappoint every time - an absolute killer!

All that remained was the last section of tarmac to greet the stone at the start/ end, then back to the car at Cod Beck. Minutes later we were enjoying the welcoming atmosphere in the Queen Catherine hotel at Osmotherley, toasting another fine North Yorkshire Moors experience.

The Hole Of Horcum, North York Moors

2014-10-07T13:30:00.001-07:00

I learned about the legend of the Hole of Horcum a while back on a television programme and after having read walk reports in various magazines it has been a place I have been keen on exploring for some time.

On a recent weekend trip to Staithes and Dalby Forest Claire and I headed along the A169, turning onto the steep and narrow lane that took us through the village of Lockton to Levisham for the start of this circular walk. We were not far from Lyke Wake Walk territory and from the top of the Hole we had a great view of the ground we cover on our favourite challenge walk, from Simon Howe to Flyingdales and beyond.

Starting off in the picturesque Levisham, our walk headed onto a path through woodland, skirting the top of a fairly steep valley. The path was quite overgrown in places, but easy enough to follow.

Although we had glimpses of the valley below, it would be some time before we had clearer views ahead and so this is a good build up as you anticipate the glory of this natural amphitheatre.

Coming down the side of the valley, we started the impressive walk that takes you right into the heart of the Hole of Horcum, and it is a very impressive place to be. Either the legend of Wade the Giant who scooped up a giant hole in the ground, or the forces of nature have dug this huge hollow ground that engulfs you as you walk through.

A short steep climb along a heather-clad path brings you out onto the side of the main road, and from here you have fine views over Lyke Wake Walk territory, and a look into the Hole of Horcum behind.

From here we followed the route of the Tabular Hills Walk as it forges its way through the North York Moors.

Although it feels bleak and barren as it can be here, the path is actually a journey through man-made history, with lots of signs telling you of iron age barrows, bronze age dykes, mounds, ditches, Dundale pond and other ancient monuments.I am always amazed at how man's efforts to conquer the landscape inevitably are reclaimed by nature.

From here it was a short walk back along a lane to the top of Levisham village and our waiting car.

Far Eastern Fells - A Howtown Circuit

2014-08-30T02:08:00.001-07:00

As part of this year's Wainwright Society Challenge, I made my first journey into to wilds of Howtown and beyond to explore the outer reaches of the Far Eastern Fells.

The purpose of the challenge walk was to tackle one of the ridge routes between two fells, as described in Wainwright's Pictorial Guides, as well as raising money for the Brathay Exploration Group. There are many high level ridges that are almost as legendary as the fells themselves, but I decided to pick a less obvious one. The walk between Arthur's Pike and Loadpot Hill is serene rather than sensational, and whilst other fells will have been rammed on this weekend, I had the place to myself here which was a great feeling.

I started off just outside of Howtown, heading back through the huddle of houses and welcoming pub before hitting the lower slopes of Bonscale Pike. After initially following the path that slants its way up the fell, the guide suggested that there was a more direct ascent to be made, and so I went for it. It has to be said this wasn't a path but a straight slog up the side of the fell, a hands and knees job.

Not the best ascent it has to be said, but my frequent stops to catch my breath were rewarded with the Ullswater opening up behind me. In addition, I made the summit in no time and this meant most of the hard work had been done for the day.

Bonscale Pike and Arthur's Pike both have a lot to offer. As long as you stick to the paths their ascents are relatively simple, and perched on the shores of Ullswater they offer great reward. What's more, both summits are embellished by spectacular beacons, stone handiwork from times gone by.

It is a simple walk from one to the other, with a dip between the two when crossing Swarthbeck Gill, and all the way you are accompanied by fantastic views. I will definitely be revisiting these fells!

From Arthur's Pike I then struck "inland", headed on the wide track that follows the gradual incline of Loadpot Hill. This walk now became one of solitude and serenity, as I did not see let alone encounter another soul in this path, which in the Lake District is a very rare thing. It felt almost like the North York Moors here as I crossed the sprawling mass of land that is Loadpot Hill and Wether Fell. Neither are especially scenic but a look at the map and the references to stone circles, tumuli and Roman forts tell you that this is ancient land and steeped in history. As this is also the route of the High Street Roman road, the path follows in notable footsteps.

Wether Hill has two areas of minor prominence which count as its summits and again, whilst not being especially spectacular, this place is not lacking in atmosphere.

I had originally planned on heading back to the car from here, but I had made good time, so I decided to head down into Martindale and up Steel Knotts. I'm not really sure why, but I decided to jog down the steep path, giving me the tiniest of insights into the world of a fell runner. It meant I covered ground quickly, pausing at a ruined house in Martindale for a spot of lunch.

Steel Knotts is a great little fell, with a craggy summit bearing the magical name of Pikeawassa. Perched just above Howtown, the views from here are as spectacular as you could wish for. From here it was a steep but straightforward descent back to Howtown, sadly still no stop in the pub, but a big smile on my face after a great day in the Far Eastern Fells.

Lyke Wake Walk June 2014

2014-07-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

Regular readers may recognise a theme. But this is not a repeat, but a tale of another crossing of the North York Moors legend that is the Lyke Wake Walk. Our third crossing in eight months no less. As with our previous two crossings, Dave, Claire and I chose not to use a support party, carrying all our supplies as well as stashing some bottles of water on the moors for later.

For me this was the first Summer crossing, having previously done the walk in decent to terrible Winter weather. This time around, conditions were pretty much perfect. We picked the longest day of the year, on a decent but not too hot day, after a relatively dry spell.

We set off on Friday night at abut 9:45pm from Cod Beck reservoir just outside Osmotherley. We missed out on a photo at the LWW stone as a large walking group decided to hold a meeting there before setting off on their own expedition. It wouldn't have hurt to move over and let us have the stone for a minute, but these guys weren't about to budge, and so we set off, having a good old moan right from the outset.

I have to say it was a real joy to start the walk in daylight. Not only could we see where we were going, but we were soon treated to a beautiful sunset. There aren't many occasions when Teesside gets described as attractive but this is definitely one of them.

Shortly after we were heading up the first of the Cleveland Hills, making the steep climb up to Live Moor and onto Carlton Bank. By now the light had failed and the headtorches came into action. It was fairly cool for the time of year, ideal walking conditions. We grabbed a bite to eat at the trig point of Carlton Bank before heading down and back up Cringle End.

When we passed the Lord Stones site, we could hear the merriment of people headed home after their night out, but our night was only just starting. We had an interesting moment as we headed towards the Wainstones, walking through a field of cows that were eerily silent as they watched us tramp across their patch. The Wainstones were spectacular even in the dark and this is definitely a place to explore independently of a LWW crossing.

After the Wainstones and the next hill Hasty Bank we had the long steady climb up Urra Moor over Round Hill and over to Bloworth Crossing, before getting some speed up on the railway track. We took the "new short cut", cutting onto the moors to our left over towards Ralph Cross, rather than following the track to the Lion Inn. Although we did lose the path here and there, this was definitely a good time saver. By now the sun was coming up for what promised to be a glorious day.

We stopped for some food at the foot of Fat Betty, before heading along the road to meet the boggy section....

Which was about as dry as you can get! The peat bog was bouncy, pleasant underfoot and great fun to cross. There was the occasional marshy patch and I don't think that the pond not too far from Shunner Howe will ever dry out, but this section was a real highlight of the walk as it was so easy to cross.

The dry ground continued over the road and the path up to Blue Man I' th' Moss was fine too. After Blue Man, it does get rocky making this section possibly the most challenging terrain under foot. The views open right up over towards Flyingdales, but it is a little deceptive as what looks like a fairly flat vista ahead of you hides the fact that Wheeldale is just ahead.

This deep little valley is very scenic, but hard work, with a steep climb down to the stepping stones over Wheeldale Beck. I took the opportunity to take my boots and socks off to dip my feet into the Beck and this was an amazing sensation, totally refreshing. With the sun on our faces and a nice sandwich, this was a beautiful place to stop for a breather.

But the LWW wasn't anywhere near done with us and so we made the steep ascent up to Simon Howe. In the past this has felt like a hard slog - especially when the bank up is wet and slippery, but this time it didn't hurt quite as much. When we get to Simon Howe it really feels like you are well over the halfway mark, and for me this is quite a motivator - all of a sudden the Fylingdales monster isn't a speck in the distance but right there a mile or two ahead.

A look at the clock told us that we were making excellent progress and that also meant that we would get to our pub and hostelry in good time - that's pretty much all we needed to spur us on.There were quite a few people at the layby at Fylingdales a mix of support parties and rail enthusiasts. Just over the road, for an unexplained reason there was a man asleep near the RAF boundary fence. Definitely an odd place and time for forty winks!

The newly cleared path up alongside Little Eller Beck made the section up to Lilla Cross nice and straightforward - the last thing you need when you are exhausted is to go and get lost waist deep in heather!

The dry weather also meant that the rough terrain beyond Lilla Cross was not the heavy wet nightmare that it can be, but at this point fatigue was setting in and made this section the toughest and dullest part of the walk.

You would have thought that the steep ravine of Jugger Howe that follows would be hell but somehow I don't mind it. I love the scenery here, plus the knowledge that the end is more or less within reach makes it not feel so bad.

However once the ravine is crossed, there is some tough path and road walking to be done and at this stage I knew there were some blisters coming into play. We hit the A171 road, knowing that we only had another couple of miles to go, and that there was a nearby pub with soft beds and cold beer awaiting. Although this last section was quite a killer for myself and Claire as we had both amassed a fair old collection of blisters, it was still a celebratory climb up to the mast.

Sixteen hours and five minutes after setting off from Osmotherley we had once again completed the Lyke Wake Walk, with plans for the next crossing already hatching.

Thanks again to my long suffering partners in crime Claire and Dave. Always a winning team!

Yorkshire Three Peaks, Spring 2014

2014-07-12T01:18:00.000-07:00

And so the lure of the fells around Horton In Ribblesdale reached out to us once again, more or less a year since our last Three Peaks. Claire and I found ourselves parked up at the Ribblehead viaduct early one Spring morning, waiting for our challenge walk partner Dave to roll in from Leeds. This was our first walk together since our epic Lyke Wake Walk challenge but I think out boots had only just finally dried out!

We set off in beautiful conditions, and made quick progress up the lower slopes of Pen-y-Ghent. The ground underfoot was fairly dry at this point, which was a new sensation after our last walk. Pen-y-Ghent is a great way to start the challenge as the short sharp ascents conquered fairly quickly, and so you start thinking "one down two to go" early on in the walk. There has been extensive repair work done to the path approaching the summit, and whilst the stone slabs looked very new and somewhat out of place/ character, it is definitely a necessity, to help the fells cope with the thousands of boots stomping up and down the route each year.

The Three Peaks are great walks individually and whilst I enjoy the challenge of the walk, I am keen to come back and explore some of the other attractions Pen-y-Ghent has to offer, in particular Hull Pot.

For some the walk from here to Ribblehead is a long dull trudge but I feel it gives you a chance to relax and feel as though you become a part of the bleak yet beautiful landscape. The footpath restoration work here is a little older and has started to blend in well with its environment, although it got very muddy at times and we were quite glad to have tarmac under our feet for the last section to the viaduct where our supplies awaited as did a van selling cups of tea, and with a steam train crossing the viaduct as we approached, the image was complete.

Whernside is a bone of contention for many as the long whaleback of a hill feels like it takes an eternity to climb. With Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough you have a short but intense ascent that sees you hit the higher ground fairly quickly, but Whernside likes to take its time. Slowly but surely it saps the energy from your legs as you gradually gain altitude. This time around, this section actually flew by, it's amazing what good company can do to you, and before we knew it we had crossed the narrow gap in the wall to put our feet briefly on Cumbrian soil and admire the OS trig point.

Although we never set out on these challenge walks with the expressed intention of beating previous times, we were making good progress. As with the climb up, the descent of Whernside had not been especially pleasant on previous occasions, as the steep zig zagged path really starts to jarr on tired knees by this point, however once again this felt like a breeze. Whernside, your kindness has been noted.

We were on good form as we crossed the road and hit the lush pastures that lie at the feet of Inglebrough. I think this is possibly my favourite part of the walk with majestic Ingleborough in your sights as you cross farmland. The rich green farmland is criss-crossed with drystone walls and peppered with limestone outcrops that make this scenery so special and immediately recognisable.

The trees that manage to eke out a living deep in the limestone crevices are a wonder unto themselves, as well as being an amateur photographer's dream. Take a picture of these survival experts and it seems to always look great!

Eventually you reach the bottom of Ingleborough having exchanged a knowing nod of anticipation with any resting walkers, as the amazingly steep path ahead is clearly defined and at this late stage in the walk, a testing moment.

Yes, it is a real climb, a trial to tired limbs and lungs, but it doesn't go on forever and sooner that you think, you reach a little path of turf where you are welcome to flop down and give yourself five minutes. It is worth catching your breath, as the summit is still considerably higher, leaving you with another climb to reach the vast rocky plateau that is the top of Ingleborough. Although normally a lovely place with amazing views, it was fairly hazy today and with a cold wind biting, we headed off fairly quickly.

For me, this last section is the real killer.You feel like you have really completed the walk, hiked for many hours, and actually climbed the Three Peaks. Not so. A good few miles lie ahead and on tough terrain. Slippery limestone, thick mud and some moody, sturdy looking cows have still to be negotiated.

But this is part and parcel of the walk. A desire to complete this majestic circuit on your own two feet mean you have to cover the ground carry out and the legwork to reap the rewards, and these last miles are the final piece of the puzzle.

Finally we made it back to Horton, and as we crossed the railway tracks at the station, smiles broke out all round as we had made good time on our circuit and once again became part of an incredible Yorkshire Dales experience.

Little Mell Fell: The Lake District Lowlands

2014-06-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

I guess as part of attempting to tackle ALL the Wainwrights, you have to take the rough with the smooth. Or in this case, the smooth and rounded instead of the rough and craggy.

Some of these "minor" fells are also valuable for a number of reasons - they are easily done in a shorter amount of time, and a good number of them lie on or close to our route when headed home from the Lakes. Great Mell Fell, Souther Fell, High Rigg, Latrigg are all fells we can easily head up on the way home and one other obvious addition to this list is Little Mell Fell.

True, a walk up Little Mell Fell cannot compare with the thrills of a high ridge walk, an ascent of a higher fell, or a grand day out. It is lowly, rounded, grassy and isolated from other fells.

But for me it is the gateway to the Lakes, the first bump in the landscape that tells you that you are entering Lakeland. It is also a nice quiet corner of the Lakes and so the lanes between the A66 and the shores of Ullwater provide an ideal little network of routes for cyclists to avoid the busier roads.

Our tour of Little Mell Fell was completed in under one hour - ascent, enjoy the view, and descent. There's no description of the route needed either. Park at the bottom, head upwards on the grassy slope until you reach the trig point, then head back down.

I did really enjoy the landscape from here. The great hulk of Blencathra over to the north, the fellow minor fells of Great Mell Fell and Gowbarrow Fell nearby, Ullswater just beyond and panoramic views of the Lake District to the west and the Eden Valley over to the east.

All in all an easy and fun little walk that allows us to get just that little piece more of Lakeland before heading home.

Walk To Work on the Coast To Coast

2014-06-22T11:15:00.001-07:00

I recently heard of a walk to work week initiative, and this gave me the perfect excuse to trek a section of the coast to coast, since my office is very close to the route!

It was a simple enough walk from Richmond to Colburn, a distance of about 4 miles each way. Whilst this section of the C2C is not as spectacular as some of the others, it is pretty and has a charm of its own.

Leaving Richmond Station along the old railway path, you catch glimpses of Easby Abbey through the trees. Shortly after the C2C leaves the rail path and climbs through fields to a patch of woodland on the banks of the river Swale.

This is a lovely little woodland walk and at this time of year the scent of wild garlic was heavy in the air.

As you climb out of the woods and back into fields and farmland there are occasional glimpses across valleys deep into the Yorkshire countryside. Soon enough I reached the charming village of old Colburn and the end of my walk, only to enjoy the same route in reverse at the end of the day.

Who would have imagined that the commute to work could be so good!

The Fairfield Horseshoe

2014-06-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

I gaze upon the Fairfield Horseshoe every time we stop off in Ambleside. As you look northwards from the town, the Fairfield group of fells are displayed in their full glory, inviting you to take on the circular challenge.
A few years ago, myself and crag rat Rainer made a tentative venture onto these fells completing a half-circuit. We started off with a steep pull up the scree slopes of Fairfield before working our way back down along the eastern flank.

This time around with a full day of walking ahead of us, an excellent weather forecast and a table booked at Zeffirellis for the evening, conditions seemed perfect to tackle this walk. We opted for an anti-clockwise route, setting off from Ambleside and starting with Low Pike. At this point we had glorious sunshine, with just the hint of a breeze to keep us fresh.

As we made our way up the slopes of Low Pike, the wind gradually picked up, but we still enjoyed its cooling effect and it helped us on our climb. Despite its name, as it's name suggests, this is not the highest of fells, and although easily reached, it is quite a sharp pull up, as you get onto the main ridge of this wonderful circuit.

From here navigation is made very simple by a dry stone wall that traces the route for the next few miles. This does restrict views somewhat looking forward, but with an increasing wind, it made for welcome shelter.

Clouds started rolling in, and it seemed that the weather forecast might have omitted some of the facts! The walk up from Low to High Pike is very impressive, with the next goal in clear sight as you gain altitude.

From here, much of the hard work has been done for now, as the path and accompanying wall march onwards over the summit of Dove Crag - which was the subject of the first ever chapter Wainwright wrote for his Pictorial Guides.

Somewhere along here, our faithful companion and wind shelter slowly dwindled away, leaving us exposed to the elements. The next fell on the horseshoe, Hart Crag is a short walk away, but by this time the clouds were rolling in. From here you have choice to either continue towards Fairfield, or an alternative would be to head eastwards to Hartsop Above How and then down towards Brothers Water.

We pressed on towards Fairfield, at this point the winds were getting much stronger and we felt a few drops of rain - what happened to the weather forecast we were promised?!?! Conditions on the vast Fairfield summit platform were pretty bad so the camera didn't come out much except to take this shot down back into the valley.

We had planned on stopping for lunch, but after visiting the summit cairns and shelters we decided it would be better to head for lower ground, so on we marched onwards on the return leg of the horseshoe.

This is a very spectacular ridge and it's not hard to see why it is so popular, but today things were very quiet up here with the howling winds, and its fair to say we were glad it was a wide ridge rather than a narrow crest of rock!

Onwards and over Great Rigg and Heron Pike and there was no let-up, so not much of a chance to stop and take in the views.

Even on lowly Nab Scar we still had a howling gale to contend with, but we did manage to find a spot of shelter for lunch.

Soon enough afterwards, we were back down off the higher ground on the valley floor, where we stopped at the very picturesque tea shop at Rydal Hall for a warming cup of coffee.

The walk back to Ambleside route is a really nice lower level walk, and the perfect end to a spectacular if at times a rough day on the fells.

Far Eastern Fells: Admiring Angle Tarn

2014-05-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

After a highly satisfying walk around the High Street range last Autumn, I have been keen to revisit the Lake District's Far Eastern Fells for some time, and a recent trip to Ambleside provided us with the perfect opportunity.

You might say that heading to the Lakes on a bank holiday weekend is asking for trouble - and Ambleside itself was rammed - but the "less popular" fells are still sparsely populated, and this delightful walk from near Hartsop to a bunch of fells near Angle Tarn was an excellent choice. There were various other walkers out and about, but we still managed to enjoy some of the peacefulness and serenity that the Lake District has in abundance.

We started our ascent of Angletarn Pikes along the busy footpath to Boredale Hause, but here many of walkers then head north to Place Fell leaving us in relative peace and quiet. This was actually a fairly steep pull up the side of the fell, with wonderful views of Ullswater opening up in front of us. This was most appreciated, as often on an ascent you have to stop and turn around to appreciate the vista but not today.

I quite like a steep ascent to get things started. That hard work is soon rewarded as it means you reach the higher ground fairly swiftly. This certainly was the case today, once we had reached Boredale Hause, the walk across to the summit of Angletarn Pikes was an easy, enjoyable walk.

I had looked at plenty of photos of Angle Tarn on the internet earlier and was keen to see this beauty spot and we were certainly not disappointed today.

A glorious blue sky brought out the depth of colour in the tarn that was just stunning. It was also interesting to see that there was still the odd patch of snow, especially around the top of Helvellyn.

After a rest at Angle Tarn, we progressed along the main High Street path, headed towards Rest Dodd. We made a note of the route off to the right which would take us to Brock Crags, our final fell for the day, before heading onwards.

This section of the walk started off fairly interesting, with rocky outcrops and ancient drystone walls, as well as extensive views.

Once we started the ascent of Rest Dodd, it got somewhat less exciting as the final stretch was a long pull up a grassy flank of the fell which had no real features of interest other than views down to the infamously boggy route along The Nab. To be honest, today would have been a good day to do that fell, as the ground was pretty dry underfoot.

The top of Rest Dodd was easily reached, but the summit too offered little reason to linger, other than views over to the High Street range, and so we headed back down via the same route as our ascent.

We were soon back on the path to Angle Tarn, and followed a path on the map which took us over to Brock Crags. With this fell's close proximity over easy ground, I don't know why Wainwright didn't include any ridge route to Brock Crags as it seemed ideally suited to be paired up with Angletarn Pikes?!

After Rest Dodd this was far more interesting walking territory, with rocks, tarns, walls and great views to keep us amused. This was a very short walk from the main path and after maybe fifteen minutes we were at the fell summit, and more than ready for our packed lunch.

Our path back down towards the path to Boredale Hause was made slightly more tricky by the fact that there was no real discernible path other than a few ruts and sheep trails that looked like they were headed in the right direction. Having consulted the map and GPS however we were definitely on track, and with no obvious dangers ahead we continued along our steep descent. Soon enough the path was more obvious, and before long we were back at the car. All in all another highly enjoyable exploration of the Far Eastern Fells.

To Skiddaw And Beyond!

2014-04-18T01:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple of years now since myself and crag rat Rainer tackled Skiddaw, and on that occasion the summit was shrouded in cloud on a bright Summer's day, so I have been looking forward to enjoying the views from there for a while.

A walk up Skiddaw seemed like a great way to start the walks for 2014, so with the rains easing off, Claire and I set off from Keswick town centre - no sneaky drive to the car park at back of Latrigg for us!

I don't know if it is my imagination, but there seems to have been a fair amount of work done on the footpath up Skiddaw since my last ascent. We stopped briefly at the Hawell shepherds memorial for a glance back at the Helvellyn range with its dusting of snow, and looking ahead at the steep climb ahead of us.

The further you head upwards the views behind just get better and better so that is a good enough excuse for frequent stops. The higher up we got, the windier it also got, which was bearable for now but got pretty hairy later on.

From the main path we took the route up the short steep climb to the twin summits of Skiddaw Little Man, and its fantastic views back over Keswick to the south and Bassenthwaite Lake to the west.

From here it was a simple enough hike over to Skiddaw, but at this point the freezing wind was so strong, at times we had to simply stop still and wait for the gusts to pass. This meant the camera stayed firmly wedged in a pocket on the summit, and we so once again I missed out on the views from the top of the Northern Fells.

We carried on quickly across the high ground of the Skiddaw summit ridge, dropping sharply down to reach the top of Bakestall. It's funny how some of these fells look very insignificant when approaching from higher ground - for example Birks from St Sunday Crag, or Base Brown from Green Gable, yet when you reach the base of the fell they start to look like mighty crags, and Bakestall was no exception. Approaching from Skiddaw you ask yourself why this was included as a fell, but from the bottom the majestic rocks that build Bakestall tell a different story.

Here I was well and truly experiencing the Back o' Skidda for the very first time, on the Cumbria Way meandering alongside some of the rounded grassy fell-tops. A lovely place for a picnic stop and it was a real relief to be out of the howling winds. The walking here felt quite different to other parts of Lakeland, almost reminiscent of walking on the North York Moors - it felt tranquil and remote compared to the busy slopes of Skiddaw.

We followed the path as it swept past Skiddaw House, and through the mighty gorge between Lonscale Fell and Blencathra. I really enjoyed the views of Great Calva and Little Calva and this is a quiet part of the world I look forward to exploring.

Somehow the walk around Lonscale fell seemed really long and dusk was fast approaching, so it was time to get back to civilisation.

We had head torches with us and had we been out for another 15 minutes or so they would have been more than useful, but as it was we hit the outskirts of Keswick just as the last rays of daylight were disappearing.

Once again a highly enjoyable exploration of the Northern Fells and one of contrasts, with the crowded paths of Skiddaw giving way to the peace and tranquility of the Cumbria Way.

Grange Fell, Central Fells

2014-03-27T13:44:00.001-07:00

Looks like we had a lot of luck this Winter. We did this walk on the 31st December and the day started off quite horribly - heavy rain meant we didn't delay on our drive from Ambleside to Keswick for fear that the roads would flood - some side roads were already closed. We had then resigned ourselves to a day of looking around the shops and spending time in Booths and the Lakeland Pedlar, so all would not have been lost, but by around 1pm a hint of blue appeared in the sky and gradually the rain eased off.

We dashed back to the b&b and grabbed our waterproofs and boots and decided to head into the hills. With only a couple of hours' daylight left we decided to have a look around Grange Fell. After a drive along the Borrowdale road we parked up close to the Bowder Stone and set off. The actual Bowder Stone we have saved for another day. We were lucky to have made it along the road as shortly afterwards the Borrowdale road was closed for repairs.

We followed the route in the AW book, circumnavigating the base of Great End crag and into an enchanted woodland. I don;t tend to think of the Lakes in terms of ancient woodland but here and there you enter pockets of trees and it becomes very other-worldly - this walk is no exception as you climb the steep steps through the woods. Easy going up but a bit treacherous coming down!

Every now and again we stopped to catch our breath as the climb was very steep, and to turn around and enjoy the vista over Derwentwater that was opening up behind us.

Eventually the path levelled off, and we were on the rather lovely higher ground of Grange Fell. It is hard to spot a definitive summit and indeed there are a couple to choose from, strewn across the rocky studded ground.

Despite Wainwright's words imploring us to head up King's How to take in the views, time was not on our side and so we headed across the soggy ground to the Brund Fell summit and delightfully named Joppelty Howe.

From here we had some great views beyond Borrowdale right into the heart of the Lake District fells and across the Honister Pass towards the North Western and Western Fells.

On a longer day we might have continued along the path that to Joppelty Howe, back down and around the base of the fell taking in the Bowder Stone, but with not much daylight left it felt sensible to return via the same route, even though it meant coming down that very slippery rocky staircase. Rather oddly the only people we encountered on this walk was a family group, headed up the fell, and very late in the day. There's no way they would have finished their walk in daylight!

We got back to the car as dusk was falling, ready to head back to the bright lights of a New Year's Eve celebration in Keswick. Grange Fell was a real pleasure to discover and definitely a fell we shall be revisiting.

Taking The Wainwrights Onto The Fells

2014-03-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

Like many other walkers, I like to head out onto the fells, moors and dales well prepared. Normally I have a clear idea of the route I want to take and I have the full range of navigational aides stuffed into rucksac and pockets - maps, GPS, compass and usually a guide book. In the case of trips in the Lake District this inevitably means having a Wainwright Pictorial Guide in the pocket of my walking trousers ready to refer to at any given time.

Having done a fair amount of Lake District walks I have now embarked on visiting fells in each of the 7 regions that Wainwright divided the fells into, and every now and again I've taken a picture of the guidebook somewhere near the summit, so here I'm pleased to share with you my gallery of Wainwrights on the Fells.

Book One: The Eastern Fells - enjoying the sunny summit of Great Dodd

Book Two: The Far Eastern Fells - lounging on the High Street

Book Three: The Central Fells - guiding us up Grange Fell

Book Four: The Southern Fells - enjoying the panorama from Wetherlam

Book Five: The Northern Fells - the sights are set on Bannerdale Crags

Book Six: The North Western Fells - a wander up Wandope

Book Seven: The Western Fells - visiting Haystacks

Pike O' Blisco and Cold Pike

2014-02-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

If it's been a while since we had a couple of days in Ambleside, it's been even longer since we visited Great Langdale. Taking advantage of a day pass on the buses for the Central Lakes area meant travelling at leisure, not having to worry about finding a parking space and best of all on this occasion it meant being able to sample a pint at the Hiker's Bar at the The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, which is definitely one of the "must do's" in the Lakes.

This route takes in Pike O' Blisco and Cold Pike, exploring the southern fells of Great Langdale and offering fantastic views of the Langdale Pikes across Mickleden as we made our way up.

We took the route up Pike O' Blisco, via Wall End farm. This is an excellent route, a steady climb, along the Blea Tarn road and then a good path.

The scenery is varied meaning it stays interesting all the way. Not far from the summit are a couple of small scrambles which are fairly simple and fun to go up. Once we were on the summit, the wind picked up as usual.

There is a decent sized summit shelter, but a few people had settled in there and were looking very cosy and they didn't look like they were about to budge up and let us in, so after enjoying the views for a short time, we moved off the picturesque summit.

I sometimes wonder about fell etiquette - people who faff on taking endless pictures of the summit cairn or trig point, oblivious to any others patiently waiting to take a quick snap, or shelter hogs such as the crew we had just encountered.

Oh well, it was too windy for a picnic on high ground anyway, so we soon set off on the steep descent towards Red Tarn. The summit of Cold Pike had been shrouded in cloud for much of the walk so far but this was constantly shifting so we were hoping to to time the walk up to Cold Pike with a break in the cloud. From here we had some good views southwards towards the Coniston Fells.

Following the map and pictorial guide we somehow found ourselves on a path that was clearly non-existent, and headed across the marshy ground at the head of the tarn. We followed the wet ground straight up the side of Cold Pike and I am might suggest that on the forthcoming revision of the Pictorial Guides, that this fictional path be omitted!

We hit the high ground of Cold Pike and the cloud closed in again which made navigating this rocky summit fairly tricky. With three high points to choose from, I scrambled up a rock which I thought would be a summit, but soon realised there was plenty of higher ground around, so - although fun - and we soon made our way onto the "real" summits.

The cloud and cold meant once again this wasn't a summit to linger on, but fortunately the path heading over to Crinkle Crags is unmissable.

We followed this good path to an obvious junction and headed back down to Red Tarn with good views back across to Pike O' Blisco, and rejoined the route down from Pike O' Blisco which passes Stool End farm. We stopped at a lovely spot for a bite to eat alongside the gushing waters of Browney Gill before continuing the steep descent.

The descent was enjoyable, as the views of Great Langdale are stunning, and each step offered a new reward.

Even on the valley bottom there were rivers, bridges, stone walls and even a couple of deer grazing in a field for us to enjoy. Our timing was perfect with the bus due in an hour, so we headed into the legendary Hiker's Bar for a pint and a reflection on a wonderful Winter walk.

Lyke Wake Walk - a guest post

2014-02-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

Today's post comes from our esteemed walking partner and Lyke Wake Walk (LWW) veteran Dave. It is a report of a particularly arduous LWW which for reasons still unknown to me, we decided to do in January 2014, after a period of particular unpleasant weather.

Lyke Wake Walk crossing report
David Allen
January 2014
Departure: LWW stone at Ravenscar mast site, Friday 24/01/14 20:30hrs
Arrival: Sheepwash car park Osmotherley, Saturday 25/01/14 19:00hrs
Present: Claire Chapman, Tom Chapman and David Allen

This was not the first LWW crossing for any of the participants; I had previously completed the challenge on two occasions, in January 2012 and November 2013, both times taking the “traditional” west to east route. I also have an incomplete attempt on record, with my first ever attempt curtailed at the side of the A171 with the mast at Ravenscar in clear view... my body utterly destroyed by fatigue and wear & tear, unable to tackle the final push. Tom had also completed the challenge two times previously and this time would actually be Claire’s fifth crossing.

Driving into the Storm
After rendezvousing (is that even a word?) at the Sheepwash car park to leave Claire’s motor behind in Osmotherley, we made our way east in my car to Ravenscar. The weather was absolutely atrocious; challenging to drive in, never mind walk 42 miles. I began to fret. The conditions were so bad that as we drove toward the car park at Ravenscar, we could not see the radio mast at all.
I was feeling extremely daunted at this point; hugely uncertain as to whether we should go ahead with the crossing.

Hands on the Stone
We parked up and gathered ourselves together... inside the car, in order to delay the inevitable battering at the hands of Mother Nature. Once assembled, we briefly checked in at the LWW stone before getting on our way.
The first stretch from Ravenscar down to the main road was immediately challenging, with nightmarishly strong winds flinging hailstone horizontally into our faces. Once again, I had serious doubts over the wisdom of persevering.
After crossing the road we made our way toward Jugger Howe, with the conditions showing no sign whatsoever of any relent. In contrast to the usual miserable experience of Jugger Howe, this was an altogether more pleasant affair. For one, the descent and ascent came at a time that our legs were still feeling fresh. Furthermore, the valley actually brought momentary shelter from the blasting wind and rain.
Upon emerging from Jugger Howe the respite from the harsh conditions came to an abrupt end. Denied any shelter, the conditions seemed to worsen, with the wind, rain and hail now complemented by a thick mist, depleting visibility to only a few feet ahead.

Where is Lilla Cross?
The path over Burn Howe Rigg seemed to take an age to conquer, wading uphill into the strong headwinds through the treacle-like clay.
Farther along, the going underfoot became a little more manageable. One would ordinarily be able to see the cross on Lilla Howe in the distance but the darkness and foul conditions rendered this impossible. Frustratingly, a brief check of Tom’s GPS confirmed that we had in fact missed a turning point and had to double back on ourselves to the tune of 500m or so.
Once on the correct path we eventually, quite literally, stumbled upon Lilla Cross. With poor visibility and our eyes focussed purely on the ground immediately in front of our feet, we very nearly trudged straight past without even noticing it.

Decision Time
Lilla Cross marked something of a point of no return for me. To this point, I just could not shake the thought of turning around and heading back to the car. My coping mechanisms were being pushed to the limit. The weather forecast had predicted the rain would stop around midnight, but I just could not muster any shred of hope that this would be the case. I couldn’t take another sixteen hours of this. I asked Claire what she thought; would we be ok? She seemed happy enough to crack on so I resolved to push the doubts to the back of my mind and get on with it.

Negotiating Eller Beck
From the cross we were fortunate insofar as we were able to pick up and keep to the path across Lilla Rigg toward Eller Beck. Ironically, this section had previously proven extremely difficult to navigate in broad daylight, but at night and with terrible visibility we were able to cross it with relative ease.
It is worthy of mention that throughout this whole stretch, we were not able to see Fylingdales early warning station for as much as a single second.
Without pause we crossed the main road at Eller Beck Bridge and made our way towards the North Yorkshire Moors railway crossing. Sadly, this brought another unplanned deviation from our route, mistakenly taking a side path off to the right, resulting in a yomp straight across the knee-high heather to reconvene with the correct path.
It was sometime around here that the rain eased off. We stopped just before reaching the railway track to regroup and have a bite to eat. A sausage roll, Mars bar and bottle of water and I was good to go. For another 20 minutes or so at least...

Wheeldale's Sunken Stepping Stones
Onward to Simon Howe and over Howl Moor: this section, much like before, was characterised by abject drudgery; heads down with eyes intently fixed on the ground in front, digging deep within to muster the will to continue. Sadly, things would get far worse before they would were to improve...
Upon arriving at Wheeldale Beck we were confronted by a rather distressing sight; the high rainfall had seen the beck replaced by a raging torrential river, substantially wider than normal, with the stepping stones nowhere to be seen. I walked south down the bank to seek an alternative crossing point, to no avail. Tom consulted the map and spied a footbridge to the north, past Wheeldale Lodge and Hunt House Farm; yet another deviation from the route, but at least it meant we would be able to continue without getting soaked in the freezing waters. By my reckoning, this detour added an additional hour or so to our time.
Using Tom’s GPS (where would we be without it?) we found our way to the Roman Road and then up the bank to Wheeldale Road where we made another brief stop for a bite to eat.

The GPS Incident
Our next port of call was the crossing of Wheeldale Moor: a challenge we were hardly relishing. The path skirting Bumble Wood proved particularly horrid, with endless rocks and boulders to avoid in the dark, adding insult to the injury of all of the mud and water underfoot. By this point, Tom’s feet were soaked through so we made a brief stop so that he could wring out his socks. I took the opportunity to lie back among the heather and munch a vast quantity of Jelly Babies.
On we pushed. After another mile or so we stopped to consult the GPS when horror of horrors: It was no longer in Tom’s pocket!!! (Note: At this point my morale was at a low. I decided to leave the camera tucked away where it was and took no pictures on this LWW crossing. The images in this post had been taken on previous crossings/ Tom) Tom and Claire retraced our steps to try to find it. I opted to sit tight as I was beginning to struggle with fatigue and some rather nasty pain in my right knee.
I immediately began to regret my decision to stay put. I was alone, sat among the heather in the middle of nowhere. Tom and Claire’s headlamps vanished from sight, and all of a sudden I felt extremely spooked. Worse still, sitting still is not a good way to keep warm. I popped a couple of hand warmers into action, which provided all of 30 seconds of lukewarm respite, before fading into utter uselessness. I decided to walk slowly back down the path toward Tom and Claire, extremely mindful of the risk of losing my way. Visibility at this stage was still very poor so I was more than a little relieved to eventually see the headlamps making their way back toward me. Sadly however, the guys had been unable to find the GPS. This was a massive concern as it had proven to be damned near essential thus far. However, we reasoned that the path was relatively easy to follow from this point, and that it would begin to get light very soon, so we should be okay.

Bog, Glorious Bog!
The flaws in this logic were rudely exposed when we obliviously stumbled upon the Blue Man I’ Th’ Moss on our left hand side, meaning we had strayed somewhat from the correct path.
Onward, through the bogs of White Moor... The nagging pain in my knee was growing more and more troublesome, exacerbated by the constant repetitive lifting of the leg over stones and heather. Those nagging doubts in my mind grew louder as time passed...
By the time we reached the road at Hamer, daylight had broken. The pain in my knee was now almost unbearable, with any upward motion of my right leg proving extremely difficult. Not ideal when facing another yomp through heather, marsh and bogs! It was time for decisive action: 2 x paracetamol, 1 x codeine and 1 x diclofenac. The results were almost instantaneous; the pain subsided and free motion was restored, partially at least.
I’d been very worried about the state of the bogs of Rosedale Moor for most of the way. The majority of the route so far had been boggy enough, which together with the flooding of Wheeldale Beck led me to the conclusion that the notorious traditional bog stretch would be absolutely hellish. As it turns out, I need not have worried as the terrain was not much worse than usual. If anything, I have fared worse over these bogs in the past.
It was somewhere along this path that we happened upon three lads who were also doing the LWW, heading towards Ravenscar. They seemed like a nice bunch so we asked them to keep their eyes peeled for Tom’s GPS along their way. I gave one of the chaps my mobile number so that he could contact us in the (extremely doubtful) event that they might find it.

Back on Solid Ground
Upon reaching the terra firma of the main road at the end of the bogs I actually dropped to my knees and kissed the tarmac.
The walk in the general direction of the Lion Inn at Blakey seemed to take an age. We decided to bypass the Inn and take the recently restored footpath by Flat Howe and South Flat Howe. Considering our prior rotten luck with unplanned detours it was refreshing to redress the balance and take something of a shortcut.

Breezing it to Bloworth
Onto the long and winding disused railway track path toward Bloworth Crossing; this was the first time that I have walked this path during the daytime and the views really are rather pleasant. The twisting path does grow a little tedious, but by this stage, in broad daylight and with the sun threatening to break from behind the clouds, we were in reasonably high spirits.
We took another rest stop on a bank of heather by the side of the path when a farmer passed on a quad-bike. He stopped to chat in an accent that sounded more West Country than North Yorkshire. I barely understood a word he said; a combination of my tiredness and his accent saw the exchange fly over my head. I’m quite certain, however, that he thought we were mental. A few steps further on I noticed said quad-bike was leaving a steady trail of two-stroke all along the path. Nice one mate!

Time for another soaking!
Another fairly straightforward yomp, picking up with the Cleveland Way over Round Hill and Urra Moor. The heavens opened once again around this time, much to our joy. Fortunately the downpour didn’t last too long. The steep steps down to the road and then up again towards the Broughton Plantation played minor havoc with my gammy knee.
The footpath along the perimeter of the Plantation was, once again, a bloody nightmare of unrelenting deep slippery horrible mud. This was now beginning to get more than a little tiresome.
Very mindful that we were staring down the barrel of an over-20hr crossing we were keen to shave some time. We were shattered by this point and the idea of additional climbing was not particularly appealing.

The Carlton "dodge"
Tom identified an alternative path on the map which would see us avoid the ascent of Carlton Bank, instead cutting down through adjacent woodland. This “shortcut” was actually longer in distance than had we followed the Cleveland Way over the top, but avoiding the climb was of paramount importance to our sanity. We eventually reconvened with the Cleveland Way where we picked up the traditional route to Osmotherley...
With one exception... Making our way through the Coalmire Plantation we could taste the end of the ordeal. Yet somehow, we inexplicably conspired to take a path branching away from the Cleveland Way. In the darkness, we were unable to confirm our location on the map and without Tom’s trusty GPS, we found ourselves well and truly lost. For a moment, anyway... Yet another unplanned detour ensued as we made our way up a steep track in the futile hope that we were on the correct path. Sadly, we were not. We made our way back to our deviation point to recapture our bearings when we realised that we had turned from the track no more than 50 meters from a point where the correct route would have been abundantly clear. This latest and final blip was a massive kick in the teeth as we were all feeling immense strain by this point.
A final push up those agonisingly steep steps out of the woods was just about the final act of exertion I could muster, and the final walk along the roadside toward Scarth Wood Moor felt ten miles long. We were so tired upon arriving that not a single member of our group could muster the motivation to touch in with the LWW stone. We got back to the car around 7pm – some twenty two and a half hours after departing from Ravenscar!

Osmotherley - the Aftermath
We spent the evening in the Golden Lion in Osmotherley and enjoyed the obligatory deconstruction of the events of the previous 24 hours. Unfortunately, I grew a little green at the gills and was a little “poorly” after a mere half a pint of ale! No matter, a switch to soft drinks and a bellyful of burger, fries and sticky toffee pudding had me feeling as right as rain (no pun intended) in no time.
So that was it... Another LWW under our collective belt. It felt very strange to complete the walk without once seeing the mast at Ravenscar or the early warning station at Fylingdales – usually fairly constant views on the horizon for long stretches of the walk. Bewilderingly, I did not pick up as much as a sore toe, let alone the usual crop of savage blisters. I attribute this to the Meindl boots that kept my feet supported, comfortable and bone-dry throughout. Honorary mention must also go to the effectiveness of my (very cheap) waterproofs; both trousers and jacket were of the bargain bin pac-a-mac variety and for the most part managed to keep me dry, even in the face of the occasionally brutal weather conditions.
There is not a lot of humorous anecdote in this account; there was precious little to laugh at. The low points on this occasion far outnumbered the high. The conditions made this one of the most gruelling physical challenges of my life, and not a one that I am keen to repeat. It will be quite some time before I tackle another January LWW crossing. At least not for another 11 months or so...

Epilogue
I received a text message late on the Saturday evening from a lad called Joe, one of the group that we’d bumped into heading in the opposite direction on the walk. They had found Tom’s GPS! So Tom was reunited with his trusty friend the very next day, proving that all’s well that ends well. If you find yourself reading this – thanks Joe!!!