Dove Crag, Fairfield & St Sunday Crag

Sunday 28th May 2006

This was a great walk with a mix of weather, but that ended with gorgeous sunshine and stunning views. I started by walking up Patterdale to Hartsop and then crossed the valley to join the woodland path alongside Brothers Water. This was an enjoyable walk to start the day under the trees that lead into the epic grandeur of Dovedale. The towering cliffs all around me were a great sight for the walk up the valley, but then it started raining. After my waterproofs were donned I left the path and headed straight for Dove Crag. The rain was making things a little treacherous but I still tried scrambling up the stones and scree at the foot of the buttress.

I was looking for the Priest's Hole, but I had no idea how to get to the small opening in the hillside, so I guessed and tried aiming for an opening high up in a gulley. This would have been a difficult scramble in the best of conditions, but it was raining and water was pouring down the gully. After almost killing myself I finally came to my senses (and realised the opening I'd seen earlier probably wasn't the cave) I equally dangerously descended the gully back down. In a stroke of perfect timing the rain then stopped and the sun came out enabling me to safely reach the bottom where I rounded the buttress and walked below the huge crag towards the main path onto the felltop.

I had tried to find the cave and I couldn't find it so I gave up, but while walking up to the summit of Dove Crag I came across a path that headed towards and across the cliff face. It suddenly occurred to me that the cave was not at the foot of the cliff as I had supposed but half way up. Annoyed at my aimless wandering around earlier I followed the path to the side of the crag and straight up to the Priest's Hole. It doesn't go far back but would keep you dry in bad weather and comes equipped with a rusty box equipped with supplies like a box of matches and a bottle of vodka.

After taking a load of pictures I went back down the path and up onto the top of Dove Crag. Touching the summit cairn I turned around and followed the clear path beside a wall off the fell and on to Hart Crag. The heavens opened once again and clouds descended as I approached the summit so I had no view as I ate my lunch in the rain, but as soon as I had finished my lunch the rain stopped and the clouds lifted. After lunch, while listening to the Monaco Grand Prix on the radio, I descended the ridge towards Hartsop-over-How. I had no intention of going along this ridge however, and once down the initial steep rocky section I turned left and descended steeply into Link Cove. With impressive crags all around me I crossed the cove and climbed up to the furthest tip of the ridge, the Step.

To stunning views and perfect weather I made my ascent of the Step and was astonished by the voracity of the wind that suddenly buffeted me seemingly springing from nowhere. Struggling against this wind I climbed onto the high plateau of Fairfield skirting the edge of the cliff all the way up to the summit. Last time I was there it had been eight o'clock in the evening on Good Friday towards the end of a long, tiring day. I had missed out the summit on that visit despite never having before been on Fairfield in clear weather. On this walk I was able to enjoy clear views from the summit at the much more sensible time of three o'clock in the afternoon. With stunning views in gorgeous sunshine and powerful winds I left Fairfield and descended over Cofa Pike to Deepdale Hause. Despite the strong winds I sprang down the rocky slope enjoying the narrow ridge.

Climbing over St Sunday Crag I veered off to Gavel Pike in order to enjoy the stunning views of the surrounding fells from this viewpoint. Coming off Gavel Pike I rejoined the main path from St Sunday Crag and headed for Birks, branching off the main path to reach this Wainwright that I had always previously missed out. I was now having a tremendous time in the sunshine as I descended the steep grassy slopes to Arnison Crag. With more incredible views than I surely deserve, I passed over this Wainwright and descended through bracken all the way down to Patterdale. This was a stunning end to a stunning day.