Sunday 30th November 2008
This final walk of my short holiday in the Lake District involved a cracking climb up a spectacular valley to the high moorland top of Knott and then a traverse of the hills to the top of High Pike. The weather, as it had been the previous day, was fabulous: bitterly cold but with gorgeous bright sunshine, clear blue skies and stunning snow-covered scenery. I began my walk from the tiny village of Fell Side on the northern edge of the Lake District where I set off down a track into the valley of the Dale Beck. Crossing the stream by a footbridge I continued up the path deeper into the secluded valley where signs of former mining activity could be seen dotted around, particularly on the steep watercourse I was heading for. After passing by several ravines I made my way towards the most intimidating of them all, Roughton Gill, a dark, steep and rocky watercourse that is highly recommended by Wainwright himself. Climbing up to the foot of the ravine my path faded to leave me with a rough scramble up the stream, which was a situation made triply hard by the large amount of the water coming down the stream at this time of the year and the ice that was liberally sprinkled throughout the course of the stream.
Despite my best efforts to keep as close to the stream as possible, at one point I had to climb onto the hillside high above the stream in order to get past a particularly troublesome and spectacular looking obstacle of ice and rock. I had enormous fun trying to climb that ravine and enjoyed every moment, but I think it would have been more enjoyable in the summer when there was no ice and considerably less water in the stream. Then, I’m sure one could follow the stream-bed all the way up the ravine, which is an endeavour well worth undertaking, hopefully at some point in the not to distant future. Above the cascades in the rocky ravine, the stream meandered through a small valley and the path meandered with it constantly swapping sides as the stream zigzagged across the high terrain until eventually it split into many smaller streams and into the marshland on the hilltop. Here my fun ended as I made a tiresome trek through the snow and heather across the featureless and pathless terrain up to the top of my final Wainwright in the Northern Fells, Knott.
After celebrating my achievement by taking loads of pictures of my stunning surroundings I set off along a faint path across the top of the hill and down the hillside on the left to cross Grainsgill Beck. The paths in this area are usually very wet, but fortunately on this day they were all frozen so I had little problem traversing them, which is why I had deliberately come at this time of the year. My only previous visit to this area of the Lake District was in January of this year, when the paths were also frozen. After my tiring effort to get up to the top of Knott through pathless heather, these paths were an absolute breeze as I almost sailed along the clear paths in perfect weather. On the other side of the stream the clear paths led me the way all the way up to the top of High Pike where the clear weather afforded me with stunning views of the northern fells all around me and across the grassy slopes of High Pike that fall to the plains north of the Lake District.
After celebrating my achievement by taking loads of pictures of my stunning surroundings I set off along a faint path across the top of the hill and down the hillside on the left to cross Grainsgill Beck. The paths in this area are usually very wet, but fortunately on this day they were all frozen so I had little problem traversing them, which is why I had deliberately come at this time of the year. My only previous visit to this area of the Lake District was in January of this year, when the paths were also frozen. After my tiring effort to get up to the top of Knott through pathless heather, these paths were an absolute breeze as I almost sailed along the clear paths in perfect weather. On the other side of the stream the clear paths led me the way all the way up to the top of High Pike where the clear weather afforded me with stunning views of the northern fells all around me and across the grassy slopes of High Pike that fall to the plains north of the Lake District. 
After a rest at the summit on a seat that incongruously finds itself at this point I headed down off the fell across the wide expansive, grassy hillside following a path that was clear in the snow and led me all the way down to Fell Side, past the many evidences of the former Caldbeck mines on Fellside Brow. I was back at my car by lunchtime as I wanted to visit my brother on the way home, but this was still a really enjoyable walk with the weather helping me to make the most of a relatively quiet corner of the Lake District. A thin covering of snow, clear blue skies and mist in the valleys made for a beautiful and serene picture that was an utter joy to walk in. This was a lovely end to a wonderful couple of days in the Lake District when the weather was just perfect for walking.
On returning to the riverside path I headed towards the east ridge through the frost and snow to the foot of this fearsome looking edge, where on closer examination I found that all scrambling could be easily avoided, but if I wanted to I could go out of my way to find as many scrambling opportunities as I wanted while climbing the ridge. On occasions the snow and ice persuaded me to stick to the path but near the top I was half up a sheer cliff face before fear got the better of me, however by this time I was committed and soon I realised that the easiest way out of my terrifying situation was to continue to climb, so up I went on my shaking hands and knees until I reached flatter, safer ground. Back on my feet I made my way up the gentle slope to the summit of Bannerdale Crags. 
When I could finally tear myself away from the view, I started heading back towards Atkinson Pike, bypassing Hallsfell Top, and traversing the snow-clad slopes below. Dropping even further below Atkinson Pike I came onto the dreary Mungrisdale Common, which is a monotonous moorland north of Blencathra that is unfathomably and unfortunately, a Wainwright. Having just been up one of the best of the Wainwrights I was now going across what is indisputably the worst Wainwright. I was so bored while traversing the Common that I started counting all the fells around me to try and decide whether I had been up all of them and I came to a surprising discovery. If you include the couple of days I spent in the Lake District at the beginning of the year I had been up almost every Wainwright in the Northern Fells this year. The exceptions were Knott (which I went up the next day) and Skiddaw Little Man (which I went up 
At Carl Side, another Wainwright, I rested and surveyed the views across Derwent Water and the whole of the Lake District. There is simply nothing better with such exceptional views. Reluctantly I turned around and began to climb up Skiddaw taking the widest path that gradually climbs the interminable scree on its way up to the summit. I had been up Skiddaw only once before 
On reaching this gap I walked through it and climbed up the fell on the right side of the pass, onto the eloquently named Great Cockup. There are some brilliant names in this area, but this one has got to be the best, with Trusmadoor a close second. On reaching the summit I stopped to have my lunch and then returned to the fantastic Trusmadoor. Now I went up the fell on the other side of the pass, Meal Fell, which sports a fascinating collection of cairns and shelters with a few ponds in between. My course continued along the ridge and up the steep, stark, grassy slopes of Great Sca Fell, where any similarity with its more famous namesake is totally absent, for aside from their name, there is absolutely no similarity between them. The weather turned grey and windy as I walked down the hill from the summit of Great Sca Fell and while passing over Little Sca Fell it started hailing. Fortunately the bombardment was short lived and I was able to comfortably walk across to my fourth Wainwright of the day, Brae Fell. 
On reaching Stanage Edge I ensured that I was at the actual end of the edge where signs of ancient quarrying could be found before I began my trek down the entire length of the edge. The weather was great for this walk and I had a wonderful time passing the trig point at High Neb (458m), the highest point on Stanage Edge. On reaching a bridlepath I dropped off the edge back down to the road and down the hill through farmland back into Hathersage. My thoughts immediately after doing the walk were that I should do that sort of thing more often, and as we shall see I did. However, I did express a doubt that was repeated only last summer: I was frustrated with all the travelling I had to do. Despite this I really enjoyed the walk and it ensured that I would still be walking for pleasure ten years later.
This large cave, perched high above the valley, has been a personal demon for many years. A long time ago I visited the Manifold Valley while youth hostelling in the area with a youth group and went up to see Thor’s Cave. While I was up there, some friends and I decided it would be fun to explore a hole in the side of the cave which led out into the wood where we descended steeply back down the hillside. For some reason I chose to slide all the way down the hill on my backside and got myself covered in mud in the process. Ever since, I have had some trepidation with Thor’s Cave, but on this day I managed to exorcise those demons by going up and actually coming back down still standing up! The walk continued on a path opposite Thor’s Cave that climbed steeply out of the valley through a delightful wood up to the village of Grindon and from there we continued across Grindon Moor past the 374m trig point at the top of the moor. The walk ended with a stroll down the hill back into the village of Butterton. This was a great, fun walk that, although short, showed off varying aspects of the Staffordshire Moorlands on the southern edge of the Peak District. After this trip I was eager to return to the Peak District and 
Continuing up the river I was determined to reach High Force (that is actually my Father standing in the way of the picture), another waterfall further upstream that I hadn’t seen last year. With a lot of encouragement I managed to get my Mother along the wet and muddy paths to the wider and more expansive, higher waterfall. Awed by the sight, I took loads of photos while my parents waited apprehensively on the opposite bank, not wanting to copy my daring crossing of the river. With my goal satisfied we returned to the car park, taking a path that crossed the lower slopes of Gowbarrow Fell; the moorland was a delightful contrast to the woodland paths beside the river, though markedly muddier, much to my Mother’s consternation. The weather during our short walk was surprisingly clear as the clouds began to lift soon after we started walking. I guess in view of how the weather later developed on this holiday, we were fortunate as the weather soon deteriorated again once we set off again towards Scotland. 
It was really frustrating for me to be in the Lake District in such perfect weather and yet not go for a walk. While we were there, my father asked me whether I preferred walking in the Lake District or Scotland, and the truth is that the Lake District wins every time. I like walking in Scotland, I have done some absolutely fabulous walks there over the years, but in the long run they don’t have the attraction of the Lake District. Despite having been to the Lake District many times over the years I still find myself going back time and time again. It is a place that one can love being in as it’s refreshing, relaxing and enjoyable while Scotland is often difficult, challenging and tough. I really enjoy going to Scotland, but I love going to the Lake District.
This was an immensely fun walk, but there was an extra treat to come. After passing over the summit I dropped down to the bottom of the pass, Feadan na Ciche, the Whistler, where the wind howls through the narrow gap. I had originally planned to go up the next Munro on the ridge, Sgurr na Ciche, but the weather was so poor and with time advancing I decided it would be prudent to miss it out. While crossing the ridge I hadn’t forgotten that once I finished walking along the ridge I would have to walk all the way back to the car along the bottom of the valley, which was going to take me so long it was would be dark by the time I got back to Fort William. With the final Munro missed out I now had to descend from the top of the pass through a wonderfully steep, narrow and wet gully that was so narrow and with so much water in the stream that the path was frequently covered by water. It was very challenging, but great fun, and over all too quickly. Once down from there my fun was over as I had a long walk back along Glen Dessary back to my car. It was very wet, very muddy and very tiring as I hobbled along on my aching ankle, and of course once back at my car I still had to drive back to Fort William. This was a good walk, but only because of the quality of the ridge and that gully. The exhausting walk in and out and the bad weather were such negative points that it could never be considered great. Nevertheless it was a good walk to end my holiday and the walking season.
Starting from the car park in Kinlochleven I climbed steeply through woodland out into open country. Despite having done this walk before I quickly, somehow, managed to go the wrong way and found myself taking a seriously muddy, barely discernible path that climbs very steeply up the hillside away from Kinlochleven. This was just the sort of thing I had been trying to avoid when I decided to do this walk! Once I realised I had gone the wrong way I had no choice but to continue to struggle up the hill until I was able to cross the gully that was baring my way onto the proper path, which was, of course, an annoyingly good path. It crossed a track and then climbed steeply below Coire nan Laogh up onto the steep slopes below Sgòr Eilde Beag. The excellent path zigzagged up the hillside on a nicely graded route that cleverly eased the steep contours and made light work of the climb enabling me to enjoy the views until they disappeared in mist as I reached the top of Sgòr Eilde Beag at the summit cairn where I had my lunch. That was also where I accidentally left my compass and whistle. Later when I realised this I couldn’t be bothered to go back for them so whoever found them after me, are welcome to consider them as a gift!
The well-made path eventually brought me to a small loch, Lochan a’Coire, at the foot of immense cliffs below the summit plateau, where the low clouds seemed to add a brooding air to the place that probably wouldn't exist in better weather. The constructed path stops at the lake and I continued on a more challenging path that climbs steeply up the hillside to a gap called the Window or Uinneag Coire Ardair. This high pass lies between two Munros and it seemed a pity not to take in the smaller, northern Munro, Stob Poite Coire Ardair, since I was there and the summit isn’t far from the Window. Climbing up, I crossed the bleak top to the summit cairn where I had my lunch before returning to the window. I now resumed the text book route up onto the summit plateau by a good clear path which sadly disappeared once I was at the top and left me to walk across the vast, thousand metre high plateau in dense cloud trying to find the summit. With my GPS in one hand, map in the other and a compass round my neck I set off towards the summit. 
The weather for this walk had reverted to form as it rained almost all day which made me realise that I should have been more appreciative of the weather the day before when it was sunny and dry. What the stream had not managed to do to my wet feet the grass and mud finished off. Wading through the wet grass and mud brought me to landrover tracks that were obviously a continuation of the earlier tracks. I followed this for a while but ultimately I had to leave the tracks and climb up the steep hill to my left, but I didn't want to do this as it seemed to be impossibly steep and I would much rather walk along the track, but that was going in the wrong direction. Ultimately I had to make that climb and soon I found that it was indeed virtually impossible. That climb was murder as it was absolutely excruciating trying to get up the hill, so much so that I contemplated giving up and going back down as I thought I would never make it. I was really not thanking Ralph Storer for making me go up there, however while later reviewing the route as described in Ralph Storer’s “100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains”, which I always use in Scotland, I discovered that I had actually gone the wrong way round. I should have descended that steep hill, not climbed it! 
Rounding the top of Coire an Fhir Lèith I reached the eastern top where a fantastic narrow ridge led out eastwards towards Stob Coire Dheirg. This was the best bit of the walk as I gingerly made my way along the narrow rocky ridge to the top and was actually quite scary as it was rather high and narrow with a less than straight forward path that weaved around the rocks along the top all the way to Stob Coire Dheirg. Once I reached the top I didn’t stay there long as the mist was too thick for me to see much so I descended past some spectacular rock formations down to the pass, Bealach Lochain Ghaineamhaich, where I had my lunch. After eating I resumed the walk along a wide grassy ridge over Meall nan Tri Tighearnan and up to the top of the Munro Glas Bheinn Mhór. This was a quieter section of the walk and after the exertions of the climb it was nicely relaxing and enjoyable. After descending to the col along the ridge I came to a nice treat, a rocky end to the ridge which the path cunningly negotiated while winding its way down. I was reminded of the walk I did a 
At the top of the pass, Bwlch Goriwared, I turned right onto the open hillside and followed a wall heading east for several miles slowly climbing through the mist all the way up to the summit. Underfoot was bare grass rather than the lovely heather that I had passed earlier but the grass at least made the walk easier underfoot. This was not the best part of the walk as it was rather bleak and grim with just the wall beside me for company and open grasslands to my left. Eventually I reached the trig point and cairn at the wind-swept summit, but for lunch I found some shelter behind a large rock some distance away. After lunch I headed east again following a wall steeply down the hillside towards a forest. This required a lot of thought and care as I gingerly made my way down the slippery rocks and grass, but it was tremendous fun making my own way down.
Renewing my strength I climbed the last couple of hundred metres past the still unfinished café and onto the summit. Once more I was at the top of England and Wales and it was worth all the effort. It never fails to amaze me how popular Snowdon is as even in this most dire of weather as there was still a smattering of people at the summit, but of course it is a Bank Holiday Monday so that would bring people out whatever the weather. Sheltered behind the summit rock I had my lunch before beginning the descent. While repassing the cafè I wondered whether they will ever finish it. It has taken them two years to get this far and it still shows no sign of being completed. After passing the top of the Watkin Path and Bwlch Main I descended the south ridge across some quite gloriously rocky terrain. I have only ever descended this in bad weather and it still seems great, despite slipping over a couple of times on the wet rocks. 
Once over the summit I began my descent back into the valley down Y Garn’s magnificent north-easterly ridge, but I was distressed to discover that the path had been ruined! As I was going down I was just thinking that this was a wonderful route, possibly even better than the Devil’s Kitchen because it didn’t have a heavily manufactured path. And then just around the corner I saw lots of large black bags full of stones that had been helicoptered in, while a little lower down the path had already been manufactured which spoilt my fun challenge of trying to get down the steep, rocky hillside. Steps in the side of a mountain just ruin all sense of fun in the walk, making it too easy and is also harder on your knees. I guess the trick to avoiding abominations such as this is not to walk anywhere that is popular, but that can’t be helped when the scenery is as good as this. Overall, this was a great walk over territory that I love so much I keep returning year after year. There is nowhere else in the country to compare with the scenery in Cwm Idwal; it is a truly awesome place, but just a little too popular. I guess I should try and find an unorthodox route like I did a couple of months ago for Scafell Pike. A short walk along the road brought me back to my car.
From the top of the ridge I walked over the broad top of the nameless hill with the cliff Cribin Fawr on its eastern flank before traversing a col up to the top of Waun-oer. There is a trig point at the summit but the real attraction of Waun-oer is the amazing view west of Cadair Idris, which was quite simply awesome. Returning back to Cribin Fawr I used a path on the other side of the fence from my outward route. There seems to have been a change to the landscape since my map was made (the latest maps are correct). I had crossed over to Waun-oer to the right of the fence where there was open grassland while on the other side was a young wood, where a path is marked on my map, though I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to walk along that path now through the trees. Eager to find out I returned along this path and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the path was not as difficult as I'd anticipated and even eased the gradiant slightly by zigzagging as it descended to the bottom of the col. I am sure it won’t take long for the wood to completely take over and render the path impassable, and when that happens it will be a great shame as that path was the best I walked all day. Crossing Cribin I turned south descending to the cliff face, Craig Portas, which I passed over walking right next to the edge where good views could be seen down into the valley. Following the fence at the top of the ridge I climbed up to my next destination, the broad heathery bog of Maesglase, where I had my lunch, at the 674m top. I'd planned to continue the walk around the top of Craig Maesglase but by this time I was getting fed up with the bog and the bleak, grass scenery so I dropped straight down to the road via Moel Cwm yr Eglwys.
