Winter-walking around Ullswater – Part 1

Posted by @ 2:01 pm on Wednesday 28th January, 2009.

Friday saw us battling the traffic on the A5 & M6 to reach Patterdale Youth Hostel at a reasonable time. After skirmishes with feckwit drivers who have somehow achieved "Highway Code Not Applicable" status, and hold-ups due to temporary road-closures (due to accidents, no doubt caused by more feckwits in the aforementioned category), we managed to miss the evening meal. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Friday night was a cold night in the hostel, I would have been warmer sleeping in the car. In the morning we found out that the warden had forgotten to turn on the heating. Fan-bloody-tastic again.

Saturday's breakfast was a downer - it seems that the standard YHA breakfast no longer features bacon. It does, however, feature a strange yellow mulch that is reputed to be scrambled egg. It wasn't. It was shite. Fan-bloody-tastic yet again.

The weekend was beginning to turn sour. We dressed for action and made our way to the quarry car-park just outside Dockray. A final check of the gear before heading off revealed that Ella had forgotten to fill her water-bottle... Fan-bloody-tastic in spades.

It wasn't going well, but we made peace and set off up the track towards Hart Side...

 

Ella on the stepless stile

 

Looking up towards Common Fell and beyond

 

Looking back towards Great Mell Fell

 

Just beyond Round How we found a source of clean unfrozen water. While Ella repacked her filled bottle, the clouds over Glenridding started to break, allowing the sun to reach the ripples on Ullswater:

 

The head of Ullswater

 

Ullswater panorama

 

We pushed on through the deepening snow at a good pace until we reached the section between Swineside Knott and the wall, where the the snow was waist-deep in places. Care was needed to avoid breaking through the slab into the soft stuff beneath:

 

Slow progress below Swineside Knott

 

At the corner of the wall we made snow-seats and took a snack-break. The view over the wall merited a few more pics:

 

Place Fell

 

The head of Ullswater again

 

We trudged up to the small top of Brown Hills where we deployed the Bothy4 and sat in the snow to make a brew and cook lunch. While we were there, the clouds cleared and the sun lit up the landscape:

 

Sheffield Pike

 

The approach to Hart Side

 

Glenridding Fells panorama

 

After lunch we made our way over to the summit of Hart Side. Ella managed to find most of the snow-covered pits:

 

Ninja Lemming

 

A helping hand

 

Lengthening shadows from Hart Side summit

 

We stopped at the top to play in the snow and to chat to a family who had arrived a while before us, but before long it was time to leave:

 

Far Eastern Fells panorama

 

Leaving the top of Hart Side

 

Our return route took us over the tops of the hills that we had skirted on the way up. On the way, we found some impressive areas of wind-sculpted snow:

 

 

 

After that, the clouds returned and the view back towards Helvellyn was a tad gloomy:

 

Looking back towards Helvellyn

 

but there was still some clear sky about on the way to Common Fell:

 

Ella on the route to Common Fell

 

and the sunlight on Blencathra was a stunning sight:

 

Blencathra

 

That was the last time I used the camera that day, but the fun didn't stop there. After crossing Common Fell we decided to leave the ridge-path and take a more direct route back to the car. We found many steep iced-over drifts which were perfect for self-arrest practice, glissading or just rolling down the slopes. Some of the cornices were fun - quite low and safe, so we just jumped through them and slid down to the bottom. When we reached the car we were frosted-up, but we were happy.

Back at base we found that the heating was on, so I didn't have to "sort out" the warden. We dried our kit, made ourselves presentable, and booked an evening meal at the hostel. A tad expensive, but it was good food. Ella was too knackered to go to the pub, so we dossed in the common-room, warmed by the open log-fire and by hot chocolate, before having an early night in preparation for Sunday's walk...

13 Responses to “Winter-walking around Ullswater – Part 1”

  1. Gordy says:

    Splendid! (And about time.) Shame about the breakfast. A good feed always gives you extra legs.

    My favourite was the one of the kindly old tramp helping the lassie through the snow. 😀

  2. BG! says:

    Originally Posted By Gordy
    My favourite was the one of the kindly old tramp helping the lassie through the snow. 😀

    LMAO!

    TBH, he can be a right PITA. Wherever I go, he's always there. He's not that bad, though - he carries all my gear, prepares food, takes the odd photo... 😉

  3. Fan-bloody-tastic images, so a baconless start was definitely worth it. If the warden's cooking is as good as his organisational skills, he done yer a favour.

    Good to see you last night. But ffs, Guiness shandy? :alien:

  4. BG! says:

    @LotC - I drink the Guinness, the kindly old tramp gets the lemonade. It's the least I can do for the chap. :evilgrin:

    Cheers for the beers, LotC. Let me know when you've a mind to sample the ales at our local.

  5. Martin Rye says:

    All I have to add is I liked that a lot. The hills looked great and you got a view...so a good trip indeed.

  6. Dawn says:

    Fantastic photos as usual. Wonderful looking weather. :drool: The black troggle climbing out of the ground was interesting 😮 . Rare beasts those :heh:

  7. Scott says:

    Cracking stuff. I almost feel slightly guilty saying how much I enjoyed them, bearing in mind all your "fan-bloody-tastic"s in the write up.

    I say the trip was well worth the hassle.

    😉

  8. Robin Evans says:

    Very atmospheric photos. Lokk forward to more

  9. BG! says:

    @Robin Evans - Sadly, the next day was a bit of a downer for taking pics.

  10. Mike Knipe says:

    Didn't find me blue overtrousers did you? I seem to have left them at Dockray a couple of weeks ago.... (dhuhhh)
    We seem to have done some of the same hills...

  11. BG! says:

    @Mike Knipe - Sorry, no luck with the overtrews, Mike. If you'd told me in advance, I'd have asked Ella to start digging 🙂

  12. Kenny says:

    Thoroughly enjoyed this wee expedition and its follow up.

    Some great photos as well...especially that of the ninja lemming...but that's probably my warped sense of humour (LOL). Sympathize with the plight as I did that a few times myself on Sunday.

    All the best

    Ken

  13. BG! says:

    Cheers, Ken.

    I kept telling her to walk on the grassy stuff, but, being a teenager, she thought that she knew better. She did start to avoid the deep stuff later, after an encounter with a small but deep snow-covered tarn 🙂

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