Archive for the 'Lakes Escapes' Category

Bloggers’ Meet, June 2007 – Part 4 – Sunday

Posted by on June 16th 2007 in Bloggers' Meet, Great Escapes, Lakes Escapes, Wildcamping
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As is pretty normal for me, I didn't sleep much. I snatched a few hours after midnight but woke briefly at about 3am. After a few minutes of taking in the starry sky I slept again until about 4:30am when Lay started taking down his tent. After that I dozed for another hour and then got up and out. Lay was gone but the others were all still snoring away happily.

The sun wasn't quite over the horizon so I made a brew and decided to go out for a circuit of the tarn to get some pics in the early light while the others were still asleep. The tarn was flat-calm for most of the time and the reflections of the sky and fells were impressive. At the head of the tarn I found a couple of good wildcamping spots away from the main track and with decent running water nearby. Rounding one of the moraines I disturbed a heron which was fishing in the shallows. Later in the morning we would sit and watch it being mobbed by some of the seagulls that were in residence at the other end of the tarn.

I completed the circuit to find that some of the others were up and about. Darren was still in his doss-bag so I started off a brew for him and let him finish the job himself. John didn't appear for some time, was it because he was pacing himself, or was he just fed up of our company? 🙂 Anyway, the conscious members of the group started where we had left off the night before... more chat and banter, more brews and food, more photos.

It didn't take long for the day to start to heat up, there were a few light clouds around but for the most part it was very hot. There was general agreement that we should retreat to the safety of the Miller Howe Cafe again, so we packed up, checked that our site was tidy and clean, then set off down Easedale towards Grasmere.

Grasmere was a hive of activity - the place was full of runners and spectators gathered for the "Grasmere Gallop", which is described as "7+ miles over roads, timber trails and footpaths around the spectacular scenery of Grasmere and Rydal lakes". I decided not to join in, as I had errantly left my plimsolls and lycra bodysuit at home, so instead I went for a fried breakfast and a decent cuppa, inside the cafe this time because the sun was just too hot outside and the crowds were hogging the pavement.

Then it was time to start saying our goodbyes, first to John, who was off to other parts of the district for the next few days, then to Duncan who was steeling himself for the long drive back up to Scotland. Darren and Dawn kindly gave me a lift back to my car where we parted company after Darren had been presented with a small token of our appreciation.

So it was back to the tarmac for the drive back home, taking back the memories of a great time spent in the good company of a new group of friends.

 

Lilies and reeds

 

Howes Ridge reflected

 

Morning haze

 

Returning through Easedale

So, now my tally of “Wainwrights” is 160 (not counting repeats), which leaves 54 still to do. I'll update the maps ASAP and do a post-trip round-up sometime soon.

Bloggers’ Meet, June 2007 – Part 3 – Saturday afternoon/evening

Posted by on June 15th 2007 in Bloggers' Meet, Great Escapes, Lakes Escapes, Wildcamping
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We pick up the story at the ever popular Miller Howe Cafe. The others were keen to be off up the Easedale path, but I was still taking on fluids after the exertions of the morning, so I stayed sat down for a while longer to sup up. Lay waited for me while the others went ahead, then we went off in pursuit of the others. It was a good opportunity for a chat about the new forum board and the ways that it could be developed.

Certainly the chinwagging helped the miles pass quicker - in what seemed like a very short time we had passed Brimmer Head Farm and had just got to the top of the first rise when we found Darren chilling in the shade of a tree aside Sourmilk Gill. Nobody was in any rush to be anywhere special, so we all sat there for ages recharging body and mind, there was a lot to talk about, and it was an idyllic place to linger. Many folk passed by on the way up, all were polite, some were appropriately dressed and kitted out, none of them looked as though they had been on an exercise bike or a rowing machine or similar such device.

Passing the waterfalls we found a group of folk that had just been skinny-dipping in the plunge-pool. Judging by the frantic pulling-on of clothes by the young ladies, I reckon we had got there just a couple of minutes too late to take pictures.

We carried on up and over the last rise to be met by a fantastic view of Easedale Tarn. This is an excellent place to come to see glacial features - moraines, tiered hanging-valleys, corrie-walls, scoured side-walls, glacial striations etc.. There was no sign of the others, but from where we were, we couldn't see the full length of the path as it weaved between moraines. There was a quiet spot a few hundred yards along the shore, so we sauntered over to it, dropped the packs and discussed our options for the evening. Darren seemed happy to stay in Easedale, I could have gone up to Codale but was so impressed with my surroundings that I decided to stay and keep Darren company, Lay seemed keen to go on up but he was concerned about Darren. Anyway, we lugged the kit over to a more secluded grassy flat-spot a bit further on, and got a brew on. Lay went off without his pack, I thought he was off on one of his photo-shoots until we saw him a long way off striding up towards Belles Knott on the way up to Codale.

We had some time to kill before we could pitch, so we lounged about taking in the scenery, took some pics and tried a bit of bouldering on a huge rock that reminded me of an elephant seal (vivid imagination required).

Eventually Lay returned - he had found the others up in Codale, and told us that they were coming back down (except for Geoff, who was happy to stay pitched there). We started pitching when we saw the others on the track down, and soon we were reunited and back into the campsite routine, then it was back to the banter, the cameras and the bouldering. The evening meals were accompanied by some in-depth chats about "current affairs", a short session of poetry-reading by Duncan, jokes about buffs (Darren was presented with one, a gift from Spiritburner, but he refused to try it on), and many opinions on many topics were aired. Duncan passed around the sake and the roasted seaweed - top stuff, that.

Darkness started to fall and one by one the others retired, leaving me and Duncan chatting away for a while longer, discussing matters of much import and trying to identify the features of the night sky, but eventually it was time for a final tick-check, ablutions and goodnights.

It had been a good day.

 


Lay and Darren

 


Contemplation

 


Rock in profile

 


Rays and reflections

Nearly finished - just one more part to come - hang in there!

Bloggers’ Meet, June 2007 – Part 2 – Saturday morning

Posted by on June 13th 2007 in Bloggers' Meet, Great Escapes, Lakes Escapes, Wildcamping
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The morning was bright with clear skies, there was a heavy dew which left the big red slug looking like it had been in a downpour. After checking inside for leaks and excess condensation (none were found), I took a few pics of the hills beyond Grasmere from inside the bivvy. Then the Jetboil was deployed for a brew while I wriggled out and finished dressing.

None of the others were awake, and all was silent except for their snoring and the whining of a lamb on the other side of the tarn, so I decided to go for a wander with the camera to get a few pics of the surrounding fells.

About an hour later, Lay emerged and strolled over through the damp grass to tell me that Duncan was pitched up next to him and was sound asleep.The lighting conditions and the misty layers in the valleys were making the surrounding fells look awesome, so we decided to gain a bit of height and take some pics from above the tarn, while discussing our objectives for the day. I had decided to go up to the top of Stone Arthur before the hike over to the pitch for the second night. Lay was leaving his decision until he had consulted the others.

Some time later the others started to regain consciousness and exit their shelters, so I started back down to them while Lay kindly volunteered to go higher up to scan for a route that contoured around from our pitch to Stone Arthur. When he returned to the camp to report no such route, we were well into breakfast.

After packing away the kit, I left the others and went off to tackle Stone Arthur while they broke camp and headed back down to the cafe in Grasmere. The absence of a contouring path meant losing a lot of height before getting to the slopes of Stone Arthur, and the sight of the steep bracken-clad lower slopes was daunting, not so much because of the gradient, but more because of the exposure to ticks.

Anyway, I dropped down the zigzag path from Alcock Tarn to a spot just above a small reservoir and found a path that followed Greenhead Gill up towards a large, impressive lone rowan tree (at the confluence of Rowantree Gill, would you believe?). From there I took a beeline up through the bracken and gained the main path up Stone Arthur a few hundred yards below the summit crags. The view from the summit cairn was impressive, my pics don't do it any justice at all. I could see two of our party just reaching the bottom of the zigzag path that I had descended earlier, so I set off in not-so-hot pursuit, as the sun was unrelenting and there was no breeze to aid cooling.

The lower reaches of the path back to Grasmere were in a bad state, but work had been started to repair it - alongside (and often in the middle of) the path there were many sacks full of local boulders, waiting for skilled hands to assemble them into a decent (if unnatural) rocky stairway. Right at the bottom of the path I found a sign informing passers-by of the rules and regs governing the use of off-road vehicles at Garburn Pass... err... nope, can't figure that one either.

A short while later I caught up with the others at the Miller Howe Cafe. After taking on food and fluids, we made ready for the afternoon walk up Easedale to the intended overnight spot at Codale Tarn.

 


The early morning view from the big red slug

 


Alcock Tarn from above

 

Helm Crag from Greenhead Gill

 


Looking back to Alcock Tarn from Stone Arthur

To be continued...

Bloggers’ Meet, June 2007 – Part 1 – Friday afternoon/evening

Posted by on June 12th 2007 in Bloggers' Meet, Great Escapes, Lakes Escapes, Wildcamping
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Friday afternoon... the normal dash up the A5 and the M6, confounding the speed-cameras and cursing at selfish drivers who persist in sitting in the middle or third lane doing 65 when the inside lane is devoid of traffic... why do they get irate when I go past them on their left? They are the ones that have the problem - just drive in the correct lane, you eejuts!

To be fair, the drive up was much better that usual, there were no roadworks, no hold-ups for accidents, no detours. Stopped off at the services for some grub, texted the others but only got an answer from John, who was in Kendal. I arranged to pick him up at Windermere railway station, so it was back to the tarmac and foot down to get to him asap.

When I got there, John had been joined by Geoff. Their kit was bundled in the back, handshakes were exchanged all round and off to Grasmere we went.

We dumped the car for a while next to the now-defunct Tourist Information Centre while we went off to get some bits of gear. While snacking again at the Miller Howe Cafe, Darren and Dawn arrived, more handshakes ensued then we were off to start the trudge up to Alcock Tarn.

As forecast, the weather has hot, sunny and settled, so the walk up was a sweaty affair, but it was worth it. We sat about for a while next to the tarn, waiting for the evening so that we could get pitched. After all was sorted, we spent the evening shooting the breeze, taking on carbs and wielding cameras. Some of the sadder attendees were caught doing some covert blogging!

The others retired early, but I stayed up to enjoy the scenery and the changing light. Lay arrived as the light was failing, after he had set up we both stood watch until about 11pm waiting for Duncan, but he was running a bit late so we retired. An hour later, Duncan arrived, but being a lazy git I stayed put in the big red slug, watching stars and satellites in a totally clear night sky for a long, long time. I managed to get an hour of sleep before the daylight returned.

Great Rigg from Alcock Tarn

Dusk over Grasmere

Jaggedy rocks

A lonely tree

 

Stay tuned for the next instalment - featuring the bit where BG goes up while the others slope off down to the cafe for breakfast!

How wrong can the weather forecasters be?

Posted by on May 15th 2007 in Annual Wildie, Great Escapes, Lakes Escapes, Wildcamping
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The forecast for our wildcamping weekend was a point for concern. All of the sources were telling us to expect shed-loads of rain, low temperatures and lightning. I'm happy to report that the forecasts were well wide of the mark. Friday afternoon was warm and sunny, the night was a bit rainy, Saturday started misty but soon cleared to a sunny day with a light breeze. A little overnight rain was soon dried out by glorious sunshine on Sunday morning. Because the forecasts had deterred a lot of walkers, for the main part we had the hills to ourselves. Excellent!

Details of our route are as follows:

    • Friday: Parked up outside the Police Station at the Glenridding Tourist Information Centre and bought a 48-hour ticket
    • Took the steamer "Raven" to Howtown
    • Bonscale Pike 1718ft
    • Overnight camp next to the Swarth Beck sheepfold
    • Saturday: Arthur's Pike 1747 ft
    • Loadpot Hill 2201ft
    • Wether Hill 2210ft
    • High Raise 2634ft
    • Rampsgill Head 2581ft
    • Kidsty Pike 2560ft
    • The Knott 2423ft
    • Satura Crag
    • Overnight camp on the shore of Angle Tarn
    • Sunday: Patterdale via Boardale Hause
    • Glenridding via lakeshore and roadside paths

 

We had intended to go up High Street, Rest Dodd and The Nab, but Chris was struggling with her breathing and we didn't want to risk her having problems with her asthma, so we dropped down and took things easy.

Suffice to say that we had a great time, apart from the tick menace (they were mostly small black beasties about 2mm across, but we saw a few evil-looking brown and red ones that were over 5mm across). We tested out some of our new kit, got sunburn, took far too many photos (over 240), saw lots of wildlife and had fantastic views in all directions.

My tally of "Wainwrights" is now 159 (not counting repeats), which leaves 55 still to do. This keeps me on course for breaking the record for the slowest ever "casual compleation" of the famous 214

I've whittled down the photo-stash to a paltry 82(!) which I'll embed in a handful of posts later. Here are a few to whet the appetite:

 

The head of Ullswater

 

Swarthbeck sheepfold - the pitch for the first night

 

Looking back down the High Street path

 

Thornthwaite Crag

 

Reeds and rocks at Angle Tarn

 

Angle Tarn in the morning light

OM Eskdale Meet 20th – 22nd April 2007

Posted by on April 24th 2007 in Great Escapes, Lakes Escapes
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Another excellent meet. A curious blend of good company, mixed weather and excessive alcohol consumption, with some walking thrown in just for good measure.

The drive-up on Friday with Sam was punctuated with several stops, first for a piccy session just after leaving the M6, second came a mini shopping-session at Ambleside (where we met Kate) and finally we had a mini-break at Hard Knott, where Kate told us how to cheat death if lazing about in a laconicum.

Sam and Kate at Hardknott Fort

 

After we finished pitching the tents, Kate looked up to the local peak and announced that it looked like there was a nipple at the top. According to Wainwright and the O.S., said height is named Great Barrow, but henceforth it will be referred to as Kate's Nipple, in honour of our learned friend.

Kate's Nipple (AKA Great Barrow, Eskdale)

 

Friday evening was spent at the pub and later we grouped around the campfire to talk shop (and sheep).

Despite having great plans for Saturday, Messrs Guinness and Glenfiddich conspired to afflict my morning, so I had an excellent chill-out half-day on-site with Ian and A instead.

Too much alcohol! (thanks to Jamie Bassnett for the piccy)

 

Unusual cloud formations over an unseen Scafell Massif

 

Mike tempted us up to a windswept and desolate Devoke Water for an afternoon stroll, which was enough to purge the alcohol from my system.

Ian and A take a break at Washfold Point

 

After another short pub session we got back to the campfire to exchange tales of the day's exploits, then retired as the rain started.

All plans for Sunday were washed away by the rain. It was tempting to walk through the gloom but we didn't fancy walking miles to get to a cairn on a hill without a view, so we went back to the gear-shops of Ambleside and then headed home.

Ironically, the weather was glorious at my place, so I managed to dry the tent etc. before taking Sam to the station for the final leg of his journey home.
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